How to apply superglue so it goes just where you want it.

[optima21]

not sure if people have trouble getting superglue just where they want it, but here is my method, and the main thing is not to use it from a bottle or tube. I use a stack of post-it notes for putting a drop or two of superglue on. then if its thick or medium viscosity superglue I use a wooden tooth pick to get a small drop on the point and then apply it to where its wanted. if its watery superglue I use a modified dress making needle to apply it. With a pair of wire cutters I cut the point off the needle (so I don't stab myself), and then cut half of the eye off the needle. The U section is then dipped into the superglue and the capillary action will cause the U to fill up with superglue. You can then apply it accurately where you want it. the eye does clog up, but you can clear the superglue with the tip of a knife blade. I got a pack of about 20 needles from Home Bargains of about £1, although only half of them are small enough to use.

on the attached photo, these model railings were superglued together using thin superglue and the modified needle, and it worked very well. the styrene rods the rails are made from from 0.5 to 1.00mm in diameter. it also shows the jig I made for making them and the holes behind the joint are so that the superglue doesn't wick out and go everywhere due to capillary action.

might help someone to not end up sticking their fingers somewhere they're not wanted.

 

[Shox Dr]

Good tips. And a reminder to get more cocktail sticks.

Cotton buds are handy as well

 

[Robotstar5]

I tend to use Mekpak for styrene sticking, use a small brush and it flows into the joint.

 

[bourbon]

at that size, I would need my illuminated magnifying glass!

 

[optima21]

I tend to use Mekpak for styrene sticking, use a small brush and it flows into the joint.

I havn't tried Mekpak, but Im guessing that is similar to Tamiya extra thin cement, which I found works in a similar way but found that it didnt have the same strength of the Tamiya Liquid cement, or the Revell Contacta. If Im using these solvent type cements, I use the Tamiya Extra thin for tacking things togther as the solvents flashes off too quickly, to give a dencent bond. for normal joints I use Revell Contacta as the cement is applied with a thin tube that lets you get it where you want it and you can build up a filllet in the corners. that was used for the fabrication of these paddle wheels for a radio controlled model I was making (they are less than 50mm diameter and made from 1.00mm thick styrene

if I need to laminate styrene sheet together to make a thicker section (like the hub on the paddle wheels above)

I use the Tamiya Liquid cement as the brush in the bottle is good for spreading it out before clamping the sections to be laminated together

I did try to use the cements to make the railings but found that the joints were too brittle and wound snap if you tried to flex them. its only when they wernt strong enough that I tried superglue and found it to give a much stronger joint. Another issue I found when making the rails was that they shunk at the joint as the solvents evaporated, it might have only been 0.5mm over 100mm but the holes on the deck were co-ordinate drilled and the stanchions didn't line up and the alignment got worse as it got longer. the railings were removed from the jig after 30 minutes and then used the following day. with the superglued railings there was no problem with alignment.

but I dont think this would have been an issue for most people, but for this solvent based cements wern't suitable and the use of superglue allowed me to paint parts before assembly as unlike the solvent cements , superglue doesnt work as a paint stripper.

and after all this, Im still not getting a 3d printer

 

[DAPPH]

I usually keep any super glues in the fridge, went to get some yesterday after storing it for a year or so unopened ,, ... and it's as solid as a rock .

Can it be revived or is it for the bin?

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

not sure if people have trouble getting superglue just where they want it, but here is my method, and the main thing is not to use it from a bottle or tube. I use a stack of post-it notes for putting a drop or two of superglue on. then if its thick or medium viscosity superglue I use a wooden tooth pick to get a small drop on the point and then apply it to where its wanted. if its watery superglue I use a modified dress making needle to apply it. With a pair of wire cutters I cut the point off the needle (so I don't stab myself), and then cut half of the eye off the needle. The U section is then dipped into the superglue and the capillary action will cause the U to fill up with superglue. You can then apply it accurately where you want it. the eye does clog up, but you can clear the superglue with the tip of a knife blade. I got a pack of about 20 needles from Home Bargains of about £1, although only half of them are small enough to use.

View attachment 372215

on the attached photo, these model railings were superglued together using thin superglue and the modified needle, and it worked very well. the styrene rods the rails are made from from 0.5 to 1.00mm in diameter. it also shows the jig I made for making them and the holes behind the joint are so that the superglue doesn't wick out and go everywhere due to capillary action.

View attachment 372216

might help someone to not end up sticking their fingers somewhere they're not wanted.

A good video on superglue.https://youtu.be/VZqf5rOJNCE