MightyMaxx13

I am new at kit building and am working on a Sig Kadet. I have the fuslage and right wing completed. I used CA medium glue to construct these sections. My question is, would it be better to use a wood glue instead of CA and just use pins until the glue dries? Thanks for the answers.

Bob

DavidAgar

My Feedback: (108)

The CA glues are designed to speed up the building process. There has been many debates on the strengh of the 2 glues and I do not think that it has ever been settled. Using wood glue and pins was how we used to do it befor CA was on the market. I can tell you from experiance that CA does make building alot quicker. The down side is that CA costs more and some folks are not tolerante of the fumes. There are CA glues on the market that are odorless and user friendly. In my opioion a builder only needs 2 glues, CA and Epoxy. Hope this helps and Good Luck Dave

Elwood

My Feedback: (2)

I was about to ask this very question!

I used CA on the wings of my Sig LT-40. I used wood glue on the fusalage and fuselage doubler with a lot of weight to hold them down properly. Now I am looking to glue the fuse together and don't know if I should use CA for F2, F3 etc, or wood glue. Epoxy for F1, I think.

Any thoughts people?

ramcharger

It depends. I use thin CA on bent balsa sheeting like that found on the wing's leading edge or on the fuselages turtleback or leading edges/trailing edges that would require some kind of support to keep in place. I do this because I'm not big on using rubber bands or a bunch of straight pins. If the pieces to be glued can be set in place like wing ribs, bulkheads, fuselage supports, gussets, planking for the tail feathers, etc. etc I use the cheap ole aliphatic wood glue (Elmers Carpenter Glue - yellow). I still use 5 or 12 minute epoxy on some parts also. All these glues will keep a plane together. I use aliphatic glue mostly because it requires patience and keeps you from building to fast, it is cheap, and there is no odor. If there is one thing that holds in model building, haste makes waste.

gpmikemorse-RCU

It depends on what is important to you. Either will hold the plane together. CA is expensive, but fast. If you do decide to use CA, make sure you have good ventilation, which for me means a fan blowing fresh air across the work surface.

Rodney

I have found that the alphatic resins do a better job in the long run, primarily because they do not get brittle with age. I have found a lot of CA joints (while initially strong) will shatter under a shock load as the joint ages--by ages I mean after a year or two. I use alphatic resins (usually Titebond II) for nearly everything, even firewalls on the big birds as the wood gives before the glue joint does. I do occasionally use epoxy but always the 30 minute or longer as the fast epoxies are again very poor in resisting shock loads and often make poor joints due to partial curing before or during application which prevents good adheasion. Do remember though, that a good fit is necessary for a good glue joint, eliminate all gaps by careful fitting and sanding.

DavidR

My Feedback: (1)

I build and fly turbine jets. I have used CA for years and only use the epoxies in high stress locations. In the last 2 years I have built 2 BVM Balsa Bandits, and just finished building 2 of the new Bobcats. All 4 planes have built up wings. The ONLY place that epoxy was used was reinforcing the retract plates (they were all glued in with Flex ZAP) and the wing tubes, and carbon fiber blade spars on the Bandits, and plywood to balsa sheeting on the Bandits. All of these are airplanes that are under some extreme G loading and are all heavy airplanes. There has not been a single glue joint failure. I did have an off runway experience with one of the Bandits (hit a runway light with the wing tip) and the wing got a big dent in it and broke the fiberglass fuselage. I don't think you have anything to worry about with the strength of CA glues. You will rip away wood long before the glue joint will fail.

David Reid

MightyMaxx13

I see that most everyone uses CA. Thank you for the replies, I am going to use the CA to finish the plane and use epoxy on the wing joint and other stress areas. Thanks again.

uciflylow

I use them all! I use ca for the rib to spars lots of times because it is fast. I usualy use Tightbond II on the rest of the wing. I use wood glues to build up a cowl because it sands so well. If you use ca to join balsa where you have to sand the joints will come out as high spots because the ca is so much harder than the balsa that it joins. I use wood glue the most and only use 30 min epoxy where ever I think I need the extra strength.
I have built many profile funfly planes that have nothing but wood glue in them, no ca or epoxy! I have never had a glue joint fail with any of these glues that the wood didn't give out first. I have also found that ca and ply doesn't get along well! The ca doesn't like to kick off, most of the time you must use kicker, and it doesn't penetrate the wood well at all.
On most kits that have the jig tab construction I align them, tape them together with masking tape and use a syrenge and large needle with the sharp end removed to run glue down all the joints from the inside. Never had one seperate yet and it's so much cheeper on the ole wallet!

Steve Collins

My Feedback: (8)

I use CA exclusively with the only exception being the glass tape around the wing center section and anywhere wood is glued to foam; and then I use epoxy. I have been quite active in pylon racing which is a venue that puts max stress on airframes. I have never had a CA glue joint fail. I am still flying some of my racing planes which are at least six years old. The idea that CA glue joints go bad over time is a myth. If I had nothing more than wood glue to build planes with, I would have dropped out of the hobby years ago. In my opinion, the only attraction for wood glues is that they are cheap.

LSP972

My Feedback: (13)

One thing that no one has mentioned yet is "sandability". The wood glues sand very easily and "follow" as wood is removed. Some of the professional grade cabinet-maker's yellow glue sets in 10 minutes or so; I used Elmer's Pro-Bond on my last kit, and it was ready to handle in an hour. I did wait overnight before sanding, though, just to be safe.

CA doesn't sand well, and usually the sandpaper removes more wood than cured glue- with a resulting unsightly ridge.

I try to use yellow wood glue anywhere there is a joint that will be sanded.

I still remember using Ambroid; so either wood glue OR CA beats that, hands down!<G>

Steve

CaptainHook

My Feedback: (80)

I used to build with yellow wood glue, did not have much of a choice in the old day's. Gee, I guess i finally admitted I'm getting old. I was reluctant to start using CA, but I started building professionally and really didn't have a choice. They like to have their planes turned around quickly. The fumes can be overwhelming and you have to learn how to manage it. Sheeting a plane can be a real pain because of the fumes. It's best to do a little, and call it a day if you can't handle it. I can't tell you if the CA is better than the yellow, but it is much quicker and requires the no hassle pins to hold things in place until it cures. CA is expensive, I spend around $30 to $40 to finish a giant project, but it's worth it for the quick finished project. :stupid:

RLDIII

My Feedback: (1)

Like many of the above, I use several glue types depending upon what part of the structure I am building. Though I like the speed of CA glues, and have no real concern about glue joint strength when using them (if they are used correctly), I find I am using less of them on my latest planes. Why? Well, the resaons are varried, but basically, cost, smell, and sandability are the big ones. What I have evolved is basically a "hybrid" type building system with my adhesives. On parts where I use Elmers/Titebond type glue, I will use just a drop or two of CA like a welders tack to hold everything straight and true while the wood glue sets up.

Lee

Mark Hansen

I have heard many comments about venting ca fumes - what is the physical problems that comes from the fumes - Secondly - people talk about the build up of using expoxies over time - What happens here? My fingers are falling off and I just want to know if it's the glues or the getting too close to my radial arm saw?

majesticmonkey

Just CA for me!

I haven't noticed that the joints get brittle with age.

I just use thin and medium. It's quick, easy, and strong enough for me.

Rocketman612

My Feedback: (85)

CA glue is known for causing allergic skin problems after repeated exposure. Also the fumes can irritate your airways. Prolonged and repetitive exposure to ANY Isocyanate, Polyurethane,Vinyl chloride,etc. can cause Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis. ALWAYS keep your work area well ventilated. Pete