Ambroid Pro Weld

[Sebastian Haff]

Ambroid Pro Weld liquid cement has been my go-to glue for years. To me no other liquid cement comes close, and I'm down to what little is left in my last bottle. It seems to have completely vanished from availability. Does anyone know what the deal is? Or better, know where I can get some?

Thanks

[Air-Craft]

I believe that production dwindled below demand & then stopped completely a few years ago & that the manufacturer (Creative Unlimited or something like that) either stopped producing or shut down.

I've found "Plast-I-Weld" from Flex-I-File to be pretty close to Pro Weld;

[Check Six]

I switched to M.E.K..

Since that's the main ingredient in liquid glue anyway.

[Sebastian Haff]

I believe that production dwindled below demand & then stopped completely a few years ago & that the manufacturer (Creative Unlimited or something like that) either stopped producing or shut down.

I've found "Plast-I-Weld" from Flex-I-File to be pretty close to Pro Weld;

Ah. This is one I have never tried. I'll check it out. Thanks.

[TheRealMrEd]

I bought this stuff after a lot of research -- it seems to be the same thing, maybe smells a little louder:

http://www.amazon.com/SCIGRIP-10799-Acrylic-Solvent-Water-thin/dp/B00466V8F0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432354979&sr=8-1&keywords=weld-on+3

[balls47]

I switched to M.E.K..

Since that's the main ingredient in liquid glue anyway.

M.E.K. works great. BUT, it is really nasty stuff. It can be sneaky, because the smell isn't overwhelming. I use M.E.K., and I wear an organic respirator. The fumes will really do a jig on your central nervous system. However, if you take the proper precautions, it's fine to use. It is also extremely, extremely flammable. I'm not trying to scare anyone out of using M.E.K. I just don't want anyone to get hurt from it. Take the proper precautions, and you'll be fine. Be safe!!!

[Sebastian Haff]

I bought this stuff after a lot of research -- it seems to be the same thing, maybe smells a little louder:

http://www.amazon.com/SCIGRIP-10799-Acrylic-Solvent-Water-thin/dp/B00466V8F0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432354979&sr=8-1&keywords=weld-on+3

That's a different look...Does it 'melt' the styrene enough to where melted styrene oozes between joins? That's what Ambroid did well. Tenax and Plastruct seem like they dry to quickly.

[Sebastian Haff]

Air-Craft...I ordered some Plast-I-Weld. Thanks.

[TheRealMrEd]

That's a different look...Does it 'melt' the styrene enough to where melted styrene oozes between joins? That's what Ambroid did well. Tenax and Plastruct seem like they dry to quickly.

Acts just like the Ambroid. Melts plastic, sets up fast. Plastic will ooze between joints, and the whole thing is very strong. Plus, I like the fact that I can get it by the pint or quart. Save a ton. I put it in my old Ambroid bottles with the brush lid.

Edited May 24, 2015 by TheRealMrEd

[Sebastian Haff]

Acts just like the Ambroid. Melts plastic, sets up fast. Plastic will ooze between joints, and the whole thing is very strong. Plus, I like the fact that I can get it by the pint or quart. Save a ton. I put it in my old Ambroid bottles with the brush lid.

Ok. Thank you. I'm about to order some. That's one of my favorite things in modeling when I'm gluing a joint and I get a good ooze of styrene. Best 'filler' there is. Ambroid was always the best for that. Thanks again.

[Adam Baker]

The tiny bit if info I've been able to glean from tons of searching is the manufacturer of Ambroid went out of business. B/c its been my go to as well, I've been looking for a replacement, and have seen lots of positive comments on the Weld-On 3, so I plan on trying to get a can of that as well.

[Check Six]

M.E.K. works great. BUT, it is really nasty stuff. It can be sneaky, because the smell isn't overwhelming. I use M.E.K., and I wear an organic respirator. The fumes will really do a jig on your central nervous system. However, if you take the proper precautions, it's fine to use. It is also extremely, extremely flammable. I'm not trying to scare anyone out of using M.E.K. I just don't want anyone to get hurt from it. Take the proper precautions, and you'll be fine. Be safe!!!

Good points indeed.

What percent of M.E.K. is in liquid glue brands?

If I understand correctly, most liquid glue brands use M.E.K. as their main ingredient.

I'm going to W.A.G. and say 80+% of a given brand is made up of M.E.K.

[mightymax]

Weld on #3 (and 4 with slower drying time) were THE liquid cements to use back in the 80's/90's. It came in a brown bottle similar to the Ambroid. Then Tenax appeared and it became the darling of the modeling hobby, pushing Weld on off the shelves. I don't know if the manufacturer was the one bottling it into the smaller bottle and marketing it to the hobbyist or someone else. Anyway it seemed to just quietly disappear and slip away into oblivion. It was a great product imho, and yes it worked like the other liquids. Capillary action along a seam and it did melt the plastic and ooze a little plastic from the seam. Once dry you just need to go back and sand the dried ooze and you were left with a perfectly filled seam.

