Gluing Windows

[CoalPorter]

I build lots of n scale buildings and sometime use clear tape to hold the windows  and doors in.

[mmagliaro]

The reason I don't like tape or CA, for this is that over time, tape dries out and falls off, and superglue joints
tend to be brittle, so a sharp rap will break them.  And it's a real pain when a clear window falls out from the inside
of a building. 

I like something rubbery for an application like this.

Peteski, wow, you must really hit things hard with the Goo, LOL!  Seriously, I know Goo has a solvent
effect on plastic, but I can't imagine it actually eating through or softening up a wall.  We're talking just a few little
dabs in the window corners here.

I DO like the suggestions of Aileen's Tacky Glue.  I haven't tried that stuff.  Does it dry hard like a white glue,
or does it remain flexible like, say, the Woodland Scenics Foam Tack Glue --- which , now that I think of it, would be
an excellent choice for this.  It's tacky, stays rubbery, doesn't attach plastic, and dries "somewhat clear". 

[wazzou]

I DO like the suggestions of Aileen's Tacky Glue.  I haven't tried that stuff.  Does it dry hard like a white glue,
or does it remain flexible like, say, the Woodland Scenics Foam Tack Glue --- which , now that I think of it, would be
an excellent choice for this.  It's tacky, stays rubbery, doesn't attach plastic, and dries "somewhat clear".

It remains flexible enough.  You can remove boo boos using the scotch tape method.  It has all of the qualities you just described of the WS.  I would say it dries an ever so slightly fogged clear.

[DKS]

... superglue joints tend to be brittle, so a sharp rap will break them.

I think a rap sharp enough to break the CA bonds holding a piece of window glazing in place will likely do a lot worse to the building... just sayin'...

[peteski]

Peteski, wow, you must really hit things hard with the Goo, LOL!  Seriously, I know Goo has a solvent
effect on plastic, but I can't imagine it actually eating through or softening up a wall.  We're talking just a few little
dabs in the window corners here.

It wasn't actually my building(honest!  ).  Someone else had a building that had some slight depressions on the wall surface. I asked about that and I was told that They used Goo and that the depressions formed after some time). I didn't have a chance to actually see how much Goo was applied but you're probably right: lots!

I just think that for example for a scratchbuilt building using something thin, like 0.030" styrene, for walls and using a glue which is based on a solvent (unlike CA or epoxy glues which harden by a chemical reaction), a thin wall could be affected by the solvent. I would hate for someone to create a masterpiece, just to be marred by sink marks few moths after it is finished.

[Erik W]

I just use Elmers glue.  It dries clear if you happen to get it on the window pane itself, and unless you plan on poking at it, it will be strong enough to not fail.

Elmers type glue has more uses than most people realize.  I use it on 1/350 scale and 1/700 scale ships to attach etched brass railings.  It works better for that use than CA because it is less brittle when dry which keeps the hand rails from warping with temperature variations over time.

Erik

[jimmo]

Bear in mind that Aleene's is a crafts glue, so it is formulated to hold all kinds of things that are dissimilar and get plenty of abuse. I have to think that inside of a structure is pretty well protected but I have seen other glues let go over time. Plus it will never damage any thickness of plastic. It also works perfectly for applying window shades and other treatments to windows and because it's not petroleum based it won't discolor any paper products.

[Zox]

Bear in mind that Aleene's is a crafts glue, so it is formulated to hold all kinds of things that are dissimilar and get plenty of abuse.

However, it will not secure track to cork roadbed, at least not under any sort of stress. This is one of those things you don't want to find out while setting up your brand-new module for a show...I know whereof I speak. 

[jimmo]

However, it will not secure track to cork roadbed, at least not under any sort of stress. This is one of those things you don't want to find out while setting up your brand-new module for a show...I know whereof I speak. 

Within the boundaries of attaching window glazing to the insides of structures, it's damn nice. I would have never tried to glue track to cork with it. I consider track laying one of those extreme gluing situations, requiring something more substantial. Maybe a good subject for another forum post.

[peteski]

Within the boundaries of attaching window glazing to the insides of structures, it's damn nice. I would have never tried to glue track to cork with it. I consider track laying one of those extreme gluing situations, requiring something more substantial. Maybe a good subject for another forum post.

For me, *ANY* glue joint is an extreme situation.   I realize that I "overglue" everything. I often pin joints or use backing plates.
On a positive side, my models never come apart. On a negative side, my models never come apart (when I need to disassemble them for some reason).    I realize that it is a disease, but I learned to live with it. 

BTW, I wound never use any sort of white glue to glue styrene. I sometimes use it when I test fit styrene or metal kits as the white glue creates a very weak joint which can be easily broken and the dried glue comes off cleanly.

[Zox]

I would have never tried to glue track to cork with it. I consider track laying one of those extreme gluing situations, requiring something more substantial. Maybe a good subject for another forum post.

Yeah, I probably should have put this in the "good modeling" mistakes thread. I was honestly very surprised when the Aleene's failed--I'd run out the the Weldbond PVA I prefer, and Aleene's seemed to be similar.

