How To: Using CA Glue/Super Glue on your models! | Full Guide

Hey guys, Modelling Weekly here! In today's video, I'll be walking you through the whole process of using CA glue for small parts and PE parts, as well as a couple of other potential applications on your models! Enjoy!
Thanks for watching the video! If there is anything you want to know, or anything you want me to know feel free to ask!
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Be respectful in the comment section. I do not wish foul language to be used as it makes it a bad place to be. Aggressive language towards my video in a comment will result in the comment being removed! Constructive criticism, however, is greatly welcomed!!
Again, thanks for watching and see you next time!

[@ModellingWeekly]

Hope you found this useful guys!

[@derekryan4299]

guys sounds like boy scouts lol

[@derekryan4299]

bored now you may go

[@kitbuilder3027]

Thank you for sharing your insight on using ca. I didn't know about using isopropyl alcohol for an accelerator. Larry Landis

[@traylor2502]

My tips: - Acetone can be also used to debond / remove CA glue. Even its fumes are excellent to clean up CA from canopies. - IPA is new to me but I know that water, or water vapor in the air is what activates CA glue. I blow on the surface and the water vapor in my breath makes it. I don't see the point of using IPA when a drop of pure water or blowing on it is just as good. - Pressure is important. Instead of just placing the two parts together you should press them together. Force is a factor here, not time, so just a one second long pressing makes a strong bond. - Use as little as possible. The thinner the better. - When used as a gap filler it is practical to mix it with some plastic dust. - Take a sewing needle, file the round end of it so it becomes a fork with two teeth. Glue it into a wooden stick, preferably an old brush handle from which you removed the bristles. Now you have the perfect CA applicator. The capillary action between the teeth will help you pick up the perfect tiny amount needed. It's easy to clean with a hobby knife or a lighter.

[@timcarson8146]

Great video. I didn't know that IPA could be used as a catalyst. Great tip!

[@ModellingWeekly]

Glad you found it handy!

[@carlsmoot2939]

Here are a few extra pointers for CA glue. Using the clear thicker CA glues, you can apply this to small areas of clear canopies if chipped and then it can be sanded and polished later (practice first!). On vacuform canopies, if you want to sharpen up exterior edges on canopy frames, clear CA can be used here as well using the same general techniques. Thicker CA can be used to make knobs on controls in cockpits. Accelerators are useful for all of these, I use disposable micro brushes to apply the accelerator. One point to remember with CA is that it should be sanded soon after curing. After it fully cures, it is much harder than the plastic and you can damage the plastic while trying to sand down the CA. Another useful tip, you can make paper parts and stiffen them with CA glue. I've also used CA to mold small parts, but it's best to let these dry normally rather than use the accelerator. Thanks for the video, we need to spread the techniques around and get more people enjoying the hobby.

[@ModellingWeekly]

Those are some fantastic techniques, so that I have never heard of! Thanks very much man

[@dusanbolek8004]

When using a black CA glue (rubber infused) the sandability (probably not even a word 🙂) is greatly enhanced when compared to the ordinary CA glue. So it can be sanded easily and similarly to usual filler sanding, it doesn't create such hard residue as the ordinary CA glue.

[@fittobetiedyed5315]

The IPA tip is great. I'll definitely give it a shot.

[@dusanbolek8004]

Thank you for the tip with IPA, because unlike specialized chemicals, IPA doesn't cost a thing and has other uses in the plastic kit building such as a generic thinner and tool cleaner, which means I always have a few liters laying around, which simplifies the logistic aspect. 🙂 In return I'll give you a small tip back, don't use rubber infused CA glue only as a filler, because after all it is still a glue, which means you can glue both sides of fuselage and then sand the overflowed excess. This way you achieve bonding and filling the seam in the single step, saving time and getting perfectly seam free very strong bond.

[@ModellingWeekly]

No problem! And thanks so much for the tip in return!

[@paulhargreaves1497]

Thanks for the IPA tip!

[@T3mpestwulf617]

Great video mate. I’ve been building for an easy 20 years and found this very helpful, as CA’s always been one of those ‘yeah/nah’ mediums to work with.

[@ModellingWeekly]

Cheers, glad you found it helpful!

[@goforitpainting]

It's really cool and useful. Thank you for sharing.

[@jackpreston8762]

Thanks for the IPA tip, works surprisingly well. Please keep the videos coming, cheers...

[@ModellingWeekly]

No problem! Working on it, don't worry 😉

[@derrellreynolds6226]

Thank you so much for this video. Great info. Looking forward to seeing more 👍.

