UHU - So is this the elixer of the Modeling Gawds

[Texman]

Isaac,
That repair is almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

I wonder if the UHU glue would be to thick to attempt
this type repair at smaller scales?

[Don Boose]

Isaac - How do you spread the UHU on the thin paper surfaces? Don

[missileer]

When Ambroid became extinct, I could not find a dealer that could provide UHU. I found this glue instead. I now swear by it. You only use a very thin coat. it is good for edge on, laminating, etc. You have about 40 seconds after spreading the glue, to move the part in place, before it grabs. It sets in about 60 seconds and cures overnight. i have assembled 3 coaches, 2 cars, 2 aircraft, three buildings, two HO scale ruins, a large Santa and sleigh, a dozen assorted boxes and barrels and two half finished additional coaches with the first tube. Retail price in the local art shop is $2.99 per tube. I have not tried it with cardboard, because I still have two tubes of Ambroid squirreled away for that. When those tubes are gone, I'll be forced to try it. Oh, I forgot to add, it has no odor.

[Kevin WS]

Interesting.

Can you tell us what it is made out of please?

[Erik Zwaan]

Much said about glue already. In my experience there is no ultimate glue as it depends on the application. Larger areas, UHU and the like are perfect as these glues are not water based and they will not buckle the paper. And unlike white glue, which is water based and will soften the paper, making a quick bond, corrections by e.g. sliding when the parts are not in perfect position is still possible within 10-15 seconds or so.

If the opening of the tube is too big, some put a needle inside and use a pair of pliers to close the opening, leaving a very narrow tube through which the glue comes out.

It strongly depends on the quality of the print how much damage will occur when you use too much glue and spill. For me, I found out that when varnishing the model sheets before cutting and gluing, with UHU as well as white glue, stains can be removed easier as the varnish sort of blocks the pores in the paper to some extent, preventing the glue being absorbed. But it remains tricky and using glue as sparse as possible is imperative.

Threads will always occur but it helps to close the bottle or tube as soon as possible after use. It sometimes takes me a year before a bottle is finished and when the bottle is almost empty, the glue gets thicker resulting in more threads....

I have just finished the wings of the Ju-88D-1 and used UHU to make the internal structure and to glue the wing skins to the skeleton. To attach the skins together with the joining strips I used white glue as spills can be removed easier from the visible surface. Moreover, white glue more or less fuses the joint, which makes it "smoother". Also for attaching fuselage sections to each other I prefer to use white glue. But for placing the formers I use UHU.

Anyway, each builder has his or her own learning curve and specific experiences. And if it works fine then it's perfect, which makes it interesting to read about!

Happy Modeler Mother's Day

Erik

[Isaac]

Originally Posted by Don Boose

Isaac - How do you spread the UHU on the thin paper surfaces? Don

I use a thin coffee stirrer I get from Panera bread. It has a nice shallow curve. But any stiff stick will do.


Isaac