Filla-Glu Adhesives
I first heard of these guys when they joined the forums, and have since received a pack of adhesives to trial for review. They have quite a range, which seems to have originally been aimed at the war-gaming community, but has perhaps unsurprisingly been latched onto by us "display" modellers.
There are many Cyano-acrylate Esters (CA or super glue) on the market, so what makes these products stand out?
From a non-chemist's point of view, not much on first inspection - Small neat bottles with screw on caps and colored dots on the tips of some of the range. Each bottle contains 10g of glue, which is dispensed by a reasonably fine nozzle with an external diameter of 3mm and internal of 1.5mm approximately. Most modellers decant their CA and apply with a pin, cocktail stick or piece of sprue anyway, but sometimes direct application is needed for large quantities.
The plastic of the bottles is also unusual in that it doesn't seem to allow the CA to stick to the outside of the nozzle, which is important if you're going to continue screwing the caps on - a common complaint I've had with many other bottles. Additionally, this means that the nozzle's glue path doesn't seem to clog - it hasn't so far after a week or so of use every day, and a quick wipe of the nozzle with a tissue seems to bring off the residue. That in itself improves the value for money, as you'll likely get to use every drop from this range, rather than throw away a clogged, super-viscous bottle when still a third full.
All good stuff so far. Practical packaging, but how to they stick? The short answer is "Very well", you'll be pleased to hear.
The black and clear are impregnated with rubber (no sniggering in the back!), so remain flexible and are more resistant to shock than standard glues, which should hopefully improve their shear strength, which is a common weakness with most CAs, and why we often lose parts to the carpet monster when we inadvertently brush past. I can see these glues being useful for small parts, and for attaching tracks together - particularly those that have metal track pins on plastic or metal track segments.
The above two glues are high viscosity, so have longer drying times and are good for filling gaps. Additionally, there are medium and low viscosity bottles in the range, which I should imagine need little explanation. The only point of note is that the low viscosity CA is more usable than most LV CAs, because it still has some surface tension, so stays in a puddle rather than spreading out all over the place. That's the one I see myself using a lot of.
The Wicking grade CA is more akin to the traditional low viscosity CA, and is great for attaching fine parts together. Just touch an old blade with some on against the joint and the glue just wicks away by capillary action, setting almost instantly. The joint remains a little weak for a few seconds though, so exercise caution there, but it does a great job with Photo-Etch parts and such like.
The Wicking grade can also be used with the funkily titled "Powda", presented in the same bottle, it contains a mineral powder that can be used to fill gaps. Simply apply some powder to the gap, add a dash of Wicking CA, and the whole lot sets up instantly, so don't expect to be able to brush away any excess afterwards! CA creates heat as it cures (Exothermic?), so don't try to fill really huge gaps in one go without melting your model... no, seriously. Don't.
The final item is Undo, a chemical debonder that works a lot better than some I've tried. It has almost no odour, and an oily texture, but it works just fine. It is also pretty good at removing the inevitable glue on your hands - something I do a lot.
Conclusion
A useful range of Cyano Acrylate (CA) glues for the modeller, with excellent adhesion and non clogging nozzles (a personal favourite of mine).
If you're used to the properties of other brands, you may have a short acclimatisation period, but once you become familiar you'll appreciate the range grades available, and soon be using them intelligently to do different jobs better than before, when you perhaps stuck with only one medium viscosity glue.
All glue puns unintentional.