[@ModellingWeekly]

Many thanks! Glad you found it helpful 👍

[@alvinmarcus5780]

Great video sir. I learned a lot. Thank you. 😃

[@ModellingWeekly]

No problem :)

[@michaelcooke2559]

Thanks for the tips on CA glue.

[@ModellingWeekly]

No problem!

[@Bigskyguy56]

Great tips & information. Thank you again for sharing your tips & expertise. Take care, Rick

[@ModellingWeekly]

My pleasure! Glad you found it helpful

[@owencheeseman6922]

The IPA tip is a great help! Thank you for your channel.

[@ModellingWeekly]

No problem :) glad you found some use in the video 😊

[@garylawson5381]

Thank you for your video. Rarely is a video so useful and informative. I have a few years experience at building (and scratch building) models, but I stopped for a few years. Now I have three projects in line sitting in my living room. Hopefully not to collect dust! Even your viewers comment section is helpful. Just subscribed to your channel!

[@ModellingWeekly]

Thank you so much! I'm glad you found it handy, I really appreciate the comment 😊

[@AbulKalam-xk1nm]

Great vid, didnt know about greaseproof paper or ipa as an accelerator. I use superglue and baby powder mix as a filler, best filler ever!

[@ModellingWeekly]

Thanks mate! I've heard the baby powder tip mentioned by a few people, sounds very good!

[@diggilad781]

As part of a modelling community and Blopish faith Community I can say that this video is very helpful for beginners

[@ModellingWeekly]

I'm very glad my friend!

[@mrupscale]

Thanks for the great tips!

[@ModellingWeekly]

No problem!

[@jerryrichards8172]

Yes it was helpful thanks for sharing.

[@mitmon1860]

Any thoughts on how CA glues perform over time? ...do the break down...become brittle, lose their bond, and/or turn yellow? Thank you!

[@ModellingWeekly]

CA does become brittle over time, however its lifetime is extended massively by the integration of rubber into the mix. I can't comment on exact lifetime, however I will say that the CA bonds I made 4 or 5 years ago are still perfectly fine now!

[@Vmssupplies]

Thanks a lor for your support! Chris

[@ModellingWeekly]

No problem 😄

[@Vmssupplies]

@@ModellingWeekly BTW, I noticed that you unscrewed the Flexy bottle all the way, was that to show the contents? The cap has 2 parts with nifty pin in cap preventing clogging, no need to fully unscrew and expose the glue, unless you did that intentionally for the sake of the video. 🤔

[@ModellingWeekly]

@@Vmssupplieskeen eyes haha! It was sort of a bit of both. I thought it would be helpful to just show a glimpse of the glue in the bottle, but on top of that I was a bit wreckless and just left the cap off one time, and the applicator tube sealed itself up 😅

[@dustinrossi9384]

Learned few new things

[@stigmautomata]

Thank you!

[@ModellingWeekly]

No problem!

[@vicparratt7523]

Using ca to fill gaps is a great idea but you need to make sure it dries but not fully hardens if you allow it to fully harden you will have a devil of a job sanding the joint. Best wishes Vic

[@dusanbolek8004]

Black (rubber infused) CA can be sanded as easy as any ordinary putty, its biggest advantage is that it doesn't create that super hard residue, which is almost impossible to sand as normal CA glues.

[@ModellingWeekly]

👌

[@malakiblunt]

you missed using bicarbonate soda as a gap filler - sprrikle the soda over gap wipe away exese with finger thin wick in super thin ca - this also works with cotten wool

[@jeffreyhansen2806]

I have allergies and CA accelerators really mess me up. Will definitely be trying IPA instead.

[@christiankirkwood3402]

Keep your fantastic content coming. To the point, succinct and useful information as you present is a welcome platform for all of us, especially those beginning or finding their feet... er... hand's in model assembly and kit construction. Thank you and kind regards that echo across 45 + year's at the bench. Warm and friendly wishes from us here in Tuckombil via Alstonville and East Ballina 800km north of Sydney. MATE 🤪🤙

[@ModellingWeekly]

No problem at all man! It's truly all my pleasure, and I'll keep it coming for a long time to come! Keep well my friend 👍👍👍

[@christiankirkwood3402]

@@ModellingWeekly Tally Ho ✌️

[@jimboisgr8]

