Trying to body mount couplers but am having a hard time keeping them in position. They rotate sideways on the screw. Tried some goop but did not work That slippery plastic does not adher well to any normal glue. I have heard that Walthers Goo would work but do not have any (yet) to try.What glues do you use that will work well on slippery plastic?
Paul D
N scale Washita and Santa Fe RailroadSouthern Oklahoma circa late 70's
what brand of couples are you using unless they have changed all KaDee boxes are able to be secured with some type of plastic cement
PEDWhat glues do you use that will work well on slippery plastic?
Shoe Goo
good for other handyman needs
greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading
Goo will do the job . . . for 20 years or so. After that, it might dry out (the last of the solvent might finally evaporate) and the coupler might come loose. Aside from that, the biggest problem will be using too much (you will).
ChuckAllen, TX
I use Testors cement for plastic models. AKA model airplane glue. I use the non toxic formula in the blue tube. The original formula might be a little stronger. I have used both to body mount couplers to Tyco rolling stock with no problems even after several years.
cefinkjr Goo will do the job . . . for 20 years or so. After that, it might dry out (the last of the solvent might finally evaporate) and the coupler might come loose. Aside from that, the biggest problem will be using too much (you will).
I assume you are refering to Walthers Goo. I am working with N scale Micro Train couplers. Walther Goo was going to be my next attempt.
I saw on another forum where someone said the Walthers Goo was the same as Permatex Super High Tech Gasket Sealant (#80060). Supposedly looks the same, has same specs as Goo and is cheaper. I would need to order Goo so it would be a few days before I had any to work with. I will pick up some Permatex today at local Auto Store and test it on some scrap.
Hello all,
I suggest you try roughing-up the faces of the plastic parts you are trying to mate with sandpaper, no matter what adhesive you try.
On an HO scale Model Power RS11 upgrade I had to body mount the draft gear boxes from the truck mounted arrangement.
I used CA to remount the original draft gear boxes, after cutting them off the trucks. The Kadee #5's; with adapter sleves, dropped right in.
Hope this helps.
"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"
I agree whole heartedly with jj. I have done this before and it works quite well. As to any crazing that may occur, use a tiny dab and it shouldn't be a problem.
I'm beginning to realize that Windows 10 and sound decoders have a lot in common. There are so many things you have to change in order to get them to work the way you want.
Walthers Goo..A tiny drop will hold that coupler box for decades.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
PED...Walthers Goo was the same as Permatex Super High Tech Gasket Sealant (#80060).
Let us know how this comparison turns out.
Always looking for a cheaper solution to an expensive problem.
A lot of Kadee's couplers are now coming with acetal plastic or Delrin draught gear boxes, which snap together. While there are glues for such plastics, most appear to be rather pricey. Walthers Goo, along with ca and contact cement, will not give a satisfactory bond, roughened surfaces or not.
While I have glued Kadees in the styrene draught gear boxes, using solvent type cement on plastic underbodies or contact cement for metal underbodies, screws are generally the preferred method...
If you have issues with the draught gear box rotating when attached with a screw, cement a piece of strip styrene to the car's floor, alongside the coupler (or both sides, if you prefer).If you use flathead screws, you can countersink the heads by using a drill bit roughly the same size as the diameter of the screwhead - I do this with the bit held in a pin vise or in my fingers, so as to not let it cut too deep.
Wayne
PEDI saw on another forum where someone said the Walthers Goo was the same as Permatex Super High Tech Gasket Sealant (#80060). Supposedly looks the same, has same specs as Goo and is cheaper.
Actually the Permatex will not harden(according to their advertisement) like Goo.Goo is a glue not a sealant.
I've used Goo for years and once it hardens it will last decades.
I picked up a tube of the Permatex High Tack today and used it to glue two pieces of scrap together. The scrap is the same material that my Micro Trains couplers are made from. The Permatex texture is a thick liquid (not a gel) and is a taninsh/yellow color. Used a toothpick to spread some and it dried to a rubber cement like texture very quickly. Instruction tell you to put it on both surfaces and then press them together like a contact cement.
I don't have any Goo so I don't how how this compares to Goo.
Cost was $9 for a 1.75 oz tube vs $5 for 1 oz of Goo. Thus it cost about the same per oz as Goo so there is no real cost advantage either way. Biggest advantage to me is that I can get it at local auto supply since I have no local hobby shop to buy Goo from.
If this does not work, I will try some Goo next.
Its been 11 hours since I attached the scrap pieces with the Permatex. Although they were stuck together, it took very little force to pull them apart. Much less than I had hoped for. I would call this experiment a failure. Guess I will order some Goo and try that next.
I'm just wondering why the screws won't hold them securely. I would concentrate more on that instead of gluing them. I like things to be removable...makes them easier to service, if needed.