I would buy Weld on #3 over all the others if I could get it in the brown bottles and I have used Ambroid, Tenax, and Plastruct. That is a good price on that can and I may have to order some myself. I kept my empty brown bottles but currently have them filled with Methlyne Chloride, which I beleive is the base for these liquid glues and not MEK.

Max Bryant

Edited May 25, 2015 by mightymax

[Sebastian Haff]

I have ordered some MEK and Plast-I-Weld. Thanks to all for the suggestions. I'm going to look into Weld On 3 as well. In my experience, Tenax dries too fast, and Plastruct doesn't melt the plastic as well as Ambroid. In the meantime I have been using some Mr. Hobby Mr. Cement Deluxe which I had on my workbench. I have been very impressed with it. It gives the good ooze of styrene at the join that I liked about Ambroid. Tamiya Extra Thin Cement is a distant 2nd.

[Sebastian Haff]

I believe that production dwindled below demand & then stopped completely a few years ago & that the manufacturer (Creative Unlimited or something like that) either stopped producing or shut down.

I've found "Plast-I-Weld" from Flex-I-File to be pretty close to Pro Weld;

Got some and have been using it. Wow. Great call. I think this stuff might even be better than Ambroid. Melts the styrene like butter. Thanks!

[Jay Chladek]

MEK is not Ambroid. MEK is Methyl Ethyl Ketone while the active ingredient in most of the other liquid cements is Methyline Chloride. MEK can be found in Testors Liquid Cement and Plastruct Bondine. MEK is good, but it tends to be a slower acting glue which can leave the styrene parts softer for longer periods. The drawback with MEK (at least as it is used in glues that carry it, not sure about the full strength stuff) is it typically only bonds styrene. MEK also has the slightly sour odor as well and it is recommended to use with decent ventilation as repeated exposure over a long period of time can cause nerve damage. So of the special effects model builders from the 70s and 80s ended up with health problems just due to the amount of that stuff they used during marathon build sessions. If a hobbyist uses the proper precautions, they should be fine.

Methyline Chloride based glues such as Ambroid, Tenax and Plastuct Plastic Weld (found in the orange bottle, assuming Plastruct didn't mis-label it as they sometimes do) can also work on harder plastics, such as ABS and Acrylic. These products don't really have an odor. It doesn't mean the vapors aren't harmful mind you. But just don't go building a model in a small closet with no ventilation.

As for me, I have about a bottle and a half of Ambroid left in my stash. But I will need to source a replacement soon. I may try the Tamiya liquid cement to see how good that stuff is. I have used Plastruct Plastic Weld with good success, although it does tend to have a weird clear residue with it. Tenax itself I've not really used, primarily because the bottles don't have a brush applicator and you tended to pay more for a smaller bottle of that stuff. Even when I come up with a replacement, I'll likely pour it into my remaining Ambroid bottles so I can get some sort of a placebo affect from them.

The nice thing about Weld-On is while it hasn't been seen much in hobby shops, manufacturing places that work with acrylics and other plastics do seem to offer it in higher strengths, such as Weld-On 10. So if you can't source it at the LHS level, see if there is a plastics place in town you can get it from.

[Bill51sdr]

Weld on #3 (and 4 with slower drying time) were THE liquid cements to use back in the 80's/90's. It came in a brown bottle similar to the Ambroid. Then Tenax appeared and it became the darling of the modeling hobby, pushing Weld on off the shelves. I don't know if the manufacturer was the one bottling it into the smaller bottle and marketing it to the hobbyist or someone else. Anyway it seemed to just quietly disappear and slip away into oblivion. It was a great product imho, and yes it worked like the other liquids. Capillary action along a seam and it did melt the plastic and ooze a little plastic from the seam. Once dry you just need to go back and sand the dried ooze and you were left with a perfectly filled seam.

I would buy Weld on #3 over all the others if I could get it in the brown bottles and I have used Ambroid, Tenax, and Plastruct. That is a good price on that can and I may have to order some myself. I kept my empty brown bottles but currently have them filled with Methlyne Chloride, which I beleive is the base for these liquid glues and not MEK.

Max Bryant

I use both, I buy them in bulk and dispense them from the cans into the very same brown bottles they used to be sold in back in the day. I found the bottles quite easily online a few years ago.

[Spectre711]

The LHS is selling a Squadron branded stuff that he says is it but with a Squadron label. I'm not sure about that but it is more $ for half the volume. Seems to work about the same.