Good but cheaper CA glues????
11-16-2016, 05:51 AM
#1
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Good but cheaper CA glues????
Anyone using any of the off brand CA glues? My local shop has the Bob Smith and Jet brands but when you build as much as I do, it gets kinda pricey after a certain point. Just wondering if there are CA's out there that you guys have had good success with that are cheaper than the "name brands".
Thanks!!
Thanks!!
11-16-2016, 04:48 PM
#4
I've used the Hobby Lobby (craft store) house brand with "good" results. I use very little CA so maybe I'm not qualified to answer. Use their 40% off coupon. If you have a smart phone they have an app for it.
Ken
Ken
11-17-2016, 06:36 AM
#10
Two thumbs up on Balsa USA Gold ! Very happy with their product. Word of mouth best advertising and no I
I am not associated with Balsa USA, only my check book !
Remember, we build and modify and repair aircraft that can harm you or something if things are not engineered, assembled and flown properly. My two cents !
I am not associated with Balsa USA, only my check book !
Remember, we build and modify and repair aircraft that can harm you or something if things are not engineered, assembled and flown properly. My two cents !
11-17-2016, 09:43 AM
#12
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Well I guess I will be the first. I have been using Hobby King Ca for as long as it has been available. I build 3 or 4 balsa kits a year and many of them are giant scale. I have never had or seen a failure of any Ca glue joint where the correct consistency of Ca was used, even in a crash. (Using thin Ca on a porous surface is a recipe for disaster.)
The Hobby King Ca will not stay fresh as long in the refrig as the US brands, and it sometimes takes longer to set up (which is an advantage if you need time to align the parts) but my worst glue joints are still better than the wood around them.
Hobby King Ca is available in the usual three consistencies and costs a little over $1 per ounce.
The Hobby King Ca will not stay fresh as long in the refrig as the US brands, and it sometimes takes longer to set up (which is an advantage if you need time to align the parts) but my worst glue joints are still better than the wood around them.
Hobby King Ca is available in the usual three consistencies and costs a little over $1 per ounce.
Last edited by jrf; 11-27-2016 at 11:37 AM.
11-17-2016, 02:51 PM
#14
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I have had really good luck with themudduck on Ebay. He has a really good selection of many kinds of adhesives, ships promptly and has never got an order wrong. Not the cheapest, but not the highest either.
11-25-2016, 12:49 PM
#16
I usually stock up on BSI at swap meets this time of year. If I can get the 8 ounce bottles, I use those to refill the smaller ones and keep them in my mini fridge. BSI is a leader in the CA and Epoxy market, they sell wholesale and put the sellers name on their labels. I have not had a problem with any of their products, especially the epoxy, when they say 30 minute, they mean 30 minute, not 30 minute till you can't use it, but 30 minute to cured.
I have been using some of the Hobby Lobby stuff and it is 20 minutes stuff, so 20 minute working time, but 8+ hours setup time. After an hour it is still soft and tacky and if you need to clamp for any reason, don't take the clamps off for at least 8 hours or the part will separate. This is something I never had to worry about with BSI epoxy, you get 30 minute working time, and within 45 minutes it is set up and can be unclamped, and within 2 hours is hard.
I have used the SIG medium CA and found it takes quite some time to setup as well compared to the BSI glue. It can have an advantage at times, but can be quite frustrating when you are expecting the parts to be stuck, and when you release them, they come apart unexpectedly. Something to be wary of when getting other brand glues when you have worked with one brand in particular.
I have been using some of the Hobby Lobby stuff and it is 20 minutes stuff, so 20 minute working time, but 8+ hours setup time. After an hour it is still soft and tacky and if you need to clamp for any reason, don't take the clamps off for at least 8 hours or the part will separate. This is something I never had to worry about with BSI epoxy, you get 30 minute working time, and within 45 minutes it is set up and can be unclamped, and within 2 hours is hard.
