Posted by Loren Perry on March 26, 1999 at 13:45:09 in 199.217.72.146:
In Reply to: AC GLUE?..................... posted by Bryan Kilbury on March 25, 1999 at 22:02:13:
AC (more correctly CA seeing as it stands for
CyanoAcrylate) is a type of "superglue" (Superglue
is actually a trademark.) You can get it at good
hobby shops in several types. These glues include a
basic CA glue which is thin and watery and leaves
little or no build-up when dry.
A thicker type is called Gap-Filling CA and
this is useful for filling in small cracks or gaps
between adjacent parts. There are others, but these
are the two types I use.
A third type called CA Gel is a very
thick glue that I like to use for holding figures
on deck. The Gel has enough goo to hold the figure
upright even when it isn't dry.
My favorite brand is Pacer Technologies' ZAP
(a hot pink label) and ZAP-A-GAP (a pea-green label.)
They have terrific strength when dry and make a
strong bond even on a pre-painted surface. Shelf
life at room temperature is about a year. Freezing
the glue extends its life by another year or two.
Other brands have been shown to fail in a few
months with etched brass rails popping loose, etc.
Krazy Glue (brand name) has this problem with
plastic modelbuilders - I've seen several fine
models built with this brand where the railing
has popped loose due to glue failure. Zap and
its relatives don't do this - I have several
completed models that are three years old with
all the rails and other etched fittings firmly
in place and showing no signs of weakness.