shoot53

Testor's red tube glue does the same thing as the liquid glues - its just thicker and slower to set up.It contains the same solvent as the liquids - it just has a thickener to form a gel,making it less likely to run and give you the time to position parts after the glue is applied. And it doesn't all evaporate if you forget to seal the bottle back up. :lol: The down side to the tube glue is it leaves strings of glue that can really show up on a well built model. There's the right time to use the tuber as well as CA and liquids depending on what you are gluing. :P

CA debonder is mostly acetone and can do some damage. Acetone will mix well with water.Whether that would work or not,I don't know. Fingernail polish remover (with acetone) can mess up the plastic if you use too much or let it sit too long. The FNP remover without acetone has ethyl acetate.I've soaked parts in this overnight to remove paint,and it doesn't seem to have much of an impact on the plastic. I've used both types of FNP remover to wipe down Squadron, Tamiya,and Bondo putties. I've also used Lacquor thinner (mostly toluene), straight MEK,straight acetone,and mineral spirits. A

I don't think the future dissolves the decal.It just helps it snuggle down into panel lines,etc. If you want to dissolve the decal,Tenax or any of the other liquid "glues" will do that (use in moderation).

I've used good old Future for decals.A little on the plane,put down the decal,and a little Future over the top. It seems to work as good as anything else I've tried.Much cheaper,too.

How about: 1. Finger Nail Polish Remover (acetone based) for cleaning airbrushes,thinning enamels,getting fingers unstuck from CA glue . 2. Finger Nail Polish Remover (non-acetone based - uses ethyl acetate) for paint stripping. 3. Acetone from the paint department at Walmart (for everything listed in #1 above. 4. Bicarbonate of Soda in water as an accelerator for CA glue 5. Quart-size cans of lacquor thinner to thin enamels,dissolve sprue to form a liquid glue for gap filling,thin Bondo auto putty to any consistency. 6. 90% Isopropyl Alcohol to thin acrylics and Future. 7. Q-tips 8. C

The "non-tox" stuff uses ethyl acetate as the solvent.Less toxic than MEK or toluene,but can still mess you up.Ethyl Acetate is what they put in 'non-acetone fingernail polish remover'. It works great for stripping paint off of models,but is almost useless a s a glue.

Everything we work with is bad for you in one way or another. Just use common sense when you paint or glue,or whatever and you should be OK. I've used toluene as a glue,as a thinner for MM enamels,to thin squadron putties,and to dissolve sprue to make a homebrewed gap filler. I use MEK for basically the same things. Toluene is the major ingredient in Testor's orange tube glue as well as lacquor thinner. All the liquid glues are solvents of one sort or another - MEK,Toluene,ethyl acetate,dichloromethane,xylene,acetone. Do your modelling in a well ventilated area (or better yet in a paint hood

Just finished the BTD-1 and am starting on the XSB2D-1.Both resin models,but great to put together. I bought the book several months ago and it did prove very useful.It's worth the money just to get the whole story. The National Warplane Museum in Elmira,NY is rebuilding one. That's what got me going.

CA glue accelerator as sold in stores is basically petrolium distillates. The bottle I have is a hexane/heptane mixture.These solvents will weaken styrene,so I use a microbrush or toothpick to apply. Once the hardening process starts,it will spread to the whole clue area on its own,kind of like a chain reaction. Water will also accelerate the hardening,as will adding a little baking soda to water,but they result in rough surfaces and brittle welds.I'm willing to bet that non-acetone nail polish remover,lighter fluid, (and yes) WD-40 will work.Don't use acetone or acetone containing nail polish

According to the MSDS for Tenax 7R - it is mostly methylene chloride.Methylene Chloride is considered a carcinogen by the US government. It can cause severe drying of nasal passages and eventually nose bleeds if you sniff enough of it.And it can give you a serious headache,too. And it does evaporate real fast,so close the bottle up in between uses. I use it most of the time,but other solvents that 'weld' plastic work too - acetone (fingernail polish remover),toluene (laquer thinner),methyle ethyl ketone...you can buy these solvents at a home depot type store for pennies compared with the st

Lacquer thinner is mostly toluene.It will dissolve plastic if you just brush it on,but works great to thin enamels. Not a good idea to breathe too much of this stuff. It may also dissolve o-rings in airbrushes but is a good cleaner upper. Acetone is a great way to clean up both acryllics and enamels. Acetone is the main ingredient in regular finger nail polish remover but without all ther perfume stuff. Sniffing it is not a good idea,but other than that it is harmless. It will also dissolve plastic. Evaporates faster than Tenax,but behaves very similar. Tenax is methyl ethyl ketone plus some

I use finger nail polish remover - the kind that doesn't have acetone in it. Doesn't seem to impact the plastic at all,but does the job.

I used to apply Future with a Windex spray bottle.I had to thin the future because it got too thick on the model,but it levels great and is quick and easy.

Andy - I've been using Future instead of microsol/microset. Brush it on,apply the decal,and then brush some more over the decal.When it sets,there's no more fuss.I've had some decals wrinkle,but after the Future dried,everything was hunky-dory. Good Luck.

I've found (the hard way),that pure acetone doesn't work too well - it really attacks the plastic.But for some reason,the acetone in the fingernail polish remover doesn't ... the only other ingredients are water.glycerol,and some stuff to make it smell good.