Not Using cyanoacrylate glue

[whulsey]

Other suggestions are shellac, sanding sealer or airplane dope (if you can find a hobby shop that still carries it). They can be a bit smelly and irritating but nothing like CA.

[Laurence Finston]

If I needed to do this, the first thing I would try would be hide glue but more diluted (with water) than I would use for normal gluing (of wood). Theoretically, it can be heated in a water bath but I find a proper electrical glue pot much more convenient.

I haven't tried it but I can't think of any reason why it wouldn't work.

It smells a bit and you'd need ventilation but it's not a "toxic" smell and I think it's probably the glue that poses the least health hazard.

[Don Boose]

Lots of great information in this thread.

Thanks for asking the question, Bob!

Don

[Laurence Finston]

I'm not sure whether these possibilities have been suggested yet, but two more things that occurred to me are wallpaper paste and plain flour paste (diluted). A potential problem with hide glue or flour paste is that they would be edible for insects. I'm not sure whether they would attack hide glue unless it had been exposed to moisture for a long time, but I'm pretty sure they'd go for the paste even in a dry state. However, if the objects were stored in a cool dry place without too much exposure to light and not where insects were likely to be found, I think they would be sufficiently permanent.

It might be possible to "insect-proof" them somewhat (there is no such thing as complete insect-proofing) by adding a few drops of something like oil of cloves to the glue. In the past, people used formaldehyde, but I would strongly recommend not using it for this purpose.

However, I agree that building the structure up by molding with just paper (in effect, papier-mâché) is probably the best way to to this.

Shellac is one of my favorite materials and I think it might work well, except that I'd be worried about how the alcohol would affect the paper. It would be worth testing, however.

[RyanShort1]

Originally Posted by Laurence Finston

I'm not sure whether these possibilities have been suggested yet, but two more things that occurred to me are wallpaper paste and plain flour paste (diluted). A potential problem with hide glue or flour paste is that they would be edible for insects. I'm not sure whether they would attack hide glue unless it had been exposed to moisture for a long time, but I'm pretty sure they'd go for the paste even in a dry state. However, if the objects were stored in a cool dry place without too much exposure to light and not where insects were likely to be found, I think they would be sufficiently permanent.

I'm somewhat familiar with hide glue and have some somewhere here. That is what is traditionally used to glue musical instruments such as violins together. I'm really not sure I'd want to use it on a cardmodel unless it was being used in a jig / clamp situation. I've never really seen a violin being attacked by insects for it's glue.

[Laurence Finston]

Originally Posted by RyanShort1

I'm really not sure I'd want to use it on a cardmodel unless it was being used in a jig / clamp situation. I've never really seen a violin being attacked by insects for it's glue.

I think it would work for laminating layers of paper if it was diluted enough and I agree with a previous post that it would be best to do this on a mold. I think it's unlikely to attract insects unless it's damp for long enough for the glue to start dissolving on its exposed surfaces. If the paper was soaked in it, this would be the whole surface. Obviously, exposure to dampness wouldn't be good for a paper model in any case.

I don't think it's likely to be a problem, but if the object is meant to be permanent (which is a relative term), then I think it's something to consider.

For anything "serious", I would always recommend clamping or pressing it after gluing, but this isn't always possible, e.g., for freeform shapes.

[mbauer]

Originally Posted by Thumb Dog

Hi All,

As for the other photographs, the fenders on the car and the wings on the triplane were laid up the same way as described, except that the triplane’s wings have four layers of cardstock. But the extra thickness of the wings has paid off, as my scratch built model of the Sopwith Triplane is just shy of 40 years old.

Score and fold,

Thumb Dog

That 40-y/o is amazing! Electric motor?

Mike

[Thumb Dog]

Hi All,

I agree with Don Boose when he writes about all the interesting suggestions seen on this thread. Has Ambroid been mentioned yet? Someone usually mentions Ambroid.

Hi mbauer and thanks for you kind remarks. The parts for my 1/32 scale Sopwith Triplane were drawn out with technical pen on paper, (old-school) and copied onto 67 lb. cardstock. I colored it with watercolors and keep it in a dehumidified basement away from sunlight. A dressmaker’s pin fits through the wooden propeller and runs through a brass tube in the rotary engine, allowing the prop and engine to rotate in place. The photographs below show a 1/32 Fokker D-VIII I built about the same time.

Score and fold,

Thumb Dog

[Siwi]

Hope this isn't wandering off-topic, but the discussion about glue had me wondering if it might be possible to create clear canopies by putting glue over a mould, if it would dry acceptably clear?

[mbauer]

Originally Posted by Thumb Dog

Hi All,

I agree with Don Boose when he writes about all the interesting suggestions seen on this thread. Has Ambroid been mentioned yet? Someone usually mentions Ambroid.

Hi mbauer and thanks for you kind remarks. The parts for my 1/32 scale Sopwith Triplane were drawn out with technical pen on paper, (old-school) and copied onto 67 lb. cardstock. I colored it with watercolors and keep it in a dehumidified basement away from sunlight. A dressmaker’s pin fits through the wooden propeller and runs through a brass tube in the rotary engine, allowing the prop and engine to rotate in place. The photographs below show a 1/32 Fokker D-VIII I built about the same time.

Score and fold,

Thumb Dog

Thank you for the update. They all look incredible.

Thank you for sharing.

Mike