What glues do you use?

[Tony H]

Hi All,

I was wondering what glues everyone uses these days for their build projects. I have been using PVA glue, Epoxy mostly. Does anyone use anything else, can you trust CA glues to build an entire airframe. It would obviously be quicker.

[David perry 1]

Epoxy and pva. Actually i use wood glue from jewsons. And ive just discovered that it goes off too...my sinbad has failing joints all over from old glue. Im regluing the lot with new stuff.

Also use cyano but not much.

I think thats it. I tried aliphatic but prefer white pva type as it washes out.of my best trousers better. Yes i know.

I never use balsa cement now but i might try some on my next vintage job

[iflylilplanes]

Depends on the job, fuselage doublers I use epoxy, wood planking and wood to foam I use wood glues (better to sand), small joint wood to wood CA, wing joiners epoxy. Epoxy I use 15 to 30 minute, no less cure time, PVA's, I try to use one's that don't get soft when the humidity goes up, I've had wings twist on me on hot humid days and CA's, I use all sorts, thin, thick, foam safe they are great when cutting a thread in ply for wing mounts.

Again, It depends on the job at the time as to what adhesive I use.

Cheers,

Dave

[leccyflyer]

For general building with balsa and ply my preferred glue is Deluxe Materials Superphatic. I find it excellent when jigging up a joint and then hitting it with the glue, just like using CA.

I have a quite severe reaction to most CA adhesives - something I ignored this weekend, hence the streaming nose this morning - so for CA I usually rely on ZAP-O odourless foam safe superglue. The Toolstation thin CA I used at the weekend was excellent, but I'm suffering now.

For epoxy I'm a confirmed Z-POxy user, both the 30 minute and 5 minute varieties, but just recently I've been trying the Bob Smith 15 minute epoxy, which I've been impressed with.

One glue that I'm using much more now, for lots of applications is UHU-POR. I have always used it for depron and foam and found it excellent, but in the past few years I have been using it much more as a contact adhesive for all sorts of plastics, but also for battery straps, fixing velcro to fuselages etc. I used to use a smear of epoxy, but a smear of UHU POR works just as well and is much faster and less fuss.

For fixing canopies, if it has to be glued the RC Modeller's Glue (aka RC-56) is a must and on a few occasions I've also used specialist hinge glue. I've also occasionally used RC Fusion and Plastic Weld for ABS. I've thrown away countless tubes of gone off Gorilla Glue, without ever having actually used it.

[Frank Skilbeck]

Just been using some Grabit Aliphatic for a balsa structure, it's quite nice to use. For wing joiners and engine bulkheads Goriila yellow foaming glue, fills in any gaps and sands off very easy, just make sure you clamp the pieces together. Also like the Gorilla Cyano with the brush applicator and their cyano gel

[Peter Miller]

Deluxe products Aliphatic Resin for most of the building.

Thixofix for gluing doublers to sides.

Superphatic for one stage in my wing building,

Canopy glue for canopies and holding snake outers in place.

Super glue for hinges.

5 minute epoxy for a very few jobs and also for making a perfect surface of sticking down self adhesive Velcro. (You apply to ply wood and then press on acetate sheet. this peels of leaving a perfect surface for the Velcro.)

3M Spaymount for sticking sections of plan to the wood for cutting out.it peels off leaving clean wood afterwards

[Jon H]

I use cyano for everything apart from u/c mounts, engine mounts, gluing tails on etc. Anything involving ply gets some half hour epoxy, the rest cyano in one form or another.

I know some people go on about brittle cyano joints failing in a crash but i dont accept that argument as you crashed so you get what you get. 

 

Edited By Jon - Laser Engines on 29/06/2020 08:32:06

[Cuban8]

I think in the same way as you Jon. Medium, or in some cases, thin cyano for as much construction as possible,  thick for when a little extra time to set is handy. Epoxy for high stress areas, PVA for the few larger components with more contact area and can be clamped up. I take care to keep my workspace well ventilated as much as possible, but I'm lucky to not be affected by cyano fumes to any great extent. Never had any examples of brittle Cyano joints, but it helps if your woodwork is accurate and avoid gaps - true for any glue really. No evidence that the very expensive branded cyanos are worth the extra over what I get from my favourite Ebay supplier for 1/3 the cost of the big name with all the flashy advertising, IMHO.

