Hi guys,

I do apologise but I just seem to be asking a lot of questions lately. I am about to build my first kit and have been reading many build threads, especially the LT40 one by RCKEN. The question I have is about the glue people use. RCKEN recommends using Carpenters Glue or Titebond, unfortunatley I am in the UK and these brands do not exist. I have just bought some Evo Stick All Weather wood glue for all types of wood. Will this work okay or do I need to go the model shop and purchse some over priced named brand they have. One that I saw there was Aliphatic is this the right stuff, if it is I need to wait till the weekend until I can get there.

Thanks for any help.

Craig.

SK,

The Carpenter's glue and TItebond of which RCKen wrote are aliphatic resin glues. They are usually pale yellow in color and are water soluble when wet. They are water resistant, but not necessarily waterproof, when cured.

These glues work very well for most applications in model building. The LT-40's instructions will guide you on the type of glue to use for the particular assembly upon which you are working. You may substitute aliphatic resin glues for cyanoacrylate...it just cures more slowly. When epoxy is called for it is probably wise to use a slow-setting (at least 30 minutes) formulation. This is just my opinion. A slow set gives the epoxy time to penetrate the wood while it is still wet and thereby form a stronger bond.

Cyanoacrylates work very well. My particular preference is the medium-viscosity type... They do not set instantaneously, but they set pretty quickly. They develop full strength over several hours, as do the aliphatic resins. Some cyanoacrylates emit unpleasant, or even allergenic, fumes while curing. Some people are much bothered, and others hardly at all. See how they work for you. A bit of ventilation goes a long way when working with cyanoacrylates!

I built an LT-40 a few years ago. It was not complicated to build and they are a pleasure to fly. Just read the instructions and you will be fine.

Enjoy your airplane.

If this is the stuff, I think it should work pretty well.

http://www.ciao.co.uk/Evo_Stik_Water...esive__6557008

http://www.ciao.co.uk/Evo_Stik_Water...Review_5620965

How about Elmer's wood glue? Is this Evo-stick a liquid? If so, it should work fine.

Don't rule out Gorilla glue either. I use it quite often.
Most of my projects are 60% CA, 30% polyurathane (gorilla glue), and 10% epoxy...with a dash of hot melt.
For foam on wood gorilla glue is hard to beat.

Thanks for the replies.

Carrellh - that is the stuff. It says it bonds any type of wood, it is weather proof and is resin based I believe.

Outdoorhunting - Yes it is a liquid and unfortunately I could not find any Elmer's glues of any type.

I did try sticking two scrap pieces of lite ply together over night. I could not break them apart no matter how hard I tried. I think it will be okay. If I don't start building before the weekend, I will go to the local hobby shop and pick up some of their Aliphatic glue for peace of mind.

Cheers

Craig.

Sounds like you have the glue on-hand, why buy that overpriced stuff they have???? Buy some of their other goodies.

Hey vicman- I've tried the Gorilla Glue & it seems to swell too much & it is a dog to sand off. Maybe I just put too much on! You are right, once it dries, it DON'T come apart !! I guess I am so used to the C/A I don't give the other stuff much of a chance. Hard to teach an old dog new tricks. When building, I will test fit parts & then go back w thin C/A while double checking fit, & then go back with either med. or thick C/A to finish the job. If I feel the area will be more "stressed" I'll use epoxy. My shop is well vented,so fumes are not an issue.

I use gorilla glue for formers, landing gear plates, firewalls, and wing bolt supports. It works good in areas that are internal to the plane. Always clamp when using it, and keep an eye on it for the first hour as it will foam up. Just wipe any excess away with a small piece of paper towel. I think it says that it will dry in 4 hours, but I always give it at least overnight. Very strong glue, and what thing I like about it, is that it will stick to laser cut charred wood much better than epoxy.

For your first kit, I'd stick with the glue you have, and if its not fast enough try some CA. Thin if you have a snug fit, and medium or thick if you have a small gap.

OH,
You don't need much gorilla glue to make the joint. You can put a dab on and wipe it off and have just the right amount LOL. I keep an old windex bottle full of water handy and give one side a good squirt before I put the parts togeather too. It seems to "kick" the foamy action off a little quicker. Like Dave said you need to clamp things togeather though. It sands a ton better than epoxy or CA you gotta admit!

Gorilla glue gone wrong[X(]

Poly glue's expansion is a heads-up to avoid problems. I thought I had the torque rods well clamped, WRONG .........one side lifted above flush in the groove. I glue up coroplast with it to make SPADS, like the little rivets it makes in the woodpeckered plastic!