forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com
WW1 Aircraft Modeling => WW1 Aircraft Information/Questions => Topic started by: Todd on February 04, 2025, 08:52:42 AM
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Do you guys use CA or model glue to attach the struts to the wings?
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I would imagine you may get different advice on this from different people. What I do kind of depends on the kit, the plane and the medium the kit is built from. For plastic injection kits I use mostly Plastic cement because it doesn't set as quick so if needs be the top wing can be moved. If I am doing a plane with a large number of struts like some of the two-seaters or bombers I may use white glue incase one or two struts pop out (you don't want the plastic cement on the end of the strut to go against the underside of the upper wing). I might follow up with superglue when they are all in place. In almost all cases I have used monofilament (fishing line) to rig the plane, this has the added bonus of fixing the wing properly in place and hugely strengthening it. I also use a jig I knock up out of cardboard to align and keep in place the wings. For resin kits I would use a tiny, tiny amount of epoxy resin then rig it. It is also entirely possible to attach the two wings without glue if the struts fit neatly in their location holes provided it is rigged.
Hope this helps, what are you building?
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For plastic kits I use standard plastic cement. I prefer to use tube glue rather than Tamiya thin glue because this makes a stronger bond, although I might use Tamiya thin on some struts that are difficult to locate (and may be added after some struts have already been glued in place).
For resin kits I use a combination of two-part epoxy glue and CA - I use epoxy on the easiest to locate struts and thin CA on the remaining struts.
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Tod,
I prefer a two part "5 Minute Epoxy" for this stage as it sets gradually over a 5-10 minute period and allows for minor adjustments of the top wing while setting. A caution though; some brands tend to expand slightly during curing thus don't over do it. Like Nigel and Al I also use a temporary rough "Jig" of sheet styrene and/or the wing itself to set the alignment of the struts to the attachment points on the upper wing and use a careful second application of thin CA after the epoxy sets to complete the job.
Cheers,
Lance
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I always add brass pins to the struts for a stronger joint, so ca every time.
Ian