I have used the SIG medium CA and found it takes quite some time to setup as well compared to the BSI glue. It can have an advantage at times, but can be quite frustrating when you are expecting the parts to be stuck, and when you release them, they come apart unexpectedly. Something to be wary of when getting other brand glues when you have worked with one brand in particular.
11-26-2016, 12:05 PM
#18
Consider the cost per ounce, they usually have tiny tubes of CA, and cost almost as much as the larger bottles. Their epoxy though is just as good, but again, the cost per ounce is usually higher due to the smaller sizes sold.
11-26-2016, 02:09 PM
#19
I usually stock up on BSI at swap meets this time of year. If I can get the 8 ounce bottles, I use those to refill the smaller ones and keep them in my mini fridge. BSI is a leader in the CA and Epoxy market, they sell wholesale and put the sellers name on their labels. I have not had a problem with any of their products, especially the epoxy, when they say 30 minute, they mean 30 minute, not 30 minute till you can't use it, but 30 minute to cured.
I have been using some of the Hobby Lobby stuff and it is 20 minutes stuff, so 20 minute working time, but 8+ hours setup time. After an hour it is still soft and tacky and if you need to clamp for any reason, don't take the clamps off for at least 8 hours or the part will separate. This is something I never had to worry about with BSI epoxy, you get 30 minute working time, and within 45 minutes it is set up and can be unclamped, and within 2 hours is hard.
I have used the SIG medium CA and found it takes quite some time to setup as well compared to the BSI glue. It can have an advantage at times, but can be quite frustrating when you are expecting the parts to be stuck, and when you release them, they come apart unexpectedly. Something to be wary of when getting other brand glues when you have worked with one brand in particular.
I have been using some of the Hobby Lobby stuff and it is 20 minutes stuff, so 20 minute working time, but 8+ hours setup time. After an hour it is still soft and tacky and if you need to clamp for any reason, don't take the clamps off for at least 8 hours or the part will separate. This is something I never had to worry about with BSI epoxy, you get 30 minute working time, and within 45 minutes it is set up and can be unclamped, and within 2 hours is hard.
I have used the SIG medium CA and found it takes quite some time to setup as well compared to the BSI glue. It can have an advantage at times, but can be quite frustrating when you are expecting the parts to be stuck, and when you release them, they come apart unexpectedly. Something to be wary of when getting other brand glues when you have worked with one brand in particular.
11-26-2016, 06:33 PM
#20
One thing that almost everyone thinks is when epoxy gets hard, it's cured. That is not the case, Epoxy takes AT LEAST 24 hours to cure, regardless of how fast it gets hard. I've seen hardened epoxy let go after unclamping due to the fact it wasn't cured so, IF THERE IS ANY STRESS ON AN EPOXY JOINT, LEAVE THE CLAMPS ON FOR AT LEAST 24 HOURS
With the emphasis on AT LEAST. I do not use any hobby shop minute epoxy due to quality. I use laminating resin, and thicken when necessary. I typically leave components in the vacuum bag for 2 to 3 days for complete initial cure.
11-27-2016, 11:14 AM
#21
I don't use hobby shop types either. I use strictly West Systems and, right in the literature, it says a full cure takes 24 hours, depending on conditions. Temperature and humidity both affect the final cure time so if I have any doubts, it stays clamped
11-28-2016, 03:57 PM
#24
It started out that way, then post 16 came along and, well, you know how these threads can start to wonder around.
Now, getting back to CA, CA is, in many ways like other adhesives. You need to hold/clamp whatever is being assembled together for longer than the advertised set up time if you want the glue to hold. This rings true for pretty much all CAs, epoxies and wood glues. I don't believe there is a true "instant bonding" CA, just very quick ones
Now, getting back to CA, CA is, in many ways like other adhesives. You need to hold/clamp whatever is being assembled together for longer than the advertised set up time if you want the glue to hold. This rings true for pretty much all CAs, epoxies and wood glues. I don't believe there is a true "instant bonding" CA, just very quick ones