Really enjoying your weekly tips and tricks. I’ve just started back doing modelling . I have always had a passion for building things and learning new techniques and tricks. I do have a question that hopefully you can answer. I’m trying to get to grip with the painting and recently built a 1:72 Airfix BF109E Messerschmitt. Didn’t use any primer and applied several coats of enamel paint(brushed as not ready for air brushing yet). While at my local Model shop I asked if they did varnish in a spray. And was happy that they did. So came home with a acrylic glass varnish. When I applied it looked ok. I came back to it 10 mins later and the paint resembled what I can only describe as pealing away from the surface as if paint stripper has been put on and has reacted. What have I done wrong? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

[@ModellingWeekly]

Glad you're finding the tips helpful! I believe I know what's happened here. The thing with enamel paint is that the oil carrier it contains takes a really, really long time to essentially sod off and evaporate - What this means is that it's pretty much always going to be there in some quantity regardless of how long the paint is left to cure. This isn't a big issue most of the time, but unfortunately this will cause issues when applying acrylic paint/varnish over the top as some kind of reaction occurs between the two (Don't know the exact science lol). My best reccomendation would be to either use an enamel varnish over the enamel paint, or to switch the enamel paint for acrylic paint in the future (Vallejo, revell aqua and Tamiya acrylics are all good bets, however you'll need isopropyl alcohol to thin down the tamiya for brush painting). Hope this helps!

[@bryanmaccallum9717]

Great video! I recently started using CA glue and I'm having some trouble. The de-bonder I'm using melts plastic and damages the area I'm trying to clean up. Is this normal?

[@ModellingWeekly]

No problem! Yeah, unfortunately there are some ca debonders that use acetone as the active ingredient, which melts styrene. Things like VMS glue remove however are formulated to be plastic safe, so give that stuff a shot 👍

[@SteveAubrey1762]

Hi, I am 61. When I was a boy in the late 60s and 70s, I loved building ship and airplane models. The glue we had would give you a headache if you built your model in an enclosed room. Decades have passed , and I find myself wanting to build models again, especially the vintage ones I had as a boy. Ive found and bought several vintage models. I cant finnd the glue we used back then. I seem to remember it was made by Testors. Im getting the impression that nowadays people use Krazy glue? The glue we used back then could make the plastic soft, almost melt. Will regular super glue actually- permanently- work? Thanks for your replies.

[@ModellingWeekly]

Hey there! Super glue is only used for certain components that won't reaction to normal model glue, such as fabrics and metals. For normal model components, we use a product called styrene cement, which as you say essentially melts the plastic and creates a bonded connection via this method. I'd recommend getting some Tamiya Extra Thin liquid cement, as it makes use of capillary action between parts to glue them :) alternatively, traditional Humbrol poly cement can also work

[@SteveAubrey1762]

Thank you so much! I ordered some of the Tamiya adhesive you recommended! I really appreciate it!

[@ModeliteDiorama]

Haha, great overview. Actually, I only have off branded ca glue. Maybe I should invest :D

[@ModellingWeekly]

Thanks! I'd totally recommend getting some rubber infused CA, I promise you it's the stuff lol. You'll never go back 😂

[@kd757t]

Great video, thank you for the info. I noticed you were using 99.9% IPA. Will 70% or 90% IPA work also as the CA accelerant? In the states 70% & 90% IPA is available everywhere (local drug stores, Walmart, etc), but the higher % would have to be ordered. Thanks again.

[@ModellingWeekly]

No problem! I may be wrong, but I'm fairly certain that 70 and 90% are just diluted with water, so it should be perfectly fine :) that said, I'd test it out of a couple of scraps just to make sure 👍

[@albertoromanocovasso308]

… VERY good….!!! 👍🙂

[@ModellingWeekly]

Thanks mate!

[@jackdelacourt6093]

Could you please do a vid on tools

[@ModellingWeekly]

Will do 👍

[@jackdelacourt6093]

@@ModellingWeekly good because I’m on my second kit and I don’t have all the tools

[@derekryan4299]

boring

[@ModellingWeekly]

Yet you still added a comment! Thanks for boosting my video in the algorithm 😊

[@derekryan4299]

@@ModellingWeekly cos your out of date sunneam super glue gel is much better doesnt run gives you time to move things before it sets

[@ModellingWeekly]

@@derekryan4299 that's great, use that for yourself then - this video is just a guide on how to use it in conjunction with your models. For the record though, I am not 'out of date', VMS flexy 5k does everything you have just said and more, so I'd highly recommend trying it before telling me that my information is invalid :)

[@derekryan4299]

@@ModellingWeekly oh dear i seemed to have upset mr expert what a pitty

[@ModellingWeekly]

@@derekryan4299 oh I'm not upset lol, but please do keep commenting this is great