I haven't used Weldbond for attaching windows, but I suspect it would work just fine in that role.

[nkalanaga]

Peteski:  Before superglues were common I used white glue to glue styrene to wood.  Apply a layer of Elmer's to the wood and allow to dry.  Apply liquid plastic cement to the styrene and let it get tacky, then stick the wood and plastic together.  The styrene cement seemed to stick to the white glue and made a reasonably good bond, especially with styrene sheets and other fairly large contact areas.

Today there are better choices, but as a cheap teenager in a small town it worked quite well.

[mmagliaro]

I think a rap sharp enough to break the CA bonds holding a piece of window glazing in place will likely do a lot worse to the building... just sayin'...

Heh, David, I figured people would say this.  My life with ACC or CA has never been a happy one.  I have tried so many brands of
it, in the thinner variants, the thicker ones, the gap filling...  and they all leave me wanting.   The bonds always break
with ease.   I try to use very little, not move the parts at all, both of which are supposed to be critical to this stuff making a good bond,
but still, a little twist or any stress on the joint, and it breaks, and it doesn't have to be very destructive force.

Bob's Traincat brass towers drove me nuts trying to really assemble them with CA.   I soldered some of the critical joints,
and used strong 2-part epoxy on others.  I only used CA for some of the decorative light work.   

Now, on the Traincat brass pin connected truss bridge, I had a little better luck.   I actually used Gorilla Glue superglue gel on that.
That seemed to hold well, and the bridge joints are not springing apart after months of use.

Ah well, I know I'm probably alone in this bad experience.  But superglues and me just do not get along.

[DKS]

Ah well, I know I'm probably alone in this bad experience.  But superglues and me just do not get along.

To an extent, I agree: the behavior of CA is sometimes vexing. However, having tried virtually every CA formula that's readily available, I've settled on two as being about as close to ideal as I've found so far. One is original Krazy Glue with a brush in the cap; I use this stuff so often (probably 80% of the time) that I keep two or three spare bottles on hand. The other CA I like is Gorilla Glue's thick CA, which is a great slow-drying, gap-filling formula (ironic, as you couldn't pay me to use polyurethane glues). If I'm faced with a bond that can't be done with either of these CA types, I'll use one of the other glues I keep on hand: Titebond III wood glue, 5-minute epoxy, Locktite Power Grab, or Elmer's Glue-All. For styrene-to-styrene bonds, I use straight MEK. When it comes to brass, I nearly always solder.

BTW, there are certain materials for which CA has an affinity: rubber, casting resin and skin. When I use CA on stuff such as Chooch's stone walls and portals, the bond that forms is actually stronger than the material itself; when I attempt to break the bond, the casting will snap someplace other than the bonding site.

Getting back on topic, most of the time I will use CA to hold window glazing in place. However, occasionally I've used Elmer's, Scotch Tape, or whatever is closest to me at the time. Sometimes I kill two birds with one stone and use masking tape to secure the glazing and make window shades at the same time.

[SkipGear]

Heh, David, I figured people would say this.  My life with ACC or CA has never been a happy one.  I have tried so many brands of
it, in the thinner variants, the thicker ones, the gap filling...  and they all leave me wanting.   The bonds always break
with ease.   I try to use very little, not move the parts at all, both of which are supposed to be critical to this stuff making a good bond,
but still, a little twist or any stress on the joint, and it breaks, and it doesn't have to be very destructive force.

Bob's Traincat brass towers drove me nuts trying to really assemble them with CA.   I soldered some of the critical joints,
and used strong 2-part epoxy on others.  I only used CA for some of the decorative light work.   

Now, on the Traincat brass pin connected truss bridge, I had a little better luck.   I actually used Gorilla Glue superglue gel on that.
That seemed to hold well, and the bridge joints are not springing apart after months of use.

Ah well, I know I'm probably alone in this bad experience.  But superglues and me just do not get along.

I agree with Max. CA does not work well on styrene. For windows it depends on the materials.

If it is clear styrene then I will use liquid cement such as Testors, Tamiya or Ambroid Pro-Weld. Place the window in the building first before applying any glue. Use a small paintbrush or the Tamiya applicator (not the testors or pro-weld brush) to touch opposite outside corners of the window insert and let the capilary action finish the job. It never takes more than that.

If the windows are acetate or something that solvent glues won't touch, then I use Micro Krystal clear. The Eileen's Tacky should work well also but I've never tried it.

I would never use CA to glue styrene in the first place. My experience with CA on plastic structures comes from the HO layout I am helping out with. At first the owner was using CA to build everything. It is actually quite fortunate because later I needed take some buildings apart to paint and modify them. The buildings assembled with CA just popped apart with a little pressure. Sometimes with no pressure as I picked them off the layout. CA uses surface area to bond and needs a texture or at least porous surface to really get a bite. Slick molded plastic does not provide this and you can pop the joint apart fairly easy.