Some high performance Super-Glues that may be of interest to marine modellers
The ‘Filla-Glu’ products supplied for evaluation
An intriguing packet containing samples of adhesive for evaluation from a brand-name that will not be familiar to many marine modellers appeared on the test-bench recently. These adhesives are marketed using the name ‘FILLA-GLU – xxxx’ under the brand ‘War Games Adhesive.Com’, being part of The Qute Group Ltd based in South Wales.
The company specialises in developing adhesives for industrial purposes and logically some have been packaged as ‘products for the Hobby/Model & War Game enthusiasts’ as represented by the samples reviewed here.
The products supplied included the familiar form of Super-glue called ‘Filla-Glu Instant’ in three thicknesses – Low, Medium, and High Viscosity (LV, MV, HV); a high viscosity grade impregnated with rubber, ‘Filla-Glu Clear’ and its coloured variant ‘Filla-Glu Black’, that are described as offering a degree of shock resistance and the ability to bridge gaps; and an extremely low viscosity penetrating adhesive, ‘Filla-Glu Wicking’, that is described as being very fast setting and ideal for pre-assembled parts.
Small 0.5mm extension-nozzles, ‘Dosing Tips’, were provided and specifically recommended for use with the thin wicking grade; a ‘Kicka-Pen’ in the form of broad felt-tip pen for cleaning and preparing surfaces when bonding conditions are not ideal; and, thoughtfully, a bottle of cyano de-bonder called ‘Filla-Glu Undo’.
I had the benefit of a data-sheet that provided rather more information regarding functionality than could be expected to appear on the product’s containers however the filla-glu.com Website offers more comprehensive product descriptions and applicability, prices and ordering facilities, practical tips and a light-hearted instructional video – well worth looking at.
Readers of TW may recall that I am not a great fan of Cyanoacrylates, usually referred to as ‘Cyano’ or Super-Glues, favouring the more traditional ‘Hammer and Big Nail approach’ – so this was going to be an interesting test of impartiality!
In use
First impressions were of convenience; the small 10gm bottles are comfortably soft, easily unscrewed and require no nozzle-piercing (apart from the ‘Undo’), the basic nozzle is of a practical size for most of our tasks, and colour-coded lids differentiate their contents. The Dosing Tips are easy to fit or remove and offer an extremely delicate means of application; neither they nor the basic nozzles clogged during the short test period.
Nicely presented products that felt right and gave confidence – but how would they perform on Tiffy’s standard Stickability Test?
The Test – Wood to Wood
Basic over-lap joints formed midway along the splints were compared whilst dry and again after immersion
A thumbnail’s area of each sample was spread over the end of a proprietary tongue-depressor and a simple overlap-joint formed with a second one; the laminate was then clamped horizontally at one end whilst supporting a 200gram weight at the other and left for twenty-four hours. The joints were then immersed in cold water for thirty-minutes before being re-clamped, weighted, and left for a further day; surviving joints were finally hand-broken and subjectively assessed.
All of the Filla-Glu’s joints were made and tested immediately but for interest compared to samples of our more familiar adhesives that had been made-up in advance using: 24-hour Araldite, Aliphatic wood-glue, ‘White’ glue, and my usual ‘Zap’ cyano. Whilst this is clearly not a like-with-like or scientific test it does represent what actually happens in the modeller’s workshop and hopefully offers a practical assessment.
Performance
As would be expected the White-glue’s joint failed a little while after immersion and the Araldite formed a bond that couldn’t be broken without destroying the laminate; the Aliphatic’s joint was the easiest to break with no obvious splintering of the timber.
Next in performance were the Filla-Glu Instant HV and Zap-A-Gap’s joints which seemed comparable and quite easy to peel apart; the Filla-Glu Wicking, Black, and Instant LV achieved subjectively stronger and similar bonds with about fifteen-percent of the wood’s surface splintering, as the Wicking adhesive had been applied by capillary-action alone this was quite impressive.
Finally, in ascending order of performance, came the Filla-Glu Instant MV (Medium Viscosity) which apart from the Araldite formed the strongest water-resistant bond in timber whilst causing about forty-percent surface damage when forced apart.
Other Materials
Typical modelling materials joined to both themselves and the timber test-board using small quantities of adhesive
Thereafter various craft materials were bonded to themselves and in various combinations, and the joints forced apart if possible; typical marine modelling tasks such as planking, building a timber superstructure ‘box’ and facing it with styrene, some genuine repairs, and awkward tasks such as adding rubber, timber, and plastic fendering to a curved surface were simulated; finally a small white-metal kit that I had been ignoring was also super-glued together.
Overall the results were most satisfactory provided that the optimal adhesive is used; for tight joints the Wicking adhesive is very effective indeed, rough materials and ‘gappy’ joints warrant the thicker (HV) Instant or the more flexible and rather impressive Filla-Glu (Clear or Black), these higher viscosity glues polymerise slightly more slowly and thus provide a useful wriggle factor.
The quality of adhesion achieved in these assorted materials was more than adequate for most model-making requirements; most of the joints could be prised apart without too much effort apart from those formed with Perspex, fendering-rubber, and polystyrene where the joint proved stronger than the material.
The benefits of the ‘Kicka-Pen’ rather evaded me; it may well be appropriate when joining some of the more exotic ‘plastics’ and of use when gluing small delicate kit parts together but it is not a substitute for mechanical cleaning nor functions in the manner of the familiar kicker-sprays. I may have been expecting too much but it achieved nothing when used on otherwise unprepared metals.
The ‘Undo’ performed exactly as claimed in enabling dried Super-glue to be removed from tools and materials and, with a little patience, to be worked into bonded joints allowing them to be separated without damage.
Not reviewed but described on the company’s Website are ‘Filla-Powda’, a mineral powder used in conjunction with the Wicking grade, for bridging large gaps and filling joints; and ‘Filla-Glu – Low Odour’ which is described as having ‘non-blooming characteristics’ and therefore potentially useful for securing clear glazing within a superstructure.
Whether many marine modellers will appreciate the expanding range of coloured cyanos remains to be seen but someone will manage to simulate caulking with the black version!
Conclusion/Summary
The fine Dosing-Nozzle allows precise, controlled, application of the adhesive for small projects without clogging and may be cut back without increasing the nozzle’s diameter
Whilst not one to knowingly let the facts get in the way of a long standing prejudice I have to admit to being very impressed with the products tested; these are industrial grade Super-glues conveniently packaged for the craft market that are a pleasure to use and generally performed as claimed.
Super-glues are convenient and ideal for some of our regular marine-modelling tasks such as planking with very thin strip-wood, bonding claddings (particularly styrene-sheet), or attaching fendering to a curved hull; they also provide a bonding option for those problematic materials when nothing else works.
The majority of modellers would be very satisfied with a bottle of Filla-Glu Instant MV (having a twelve-month shelf life) and some Dosing Tips available in the workshop or repair kit for regular use and then acquiring a Wicking grade or the more viscous Filla-Glu Clear when appropriate for a specific project.
Current prices are £3.99 for a 10gm bottle of ‘Undo’, Wicking or Instant glues; £4.99 for the Filla-Glu Clear or Black; and a packet of five Dosing Tips costs £2.50.