I don't have the patience to wait around for slow setting glues these days.

Edited By Cuban8 on 29/06/2020 09:47:47

[Bob Cotsford]

Mostly Evostick brand PVA, 30 min epoxy and various CAs for 'quick' jobs, local hardening, wicking in etc. For nose doublers it's solvent based contact adhesive.

Many years ago I built a Sukhoi aerobatic job from a pull out plan using CA for everything but the bearers, it was when superglue gels were appearing in model shops 'like balsa glue but better'. It built quick and light and when it hit the ground HARD it was the wood that failed - everywhere . These days I limit my CA use due to the fumes.

I've just tried using canopy glue to fix Robart pin hinges into the tailplane and rudder on the basis it sticks like snot and is designed for plastic to wood joints. They certainly seem glued in tight and it's much less mess than epoxy which is what I've always used in the past. I'll see how well attaching the control surfaces goes later but I'm optimistic.

Edited By Bob Cotsford on 29/06/2020 10:01:05

[alex nicol]

Main glues used are cyano, pva, contact and epoxy

Cyano - as a pin or tack in place then run over the joint with very slightly thinned pva dispensed from an old printer cartridge refill syringe and needle.

Pva - large surfaces

Contact Evostick - fuselage doublers

Contact Copydex - Balsa skinning foam wing cores

Epoxy 30min - firewalls, u/c plates, joining wings and with glass cloth for reinforcement

Cheers

Alex

[Nigel R]

I use cyano for most about everything.

Special cases:

Contact adhesive for doublers and wing sheeting.

Canopy glue, for canopies (!) and normal polyprop / pinned hinges

PVA or alliphatic or sometimes epoxy for end grain birch ply (i.e. not liteply or cheap B&Q ply) joints - firewalls to fuselage sides, U/C plates, anything with a real strength requirement.

Normal PVA on glass bandages for wing panel joins.

Never had an issue with joints failing - touch wood.

[Cuban8]

I like Bob's idea to use canopy glue on Robart hinges - must give that a go. I normally use epoxy and clean up any glue that squeezes out with a kitchen towel moistened with meths.

[Ron Gray]

I don’t use epoxy as much as I used to. Now it’s Superphatic for quick jointing and where standing may be involved, then Gorilla Glue (Brown, foaming) for wood to foam, plastic to wood or where gap filling required, Robart hinges, Gorilla Glue (White) for balsa to balsa, ply to balsa, hinges, canopies as it dries clear, ‘glazing’ to 3D printed instruments. UHU POR as contact adhesive for things like Velcro to batteries. Hot glue for ‘potting’ wires on plugs and Rx aerial locating tubes.

[Bob Cotsford]

A quick update on the canopy glue for pin hinges: I've attached the elevators and rudder to my Warbird Replicas La7 using 1/8" Robart pin hinges exactly as per the instructions, ie drill 5/64 or 2mm a shade deeper than the hinge will penetrate then relieve the entry for the knuckle joint. I counterbored with a 4mm drill to about 5mm. Paint the knuckle with petroleum jelly, smear the pin with glue to fill the bottom of the barb, then pump canopy glue into the bore ensuring the walls are covered. After a couple of minutes for the glue to soak in assemble the joint, I had barely any glue displaced outward so masking around the hinge was unnecessary and it seemed fairly solid after half an hour or so and I was pulling pretty hard. This morning I can't detect any movement pulling on the surfaces as hard as I dare and everything flops around far more freely than I've ever seen using epoxy!

