Super Glue Gel - residue on windows and metal parts

The vapors do travel and attack other surfaces.

There is a clear glue for canopies and windows; I can't remember the name right now, and I am not at home to look at my bottle, but google glue for model airplane canopies.

Paul...I feel your pain !  I've tried all kinds of glues....same crappy results. Even the canopy glue model airplanes builders use....no luck...did not stick! So...I went to Michael's....bought "Aleen's Clear Gel Tacky Glue. Fairly cheap.....seems to have worked in 2 cabeese I did. Old Atlas bobbers . I used a toothpick and just dabbed. No accelerator ....just set aside for a few hours...no touching. Give it a try...can't hurt.....good luck!

Testors model glue is what I believe Palallin is talking about.

Ive used it in some of the models I built 12-13 years ago and the windows are still stuck to the buildings with no white coating.

Super-glue aka Cyanoacrylate Adhesive will craze plastic, you have to be super careful with the vapors.  While I have used it around plastic, I make sure there is good venting and some moving air to keep the vapor from clouding the windows.  I use Tester's Clear Parts Cement, aka Canopy Glue with good results for windows.

Ottawa_Marc posted:

Testors model glue is what I believe Palallin is talking about.

Ive used it in some of the models I built 12-13 years ago and the windows are still stuck to the buildings with no white coating.

I've had Testor's regular model do the same--it is a solvent, after all. 

GunRunnerJohn is referring to the stuff I meant.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Super-glue aka Cyanoacrylate Adhesive will craze plastic, you have to be super careful with the vapors.  While I have used it around plastic, I make sure there is good venting and some moving air to keep the vapor from clouding the windows. 

Those vapors will also do a job on your eyes, too.

We use this...

If used sparingly , CA glue can be used for clear plastic, like cab windows. I've used it to re-attach loose windows with no fogging or hazing. I use the tip of a toothpick or pin to apply it.

Will acetone or a product like "goo gone" be effective in removing the whitish coating (after testing on a hidden surface) ?

White carpenters glue can be used if applied carefully. 

Richie C. posted:

Will acetone or a product like "goo gone" be effective in removing the whitish coating (after testing on a hidden surface) ?

You can try, but I doubt it will help much.  The white stuff is not a coating so much as the damaged plastic.

I use Bob Smith Industries Super Gold CA glue on just about everything. It does not have much of an odor but best of all it doesn't fog clear plastic. It's the only CA glue that I've found that doesn't cause fogging.

http://bsi-inc.com/hobby/super_gold.html

Ken

The canopy glue that MARTYE shows above is really great for windows. It dries totally clear, doesn't mar the window, sticks really well and in a short time. It's been recommended by some of the best HO modelers and that's how I heard about it. 

I use Formula 560 or MicroMark Pressure Sensitive Adhesive for acetate windows in either laser-cut or plastic frames. I often use clear 0.010" styrene also for the same kinds of frames. For plastic frames and styrene glazing I use solvent cement applied with a very small brush. Just a touch in the corner and it will wick under the glazing and glue pretty well. For other kinds of frames I go back to plan A. I never use CA for glazing since it seems to carry a static charge and jump from the applicator to parts where it's not supposed to be. Once CA gets on the glazing, if it's acetate, you can use acetone since it's not attacked by the solvent, but if the glazing is styrene, you've just destroyed the entire window with acetone. I don't think Goo Gone has any effect on CA. Best bet is to keep CA away from glazing.

Good suggestions on window glues.

I also experienced the super glue frosting effect when gluing cab figures in steam engines - the white stuff goes on the metal in addition to the windows (it can be cleaned off the metal with rubbing acholol (but won't remove it from the windows). But, super glue bonds figures well to metal. Does anyone know if the canopy glues also work well - pewter figures to diecast metal? Or, what is a good glue for this - metal to metal?

Yes, you can use Canopy Glue or Aileen's Tacky Glue for figures, even metal. It won't be a super bond but, will definitely hold things in place and you can remove the figures if necessary with a little pressure and minimal water clean-up. I don't think glues like Aileen's or Canopy Glue really ever dry per se but, have enough hold for most things as long as they're not under stress. For wood structures, etc., of course, glues like Aileen's work particularly well. 

AFTER MANY YEARS OF STRUGGLING WITH THIS ISSUE WE HAVE FOUND THE PERFECT GLUE FOR CLEAR PLASTIC, THIS IS ALL WE USE FOR WINDOW STYRENE. TAKE A LONGER TO SET BUT NO HAZE OR RESIDUE. i WAS TOLD ABOUT THIS BY A JEWELER THAT USES IT ON WATCH CRYSTALS  SOME ARE PLASTIC!  A TUBE IS ABOUT $6.75 ON AMAZON . ALSO WORKS ON GLUING READING GLASS LENSES BACK IN FRAMES.