Chuck - Modeling in HO scale and anything narrow gauge
The screws will hold them in place very well but if you tighten them too much, the lid on the coupler box will cave in and squeeze the internal moving parts of the coupler and they will no longer work correctly. I tried to tighten the screw until the parts could not move then back it off just enough to let the parts move. Still would not hold the box from twisting when backing up. Even with that, the material where the coupler is mounted is not very thick. If I tighten it too much, the screw would easily strip out. I am working with N scale....not as beefy as HO and larger.
I also work in N scale. I've body mounted a bunch through the years and have had good success mounting couplers with screws. Not sure what to tell you...i would try to solve that problem and not use glue. The 1023 / 1025 couplers have open side boxes, so glue might foul the couplers.
I am using MTL 1015 couplers. Sides are solid. Similar to the 1023 except that the spring is in front of the mounting post instead of the rear. This newer design means that the loco is pulling against the post instead of the spring.
Only use a tiny bit of glue applied with a toothpick to the car then screw the coupler on. Have already done this with several cars with no problem with glue spreading. Only problem is that the glues I have tried so far will not keep coupler box from rotating.
FWIW, I pulled a 1015 out of a package to look. I got a heavy pair of tweezers and squeezed the crap out of the coupler. If l grabbed tbe coupler from the side, it still worked properly. If l grabbed it from the back end, the coupler did not work. I even screwed one down tight, and it still worked.
So, I'm not sure what's going on. Maybe a picture of your installation might help?
PEDUsed a toothpick to spread some and it dried to a rubber cement like texture very quickly. Instruction tell you to put it on both surfaces and then press them together like a contact cement.
When using contact cement.....you are supposed to put adhesive on both surface's let partially dry.....then stick them together....
When using Walthers Goo....Instructions state to put a dab on both surfaces, touch pieces together, then pull apart, let adhesive dry a few moments and then put pieces together for a permanent bond.
When using Permatex gasket sealant, the same applys...put sealant on both surfaces press together, then pull apart......the reason being...to make sure you do not have any places where there is no sealant. Remember! the Permatex is a gasket sealant, which stays flexible...Not an adhesive. The bolts or screws keep the parts together.....Not the sealant.
Been using all three products My whole life, without any issues, by doing as is recommended above.
If You are going to use the Walthers Goo......follow their instructions to the letter and it will work fine.....I.use that exclusively on sheet steel car weights and never had one come loose.......just follow the directions for use......
The 3/8'' steel nuts that are glued to the trailer floor for weight are held in place with Loctite GO2 Glue. All My trailers have this system and none have ever come loose, but can be removed if need be without damage to anything.....the adhesive can be peeled away once cut into side.
Take Care!
Frank
I also prefer mechanical solutions. Some Kadee boxes come with little side holes where you can insert other screws to avoid side-play.
Simon
I came across this discussion while looking for glue to attach the coupler assembly to the truck for an MTL 1018 6 wheel passenger truck. I'm upgrading a wrecking crane.
First off, in N scale I think it's ridiculous that these things are sent out partially assembled. It's no one's idea of a great evening spending over an hour to try and get a microscopic screw into a microscopic hole.
After wrecking the first truck with the screw (and the coupler assembly coming apart in my fingers), I gave up the screw and tried Krazy Glue with no success.
I did not rough up the surfaces but not sure how I would accomplish this in N scale anyway.
Ive ordered several extra sets to try again. Maybe I can get the glue to hold long enough to assist me in getting the screw in? If I don't have to mess around with tiny screws and glue works then so much the better.
Trying to put this tiny stuff together with 50 year old eye sight and 50 year old manual dexterity makes me wish I'd started in HO
Yeah, it's hard enough in HO... Krazy Glue (or CA) does not hold very well on trucks, which I assume are made in slippery, engineering plastic in your case. 5 minute epoxy is my go-to solution for that.
You need to alter the surface of the acetal/Delrin so its bonding energy is higher. Just roughing up the surface won't do it; you chemically alter the first couple of layers of molecules at the surface.
My advice would be to use a surface primer like Permabond POP, followed by one of the 'hardened' cyanoacrylates like Permabond 737. I suspect that combination will work for most of the 'hard to glue' situations...
Of course, a cheaper solution is to screw the box temporarily in position without the cover, drill a very thin hole through one rear inside corner all the way through box and chassis, and insert a thin piece of wire or pin to keep the box from rotating...
There is ca-type glue available for use with engineering plastics, such as Delrin. I searched locally for the Loctite product, to no avail, so instead settled for LePage's version, which is a "super glue for all plastics".It comes in a clear plastic container, with a small container of ca, and a larger tube that ressembles a marker, although the "nib"appears to be some kind of rubber. It contains the "activator" for the glue.
The procedure is to apply the activator to both of the surfaces to be mated, then allow it to dry for about 60 seconds. You then apply the ca sparingly to only one of the mating surfaces, then press the parts together and hold for 30 seconds.
There's enough activator to easily outlast the enclosed container of ca, but any ca can be used with it...if you have some on-hand, it'll work with the activator. It does work as advertised, too.