RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

Thanks Alwyn

If the plastic weld is thin enough you might want to take a look at this gizmo

http://www.micromark.com/Touch-N-Flow-A ... wAod62MJ4A

I use it for static models, mainly aircraft, and it works really well with that capillary action you like, Roy. I use it with Tamiya thin cement and it flows right along places like fuselage and wing seams. So how thin is the plastic weld?

Max-U52 wrote:If the plastic weld is thin enough you might want to take a look at this gizmo

http://www.micromark.com/Touch-N-Flow-A ... wAod62MJ4A

I use it for static models, mainly aircraft, and it works really well with that capillary action you like, Roy. I use it with Tamiya thin cement and it flows right along places like fuselage and wing seams. So how thin is the plastic weld?

That's a pretty smart looking tool, Gary...more like an instrument, in fact...and much less messy than a sable brush. It also resembles one of those Botox syringes beloved of Hollywood stars with immobile faces

AlwynTurner wrote:EMA is the real deal when it comes to scratch building as it partially melts both surfaces and results in a truly bonded surface almost instantly. As you have identified it's pretty strong and I suspect that there's more than a smidgeon of acetone in the 'glue' which would account for the melting/bonding, so beware the fumes.

I'd assume it's either 2-butanone or dichloromethane, both of which are worse for you than acetone is!

Raminator wrote:

AlwynTurner wrote:EMA is the real deal when it comes to scratch building as it partially melts both surfaces and results in a truly bonded surface almost instantly. As you have identified it's pretty strong and I suspect that there's more than a smidgeon of acetone in the 'glue' which would account for the melting/bonding, so beware the fumes.

I'd assume it's either 2-butanone or dichloromethane, both of which are worse for you than acetone is!

Just been checking the likely side effects of using Dichloromethane, or Methyl Chloride (it is the active chemical agent in EMA, and in the US versions:'Tenax and 'Ambroid Pro Weld'). Apparently, it was used in paint-stripper concentrations, by workers re-finishing bathtubs. It's said to be responsible for thirteen deaths in that trade. Quite how much exposure you need for various levels of side effects, including vital organ damage and cancer, (death is quite a side-effect! ) to manifest themselves is a moot point. Even with a mask on, and a fresh breeze blowing through the house (plenty of those coming off Loch Ewe ) my consciousness started doing gymnastics after a minor spillage of EMA.
The problem of working on models in Winter, or inclement weather, is that if don't have a well-ventilated workshop with extractor fans ( I don't )..then working indoors is the only option- or not at all.
Normally, If I use anything like a paint stripper..I would only use it outdoors in warmer weather, and also wear a mask.
Thus, bothered by the mental pyrotechnics (like Bonfire Night!) induced by the methyl Chloride...I've shifted my build to Revell Contacta Professional. I tried it on some spare flats of styrene for strength, and couldn't prise them apart even with a chisel.
Also, the Revell dries more slowly allowing for minor adjustments...or even major ones if a part is incorrectly positioned!
I've read the products containing MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone) work like instant EMA, but don't offer the same range of worrying side-effects as that product. Can anyone here can recommend a product containing MEK?

MEK was banned years ago as it was found to be carcinogenic, I used to use "MEK substitute" when I was a lithographic printer.
its pretty strong stuff and would have to be used in a well ventilated area.

MAtt

It's readily available on ebay from British sources.

pebblemonkey73 wrote:MEK was banned years ago as it was found to be carcinogenic, I used to use "MEK substitute" when I was a lithographic printer.
its pretty strong stuff and would have to be used in a well ventilated area.

MAtt

Reports I've just looked at are conflicting; if you live in the States that is. Some states have banned it, while others suggest there's no evidence of MEK (Butanone) having carcinogenic risk factors. Apparently it occurs naturally in food (small amounts), but we are also exposed to it through car exhaust emissions, cigarette smoke, paints and varnishes etc. This Pdf from the UK Gov says there is no data to suggest a link with cancer.
That said, maybe the UK manufactures Butanone and there may be a vested interest
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... ion_v1.pdf
Butanone is not banned in the UK; so I might give it a spin instead of using the known menace that is Methyl chloride
I wonder what's in Revell Contacta Pro then? Probably something lurking there too. The fact is, I suppose we weren't born to inhale solvents; and they all carry risks. Never did get those kids who used to sniffed glue. They're probably six feet under these days, or exuding fumes from an Urn on someone's mantlepiece.

I just use the "Baufix" thinners that I can get in ALdi it comes in a 1L tin, it contains Butan1ol (and some other interesting ingredients), I use it to strip the paint of pre-painted parts and for cleaning my airbrush out.

Matt

It's been a while since I worked fiberglass, but MEK is (or was) what you use to harden polyester resin. Same for Bondo.