SPECIAL NOTE  DO NOT SQUEEZE TUBE THERE IS NO WAY TO STOP THE FLOW. LEARNED THIS THE HARD WAY.

A suggestion:  As others have said CA chemically etches the plastic.  So you can't "clean it off".   Try a light coat of Testors Gloss Cote.  It will fill in the minute cracks and leave a glossy surface.  Obviously you will have some masking to do if you spray it..and with the usual caveat of trying on a piece of scrap first.

By the way..I use Formula 460 canopy Glue, or just plain Goo.  But Richard Segal, that G-S Hypo stuff looks interesting!

OK, for the record:  the stuff I use is Model Master Clear Parts Cement & Window Maker.  As the name says, you can actually use this stuff to make windows if the area is small enough.  It dries completely and solid enough to become its own part.

Canopy glue can take a long time to loose a white fog, but it will cure clear sooner of later.

Multiple coats may be needed to get any strength out of it. It isn't ment to be a structure support adhesive.

Testors has never fogged any plastics. Slop shows as wavy glass and/or edge/shadow, but clear. Masking can give a good line. It fills large gaps well for a body putty backer too, though full cure helps if it needs sanding down to level, it's slightly rubbery.

...But I love the stuff.

All of our windows are laser cut PolyBak with adhesive transfer tape on the back. Each window consists of a frame/sash and trim. For a really cool effect, you can paint each one a separate color and then peal/stick the trim onto the frame/sash. Then remove the release paper from the back of the window, stick it onto your glazing (we use .005" Duralar product) and knife around the window to release from the glazing sheet. No glue- no hazing- no glue marks. Our windows are designed to fit into spacers that are part of our shadowbox and building assembly process, but we can make them for you without the extra 1/8" on all four sides. Check out the Shop pulldown menu on our website to see current offerings.

This set was custom made to fit into the Hagley Museum HO scale model of Penn Station that we did restoration work on.

I have a bottle of UV cure lens cement made specifically for gluing camera lens elements. It is basically the same thing as the UV cure glues advertised on TV not only will they not fog the plastic lens they cure instantly with the UV light pen that comes with the glue. 

A strategy I have used for CA damaged windows is to sand out the damage caused by CA glue and then paint on a couple layers of Future acrylic floor polish fix to 85-90% of original, not perfect but better than a white glob.  I have not tried the UV cement for this as once cured it cannot be un-done. Though it can be sanded to shape and recoated.  In the right situation it may have uses to repair CA damage. It will self level if left in the dark for enough time. Then you could apply the uv light to set and cure it.  I can even imagine a composite repair using the UV cure cement sanded to shape then a coat of Future to hide the sanding scratches.

BTW.  I get scratches on my eyeglasses when I press my camera against the glasses.  So I wash the glasses, let dry, then dip in Future, or any other acrylic floor finish.  The scratches are gone !        j

• Ive tried clear acrylics on eyeglasses. It got me through till the new ones arrived, but the clarity was awful. Like looking thru the glass of a post war aquarium car.  At least beforehand  I could look left, right, up or down to see past the scratches; acrylic affected the whole lens.  I wouldn't do it again unless I really had to. ..(nearsighted & stigmatism, no off the shelf reading glasses are gonna work here)

ve tried clear acrylics on eyeglasses. It got me through till the new ones arrived, but the clarity was awful. Like looking thru the glass of a post war aquarium car.  At least beforehand  I could look left, right, up or down to see past the scratches; acrylic affected the whole lens.  I wouldn't do it again unless I really had to. ..(nearsighted & stigmatism, no off the shelf reading glasses are gonna work here)

Can't say I tried every brand on the market but some do work better than others. I just looked under my sink and there are two old bottles one Future the other Mop and Glow. Too old and cloudy to try this with either.  After washing the lens /glasses and letting the water completely dry the wax will dry crystal clear.  Deep scratches will hold moisture so you must let them dry overnight or blow dry with compressed air. You have to get all the moisture out of the groove between the lens and the frame any moisture will make the wax dry cloudy.    You must dip the glasses in the wax and slowly tilt as you lift them out allowing the wax to sheet off, not creating bubbles. Bubbles are worse than scratches and trying to spread the wax with a finger tip or pouring it on leaves bubbles and an uneven coating. Since this coating has a high index of refraction it form a lens with a wavy surface as it drys. "You must dip them."  Photo is of the plastic lid from a fishing lure box that I used for over 20 years. I no longer needed to wax my glasses after digital cameras with adjustable diopter viewfinders  Another factor is the lens must have the old wax removed before recoating. Household ammonia will remove the old wax.  I was also, nearsighted with astigmatism but now need bifocals to read and drive but not to look through a camera.     j

Thats why the CSI guys sometimes use super glue to "sniff" out hidden finger prints. The vapors are very strong, stick to anything, and nearly impossible to get off.