Glue

Welcom back, I was out for 23 years myself and know what you are going through!

I use long thin glue tips on the Ambroid tubes. I probably use no more than a tenth of the Ambroid that I did, before using the tips. Get 'em at any hobby shop. After use, drop them in a jar of acetone. Keeps them clean and fresh. If they dissolve, it isn't acetone...run.

CA/CYA: It has its place, but that place is not in your lungs. Some claim to do ALL their construction with CA, and some of THEM will get to explain that to their doctors. Watch these message boards long enough; you'll see those postings. My advice, use it where nothing else will do as well...with lots of ventilation. I like using just a touch of thin or extra thin CA at wing joints. As soon as you've worked end to end, you can pull the pins and pick up the wing...to apply "real" glue to those joints. For fuel-proofing, I drip it into the end grain balsa in the throat of a profile engine cut-out.

Thick CA is good in "exposed" places, like wire-wrapped line ends, and nice where you need adjustment time, rather than instant stick.

White glue: A few guys use it for literally everything, and say it remains flexible over the years. I use it, cut with water, to apply silkspan (or silk, for that matter) to foam. It really stiffens a foam wing, and adds very little weight.

Off-white glue (Alaphatic resin): I use this around foam, quite a bit (spars, etc.). My planes don't get wet, but I do use the one marked "Exterior".

Epoxy: Good on foam, good for about anything...maximum strength, but HEAVY. My use...for anything around the center section of a combat wing. Can be thinned, and tools cleaned with, certain alcohols. Some use isopropyl; I use denatured. (I spray the isopropyl onto planes, to cut castor oil, after flying. Works very well, when mother's spit is not available. Mother's spit will sometimes remove dope finish; isopropyl won't.) Be a little careful with epoxy. Some people develop a severe allergy to it. Be VERY careful with mother's spit.

Duco is still available. Like Ambroid, for a good joint you must double cement (remember that - put a thin coat on both parts, let it dry, put on a second coat and press (or clamp)).

If you have only thin CYA, you can fill a joint with baking soda and hit it with the CYA. One of the reasons CYA is not good around the engine compartment is that nitromethane is used as a debonder (in case you glue your fingers together, etc.).

When guys first started using aliphatic resin glue, it was because: 1.It would sand, where white glue would not, and 2.It is faster setting than white glue.

Use blocks or a jig to suspend symmetrical wings during assembly.

Welcome back. Many of us are "retreads".

Great Summary!

For more info, check the old threads. There were several adhesive threads, and, like yours, concerned us old retreads. Click on search, and if you get nothing, click help. I found them EXTREMELY helpful.

Additional note: CYA doesn't sand. Keep it well inside of any area you might sand. Like ribs to spars, tack to the spars, keeping the first tack joint short of where the covering touches the ribs. Thin CYA runs like crazy and can get on the outside of a spar in a heartbeat, which takes major surgery to remove. An old Duco / Ambroid user can be amazed at the mess you can make at the speed of light.

Let's see....I use thin and medium Zap CA; 5, 15 and 60 minute epoxy; Titebond II; Elmer's white glue; Duco; Ambroid; Pliobond; rubber cement; paper glue sticks; fiberglass resin and maybe a few others. Nice to have a lot of choices, but confusing as the dickens to try to learn all at once.

Epoxies are the strongest, but heavy. CA is fast and very convenient, but stinky (unless you use the foam friendly variety). Titebond is really nice, if a bit slow drying. Elmer's is fine and cheap, but not water proof. I used to like Ambroid for edge gluing sheeting until I learned the CA/Q-Tip trick. I use Duco to hold a wing in the fuselage and seal the gap, then hang the plane up and drizzle slow epoxy in to make a permanent joint.

Thank you! That's what's great about this forum: Answers! Having had to learn most of what I know of modeling by myself,and living with the discouraging results, I am proceeding cautiously. My first modeling effort,when I was 5 or so, besides the cut-out planes on the Kellogg's cereal boxes, was a 6-foot span Cleveland stick and paper model that I attemped to cut out,using a dull jackknife. My last was a Flight Streak that was spirited enough to increase the pucker factor by a significant amount, but flew into the ground due to (from what I have learned on the fourm,)bellcrank mounting failure. So,this is a great place to learn how to do it better this time . Ambroid did taste better than that other stuff when you gnawed it off your fingers. My mom used to get really MAD when I'd wipe my gluey fingers on my levis. Never could get that stuff out. Anyhow, thanks, all. You have cleared up several questions, and in the iinterim, I have read Leonard's treatise on Silkspan. I thought that had been replaced by synthetics. I guess the good stuff just keeps being good. Cheers CC

Hate to add complexity, but I accidently bought some Loctite Quick Set Epoxy. It was on the Lowe's hanger that said "30 minute epoxy".

I didn't notice the "error" until I glued in a piece and found it permantly in place while I was still trying to move it. Then I saw the label! It is indeed Quick Set, and is darned near as fast as CyA.

After the original error, I have used it on purpose in one application -- setting a tailwheel where I wanted a gap filler and a few minutes time.

I don't use white glue much because it runs so easily.

Use the thinner, finishing epoxy. It levels out well. And you don't have to cut it with anything.

Denny, nice job. Currell

I don't know the "real" answer, but there is a lot of aliphatic resin glue used in carpentry and cabinetry making. As I recall, if the glue joint is done properly, it will be stronger than the wood, itself. And that is using pine, fir, oak,.... If you do it right with balsa, using either glue, it is not going to come apart.

Some of the solvent based glues, on the other hand, (Ambroid, etc.) will continue to "Dry" over time and will warp, twist, and eventually pull away from the wood. I am not a big fan of these any more.