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Looking for styrene-safe contact cement

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  • Member since
    January 2002
  • From: Loudonville, NY
  • 776 posts
Looking for styrene-safe contact cement
Posted by Benjamin Maggi on Wednesday, May 20, 2020 1:37 PM

I am building an HO scale Borden milk car based on plans in the April 2002 RMC. The article calls for making a wooden former and wrapping it in styrene, which is bonded to the wood with contact cement. I have the wood former, but need the contact cement. Obviously, whatever I use has to be safe with the thin 0.015" thick styrene that will form around the wood.

Can someone recommend an easily obtained brand of contact cement that they have used with styrene? Thanks.

Modeling the D&H in 1984: http://dandhcoloniemain.blogspot.com/

  • Member since
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  • 443 posts
Posted by Wolf359 on Wednesday, May 20, 2020 4:43 PM

I've had good luck with Pliobond 25 special purpose contact adhesive, (I bought mine at Ace Hardware, buy the way) but I've never tried it on styrene before, and the bottle doesn't say anything about it being plastic safe or not. If you can't find anything that actually says that it's plastic/styrene safe, my suggestion would be to either call a hardware store and ask them if they know of a brand that can be used with styrene, or buy something that sounds like it will work and test it on a scrap piece and see if there's any adverse reaction. That being said, I think I'll dig out one of my scraps and test it for myself. I'll let you know what happens.

  • Member since
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Posted by mlehman on Wednesday, May 20, 2020 6:27 PM

I often use DAP/Weldwood water-based contact cement for laying cork oradbed and it works well. Follwing the instructions is somewhat more important than with the typical solvent-based version. It should work OK for your purpose. It does call for some pressure to bond things, so best done when the carside is flat and you can run a roller actross it to help with bonding/

That said, the instructions you're citing that call for contact cement almost certainly envisioned using standard solvent-based contact cement when written. Twenty years or so back, water-based stuff was just starting tp come on the market widely due to increasing restrictions on the use of solvent-based formulations.

The trick is to put it on the wood first, then quickly apply and remove the styrene to the glued-up wood, then let both dry so they are ready to bond. This can be a little initimidating as too much glue could mess up the sytrene. You can build some confidence in the technique by practising with similar materials before doing the work on the kit parts.

Mike Lehman

Urbana, IL

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  • From: Canada, eh?
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Posted by doctorwayne on Wednesday, May 20, 2020 7:53 PM

Pretty-well any contact cement will be okay for use with plastic if you follow the directions on the container, especially those outlining the drying period for the cement, before the two pieces can be brought together.

Not following those directions can result in still-active solvents being present within the bond, and those solvents can damage or destroy the styrene.

I generally use gelled contact cement, as it's less messy to use.  Because of it's non-liquid nature, it helps to "prep" the styrene with a solvent - I use MEK, applying it liberally over the styrene - it will evapourate quickly, and then the gelled contact cement can be brushed-on - the prep allows the contact cement to better-stick to the styrene, rather than roll off with the brushstrokes.

Such prepping would not, however, be necessary if using a tube-type contact cement, such as Pliobond, as the solvents in them are in a more liquid form.

 

Earlier, I attempted to post a more comprehensive reply, with illustrative photos, but after almost two hours of fighting with the "improved" photobucket and this Forum's past-their-prime features, I had to give-up...photos, parts of sentences, and paragraphs mysteriously moved around to different locations within the post, as did photos, although some text and photos disappeared completely, and pictures that I had not selected appeared in the place of ones which were selected.

Sorry for the rant, but these problems limit the ability to effectively communicate here.

Wayne

SBX
  • Member since
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  • From: Ipswich, UK
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Posted by SBX on Thursday, May 21, 2020 4:50 AM

I am in the UK but I am a fan of Titebond. I use this to stick most things to most things. I also use Elmer's Glue-all. The both have a quick cure time.

 

Long Haired David
A.K.A. David Pennington
main man on the Sunset and North Eastern R.R.
http://www.gmrblog.co.uk
from the UK

  • Member since
    January 2002
  • From: Loudonville, NY
  • 776 posts
Posted by Benjamin Maggi on Thursday, May 21, 2020 9:58 AM

Thank you everyone for your responses. I will see what the local hardware store has.

 

Modeling the D&H in 1984: http://dandhcoloniemain.blogspot.com/

  • Member since
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Posted by Wolf359 on Thursday, May 21, 2020 10:32 AM

I tried the Pliobond 25 on a 0.010" scrap piece of Evergreen styrene wrapped around a wooden dowel, and it worked great with no adverse affects. As I said before, I bought mine at my local Ace, but I believe most hardware stores should carry it. Good luck with your tank car.

  • Member since
    January 2002
  • From: Loudonville, NY
  • 776 posts
Posted by Benjamin Maggi on Friday, May 22, 2020 1:16 PM

Can't ask for more than this! I just ordered some of the Pliobond 25. Thanks!

Modeling the D&H in 1984: http://dandhcoloniemain.blogspot.com/

  • Member since
    December 2014
  • 443 posts
Posted by Wolf359 on Friday, May 22, 2020 1:41 PM

Benjamin Maggi

Can't ask for more than this! I just ordered some of the Pliobond 25. Thanks!

 

YesBig Smile

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