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Wood building kit

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Posted by tatans on Tuesday, December 25, 2012 3:17 PM

hon30critter

So did Santa come through for you?

If so, what kit?

Dave

A campbell kit< Quincy station #402, an old, old  kit but no plans, thanks to the forum for informing me,  Campbell is still in production and I have a set of plans coming by mail. So I have my work cut out for me until spring, which up here means in 7 months.

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Posted by hon30critter on Tuesday, December 25, 2012 1:48 PM

So did Santa come through for you?

If so, what kit?

Dave

I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!

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  • From: Big Blackfoot River
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Posted by Geared Steam on Sunday, December 23, 2012 11:50 AM

I use canopy glue for all wood assembly. Dries much faster and creates a bond quicker than regular wood glue. Regardless of what you choose to use remember to apply sparingly and keep it off areas that you plan to paint. Many choose to reinforce the wood first to prevent warping.  

Have fun.

"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein

http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/

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Posted by dstarr on Sunday, December 23, 2012 10:58 AM

For the strongest wood to wood joints   use white glue (Elmers) or yellow carpenters glue (Titebond).  For modeling work they are pretty much the same.   For good strength you have to clamp the joint while the glue dries.  These glues set up in maybe ten minutes but need overnight to develop full strength.   I use them where real strength is required such as gluing the roof to the end blocks on an Ambroid passenger car kit. 

   For most joints, cellulose cement (Duco or Ambroid) is strong enough and it dries strong in about a minute, fast enough to hand hold the joint while the cement hardens.  It doesn't need to be clamped.  

   Both CA and epoxy work on wood.  I seldom use them myself, probably 'cause I grew up using white glue and Duco cement.

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Posted by Electriccharlie on Sunday, December 23, 2012 8:43 AM

I have 2 favorite glue makers for wood kits. #1 is Elmers Carpenters glue (exterior) .This is hard to find in my area(ACE usually has it) but I find that the set time is just right for my tempo of assembly.The other ,and my general purpose glue for all uses, is Weldbond Universal adhesive. It will stick anything and drys dead clear. It also has a longer drying time which forces me to slow down from my normal pace of warp 7 .

I have moved away from traditional paints for the bulk of my wood kits. I find myself more satisfied with a combination of prestain and dry powders . I find that traditional India Ink is not available in my area (probably not sufficiently PC for the California crowd) and have substituted pad ink from an office supply. This also offers the oportunity to experiment with alternate colors for pre-staining.But the previous mention of prepainting trim is excellent advice. My real disasters have all come from poor subassembly preparation.

Most important,have fun and just keep with it till you like it. That's all any of us can ask of the hobby. Under no cercumstances should you be concerned about "what THEY think" .It's your world and we are just visitors.

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Posted by IRONROOSTER on Saturday, December 22, 2012 9:43 PM

I prefer Titebond original wood glue for wood to wood joints.  The one with the red label as opposed to Titebond II or III, green and blue label.  For wood to plastic or metal I use Walther's Goo.

Good luck

Paul

If you're having fun, you're doing it the right way.
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Posted by NP2626 on Saturday, December 22, 2012 9:02 PM

I use Carpenters glue (Elmers's in my case) and I also use Ambroids and CAs.  For CA glues I use both thick and thin and for the most part I use Zap-a-Gap (the thick).  It is most like using regular glue and has just a bit of working life.  Metal to wood, I will use Contact cements (Goo etc.) or Gorilla Glue.  If I have to be very precise about the positioning of one part to another, I will use carpenter or Ambroids.  Testers also has a wood cement that works well.  If strength is a large part of the bond, I will use epoxys, also.

Glues are just like a set of tools we use, specific ones for specific applications.  Think about the qualities and short comings of specific types of glues and the application will come to you.

I build Radio Control model airplanes also and what I learned from using the various types, that they transfer from one hobby to the other very nicely.

NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"

Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association:  http://www.nprha.org/

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Posted by hon30critter on Saturday, December 22, 2012 7:26 PM

I have used yellow carpenters glue but it can be a slow process.  If you are trying to assemble a number of parts in sequence, it takes a few minutes (at least) for the glue to grip solidly enough to allow you to attach the next piece. I prefer gel CA because the joints are firm in very short order. Just make sure you get things aligned properly or you will be cursing me!

If I can, I will make a couple of suggestions related to gluing and painting. First, if you want to use washes or stains on bare wood you should do so before gluing. The stain will not absorb into the glue so if there is any residual glue on the surface the stain will show it. Note, if you are using a wash over a base paint, that should be done after assembly so the wash collects in the corners. 

Second, if you want to paint details like window and door frames or trim a different colour from the walls, you should paint them first. You will get much better separation of the colours and the paint lines will be perfectly straight.

Third, the thin wood sheets used for walls are prone to warping if you use water based paints. There are two things that can be done to prevent this from happening. One is to spray the pieces before painting with cheap automotive grey spray primer. Paint both sides. The second is to add internal bracing along the walls to keep them straight. If you are going to make the interior visible then make your bracing as unobtrusive as possible.

Sorry if I have run on a bit here - all you wanted was glue recommendations, but if you were not aware of the other suggestions they can make a difference in the quality of the outcome and the building/painting experience.

Bet I know where you will be on Christmas night!

Dave

 

I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!

  • Member since
    May 2004
  • 4,115 posts
Wood building kit
Posted by tatans on Saturday, December 22, 2012 6:14 PM

Santa may bring me my first wood building kit, what type of glue to use, white? guess there are all types of adhesives out there, any preferences?   

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