[kc]

A joint made with good quality PVA ( such as Evostik Wood Glue /ResinW ) is stronger than the wood itself - even hardwood like beech. Try a test on a scrap bit of wood and try to pull apart after 24 hours. Also check on a cheap brand which looks the same. I found a cheap supermarket glue in green bottle that looked like other PVA but the sample test proved the glue failed - nowhere near as strong. On the other hand joints made with Resin W when it first came out - 1960's - are still in use on furniture and have never failed. ( furniture has a larger surface are for the glue and not the same strains as aircraft but it proves it doesn't age. Assuming they have not changed the formulae for Resin W over the years)

[leccyflyer]

Another nice thing about using Resin W is the long thin applicator nozzle which lets you get the glue in exactly the right place. I find that the modelling PVA dispensers tend to clog up as soon as you look at them, very often needing to be disassembled and cleaned.

[John Bisset]

Interesting comments. I agree with kc - testing any new glue, or any old 'stock' that you may be in doubt over is well worthwhile. Still a requirement for full size glue work on aeroplanes, so why not here too, with a wee scrap piece?

[Murat Kece 1]

I use CA and Gorilla PVA for most wood applications depending on drying time and access to pieces.

I used the Stabilit Express to glue the firewall and the wing bolt fixi plates onto ABS.. It was excellent.. I also experimented with pipe goo with some reinforcing fiber cloth for wood to ABS it worked too.

I struggle with spay/tack glues though.. It mus be my impatience....

[Tim Flyer]

I will only use cyano when forced to for instant adhesion or soaking.
Yes it can be brittle, doesn’t sand that well and is not great for re gluing .
For building my main glue is Titebond original which is aliphatic so sands well and costs £9.00 per litre. It’s very good. I use epoxy a fair bit too where maximum strength is needed (especially where there may be fuel and oil contamination) and especially where there is any gap between surfaces. I recently bought some ground cotton to mix in with epoxy which makes very neat high strength filler, although I often use finely chopped glass matting with epoxy as a filler. The great thing with epoxy is that it can be released with heat too.
For canopies I use UHU POR contact adhesive. 

 

Edited By Tim Flyer on 30/06/2020 14:08:59

[kc]

I don't think Evostik ResinW comes with " the long thin applicator nozzle which lets you get the glue in exactly the right place." nowadays. Worth keeping any long nozzles and reusing them.

Interesting to note the prices vary so much Robert Dyas want 6.49 for 250ml ResinW while Toolstation will sell twice as much for a pound less! 500ml for 5.49. It is worth decanting a bit from the large bottles into a smaller long spouted squeezy bottle ( obviously I am talking about PVA not cyano )

I will do a test of Resin W and also Superphatic and test them to destruction. Same material same clamping etc, both balsa and ply.

[ken anderson.]

poundland 5 min epoxy and cyano,...and pva from wilco's...job's a goodin for my sports models...some still together after years of service......no failure's ...

ken anderson...ne..1...glue dept.

[Nigel R]

I mostly use Toolstation or Screwfix for glues. Cheap enough and avoids the absolute bottom of barrel stuff. One exception is thin cyano, the "normal shop" stuff sold as thin is never as thin as thin cyano from a model shop, the last bottle I bought was from Inwoods ebay outlet, own brand stuff, works dandy, thinner than water and soaks right through balsa / liteply / DIY shop ply.

[kc]

Nigel & Ken    A Challenge.   would you be willing to test your cheap PVA in a destruction test? A test piece of hardwood or softwood glued,clamped left for 24 hours and then forced apart to see if the wood fibres give way before the glue? Be interesting I think.

I will glue a few softwood testpieces with ResinW, a cheap pva marked 151, another marked Everstone, Westbury Express PVA and Humbrol Extrarez. All same wood, well clamped and left 24 hours. Then I will twist them apart.   

Edited By kc on 30/06/2020 16:11:12

[ken anderson.]

ok ...KC,i'll put a couple of bits together now and send/post a pic...leave for 24 hours and see what happens when I pull them to bits...

 

here's one just done...pine and oak+ wilco's glue.....i'll leave clamped until this time tomorrow.... sorry its on its side but you can see what's what..

 

ken anderson...ne...1...testing dept.

Edited By ken anderson. on 30/06/2020 16:32:52

[leccyflyer]

Shows how long ago it was that I last bought Resin W!