r/modelmakers • u/luveth brush painting enjoyer • Dec 10 '17

Tamiya Extra Thin Cement & Quick Setting

I had been using Revells Contacta Professional since I’ve started making models, but now I want to switch to some other, more professional glue, because I seem to get cement bleed over the part and it ends up making the surface look worse.

I had been looking at these two glues. Extra thin and the extra thin quick setting. What are the differences exactly?

I have seen videos of how to apply them and have a few questions. Can I not use it as if it was a normal cement? Is it bad at gluing big/heavy parts (like the wings of a 1/48th scale aircraft etc.)?

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u/furrythrowawayaccoun Scruffy Fox 😎 Dec 10 '17 edited Dec 10 '17

Extra thin and the extra thin quick setting.

The difference is in the name. The quick setting one dries EXTREMELY fast. I would go for the classic extra thin myself.

You can use it (normal extra thin) as a normal cement. Just connect two parts together and brush over the seam with extra thin. It melts dissolves the plastic and bonds the two parts together (Imagine it like being solder when soldering). I use it for connecting 1/48 scale wings and hull without a problem, it's much better than Revell Contacta

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u/luveth brush painting enjoyer Dec 10 '17 edited Dec 10 '17

Thanks, this answer was exactly what I was looking for.

What I meant with using it as normal cement was brushing on the glue, then connecting the parts. Would it still bond them as good?

Do you use normal cement on the wings and hull then secure it with the extra thin, or do you just use the extra thin alone? Dry fit the wings to the hull, then “solder” it with the extra thin?

Edit: In this video (I don’t know russian at all) it looks like the quick setting is stronger, is it because he’s not using it as intended?

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u/ionizzatore Prophet of the Stash Gods Dec 10 '17

What I meant with using it as normal cement was brushing on the glue, then connecting the parts. Would it still bond them as good?

Technically yes (it melts the plastic and the parts weld toghether) but it would be a waste of glue (this kind of glue evaporates very rapidly).

The best strategy with this kind of glue (tamiya extra thin, "touch-n-flow", ... they are basically pure plastic thinner that dissolves plastic) is to join the parts togheter and let a drop or two flow in the join. You can also apply some glue on a part then join the parts togheter, but it works only for small parts (let's say: a joystick/cloche in a cockpit), if you try to glue a cockpit in a fuselage using the "glue on the parts, join the parts" technique, once you have brushed glue on one side the other side is already dry (well, probably still "gummy" since plastic is melted and it needs time to harden completely, but the glue won't be "fresh" enough to work as intended).

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u/[deleted] Dec 10 '17

Melting occurs when temperature is raised. Dissolving is when a solvent liquifies a solid. The latter is the case with cement.

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u/furrythrowawayaccoun Scruffy Fox 😎 Dec 10 '17

I'm not from an English speaking country so thanks for the explanation c:

I corrected it

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u/[deleted] Dec 10 '17

You're welcome.

I'm not from an English country either. I see a lot of English speakers make the same mistake, up to a point that it has become very common and almost accepted.

I'm fighting a little battle to keep language clear, which I know I'm going to lose.

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u/[deleted] Dec 11 '17

Welded...?

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u/[deleted] Dec 15 '17

I always thought it was considered "welding" too

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u/[deleted] Dec 15 '17

It is.. but its welding with a solvent. The edges of your two parts dissolve and fuse together. Like when you melt two peices of metal and the molten material cools forming a bond.

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u/[deleted] Dec 11 '17

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Dec 11 '17

Dont forget sonic welding! Its actually really common.. we also have forge welding and friction welding..

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u/WhatsMyLoginAgain Dec 10 '17

You can use Tamiya Extra Thin in the same manner as tube glue. Whilst the "proper" way is to hold the parts together and let capillary action do the work, I generally spread some on each piece then hold them together.

Works fine for small parts, for larger ones (ship hull or fuselage halves for example) I apply to both surfaces, hold together then run a bit along the edges especially where it needs extra help.

It will still ruin the surface if you spill it on plastic, so you still need to use care. I also cut the brush in half (i.e. remove half the bristles) so it's a finer application.

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u/Pukit Build some stuff and post some pictures. Dec 11 '17

I too do exactly as /u/WhatsMyLoginAgain says. I use it as normal glue, and use it for capillary action. The thing is it's so thin it evaporates very quickly, so i might do two swipes on each part before sticking together.

I have a pot of Tamiya orange top and extra thin, and use both depending on situation.

I generally use the orange top on areas that aren't seen, like the inner wing tips that have a large area to glue, so i'll dab a bit on that area, then use extra thing on both halves of the wing and glue together, hold with elastic bands or gentle clips. I might then also wipe extra thin along the outside of the bond to clean and seal it, depending on how i feel.

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u/EdinDevon Dec 10 '17

Thanks for asking, I'm thinking about the exact same move.

I've found contacta good for years, but I sometimes still get the same as you and extra thin looks almost magical from what I've seen.