Hi folks, I've used Testors Liquid glue for decades. How does the Tamiya product compare? (Besides being sold in a good square bottle, as opposed to the more easily tipped round bottle.)

Dries quickly. Brush in cap is too small. See if you can get a small amount of MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone) and try that. Also dries quickly but it's available in quart and gallon quantities.

Less offensive odor, hotter than Testors. I think the brush is the perfect size , Testors is much too big. I use both .

Sean

The Tamiya flows better and you need less. It's all about capillary action. I even use it on clear parts as it only follows the join.

Though I still keep the Testors around for larger surfaces. And 20 years ago, Testors came in square bottles too.

Yep, Tamiya is the second best-- but better than Testors. I think the best bottle glue out there is Pro-Weld, available from Walthers, a Model RR supply company. However, it's hard to get sometimes. Micro-Mark carries a knock-off called "Same Stuff", which is close. But Tamiya's is excellent too, and I always have a bottle on my workbench- sometimes two or three. It seems to be readily available, the pin-point brush is excellent (I save them from empty bottles to use with other glues). It dries quickly, is supper hot, and holds exceptionally well. Testors takes longer to dry, doesn't "weld" nearly as well, and you need to use more glue to get a tight bond. I rate Pro-Weld and its imitators as #1, Tamiya #2, and Testors as a 4 or 5 after MEK or Micro-Scale's Micro-Weld.
VR, Russ

I like the Tamiya thin glue , it works great. Welds are strong.The red tube testors..very strong welds...but thick consistency.
Try Humbrol thin precision poly in the yellow tip & box...it is awesome as well. It comes with a long metal tube to dispense ..aka precision...but..keep a thin wire handy to clean the tube out once in awhile..or a lighter.

I definitely prefer Tamiya to Testors. I used Testors growing up and switched about a decade ago when I found that using the Testors glue with some Trumpeter kits led to poor adhesion and turned the plastic brittle (to the point where it would crack even when left untouched). I made the switch and haven't looked back.

I happily use the Testors in the odd shaped black container with the hypodermic needle applicator and have for years. I like the ability to apply this glue precisely where I want it and how much I want of it.

The Testors is somewhat less aggressive chemically than the Tamiya. Generally model plastic responds well to the Testors but there have been of late a number of models coming out that use a harder, less cooperative plastic - the Tamiya seems to do well with these harder plastics.

Finally the Tamiya flows better and usually disappears as it dries so that is another plus.

I use both - selecting the right tool for the right job.

Another liquid which is excellent for welding styrene is methylene chloride- brand name Rez'N'Bond. It is available thru commercial plastics suppliers.

Weld-On 3 & 4 are just what the doctor ordered. At $19/pint, very economical compared to the bottled brands.

I don't think I can even get Testors here to compare, but the comment about the brush being too small? You can extend it, just use some grips and pull it out further.

I still have one of the old square Testers bottles. I refill it as needed from new, round bottles.

Thanks folks. Several great suggestions to try.

They are now called SCIGRIP 3 and 4.

Interesting question, these are all different chemical mixtures. I have most of them but use Testors Liquid Cement for Plastics (glass bottle)for most things, Tamiya Extra Thin Cement (green cap) for faster-acting / fast evaporating joints, and Testors Liquid Cement for Plastics with Precision Applicator (black triangular bottle)for track building and slower-setting applications.

Testors LCP is about equal parts Butanone, Ethyl Acetate, and 1-Methoxy-2-propyl acetate.

Tamiya Extra Thin is equal parts Butyl acetate and Propanone

Testors LCPPA is a real mix, mostly Xylene, Butyl acetate, and Ethylbenzene, with dissolved Polystyrene to thicken it, along with some Tolulene, Napthalene, and some aromatic distillates.

#3 is mostly Dichloromethane; #4 is about equal parts Dichloromethane and Trichloroethene. I've found Dichloromethane cements to be too fast for styrene and model work.

Oh - I pull out the cap brushes and use an old paint brush.

KL

I brush a light coat of either on the edges to be joined. This primes the surfaces. When I'm ready to permanently join the parts, I hold the two primed edges together and sparingly apply the 3/4 with a 10/0 brush along the joint, just enough to bond it. If you over-apply the 3/4, the bond remains soft enough to allow minor adjustments for fit before it begins to harden.

the glue I use is testors n the bottle or ca insta -curr+ they both work well and I have time to get the part off If I have too

I like Tamiya , only drawback is the brush is too short . Mr Cement is good too .

As mentioned above, you can pull the brush out to lengthen it a little if need be. I save the brushes, and mount them on a brass tube handle for use with other glues.
VR, Russ

I started using Tamiya a few months ago after the stash of Tenax I had squirreled away finally ran out. I'm very pleased with how the green cap works, it doesn't dry quite as fast as Tenax did and it flows better. I use the orange cap on parts that need to be fiddled with, like tracks, because of it's slower drying time.

With as many varieties of plastic as there are kit manufacturers I keep a variety of liquid cements at hand, Testors, Tamiya extra thin, micro weld, tenax, and plain old MEK. Most of the time I'll use Tamiya and micro weld. And the best brush I've found for gluing is a 5/0. Fine enough to get into small nooks and crannies and carries the right amount of cement.

Personally I wouldn't use chlorinated solvents as glue, dichloromoethane (DCM) is generally considered to be the the least toxic of the chloromethanes but exposure to DCM has been linked to increased risk of cancer. Also besides it's possible carcinogenity it's also toxic and while using small amounts for gluing plastic parts might be okay for the short term long term exposure might have real consequences (source: https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp14.pdf ) The other three chloromethanes are even more toxic than DCM. In my organic chemistry practicals we were pretty much forbidden from using large quantities of chlorinated solvents, the only chlorinated solvent we used was deuterated chloroform (CDCl3)as a solvent for NMR spectroscopy and when we used that we used about 2 ml per sample and we transferred it in a fume hood to limit exposure.

I mostly use Tamiya Extra Thin for fuselage and wing seams. I usually use a ruling pen. It gives me better reach the cap brush, I can even adjust the amount of glue in the jaws depending on how much I want to get in the joint.

In response to Pieter's comment......

Understanding your concern.

I've a question. Did anyone ever read the Material Safety Data Sheets or similar for the PEL? PPE is always or should be recommended.

However I think that it should be noted that in the vast majority of public water supplies in the free world Chlorine is used for disinfection and residual protection in water systems. All or virtually all of said systems are affected by TTHM ( Total Trihalo Methanes) and HAA5 ( Halo Acidic Acids ) constituents. same items that you referenced.

Also the very plastic ( most all forms) you handle in a kit or sand contains the same constituents.

PEL Permissible exposure limits are key.

You would have to drink or absord into your systems a lot of these to become ill or develop cancer in the environment of modeling.

RC