At the July "WORK IN PROGRESS" meeting Frank Wilhite spoke on using CA adhesive to
make almost 200 glue joints in repairing four cruise ship models. This article expands on
that talk.
The two CA adhesives I used were INSTA-CURE and MAXI-CURE made by Bob
Smith Industries, (800)223- 7699. Call to find out where you can get it. I've tried 5 or 6 CA
adhesives and Bob Smith's are by far the most reliable. Check my adhesives article (March,
2003 Newsletter) to see various properties of the two adhesives. NOTE: Bob Smith CA
bottles are labeled with the name of the retail store from which you purchase, for example,
if you purchase a bottle at Prestige Hobbies, the bottle label will say "Prestige Hobbies".
95% of the joints were made using the INSTA-CURE which has a 1-3 sec "tack"
time. The biggest problem in getting a reliable joint is using a small enough amount of this
thin adhesive. I contacted "Charlee" at Bob Smith and asked him to recommend the
smallest tip for his glue dispenser. He suggested using the smallest TEFLON tubing I could
find, since CA glue doesn't plug as easily because it won't adhere to it. I ended up using a
accessory tip pushed down on the dispenser tip and a short length of TEFLON "spaghetti"
inserted into the accessory tip:
A: Bottle of Bob Smith INSTA-CURE (labeled as hobby shop where purchased).
B: Accessory tip PT 18 made by Pacer Technology ZAP Products.
C: Small Parts, Inc. part no. STT -30 30 gauge TEFLON spaghetti.
Note that the 30 gauge spaghetti has a OD tolerance range of 0.005 in.
This plus the ID tolerance of the accessory tip could mean a loose fit. It is recommended
that the A-B and B-C joints be "sealed" with a filet of Bob Smith MAXI-CURE hardened with
accelerator.

PROCEDURE TO ADHERE SMALL PARTS USING MAXI-CURE DISPENSER:
Position small part to be adhered by using finger(s) or clamp(s). Squeeze INSTACURE
dispenser until small drop forms at end of TEFLON tubing. Touch drop to seam
between parts. Thin CA should wick along seam and disappear. Even though the drop of
CA adhesive is reduced by using the improved dispenser, it may still be too much CA
adhesive for very small parts. In this case the CA will not disappear but will \'puddle" along
seam. The solution is to use a small piece of paper towel held by tweezers to wick up
excess adhesive while continuing to hold the part in place. Within a second or two the part
should be firmly in place and can be released. The part should be left undisturbed for at
least one hour for completely cured strength. If you have small parts that require the tiniest amount of INSTA-CURE accurately applied, here is an alternative. Use the smallest needle with the smallest eye you can find. Using a carbide cutoff disc carefully cut off about half of the eye and debur the ends remaining on the needle.
Insert the point of the needle into the end of a dowel or the eraser at the end of an
old shortened pencil. Squeeze a small amount of INSTA-CURE on a piece of aluminum
foil. Dip the needle eye into the puddle and surface tension will cause a small amount of
CA to bridge the eye opening. Touch the eye to the seam of the parts you want to adhere
and the CA will wick into the seam. After awhile hardened CA will fill the eye but can be
removed using the tip of your X-ACTO knife.

PROCEDURE TO ADHERE SMALL PARTS USING MAXI-CURE AND ACCELERATOR:
If parts do not fit tightly or cannot be held together conveniently, use MAXI-CURE
and accelerator. Push a PT 18 accessory tip down on the MAXI-CURE dispenser. Squeeze
the dispenser until a small drop of CA forms at the tip. Apply to one of the parts to be
adhered and press the parts together. You will have several seconds to move the parts to
proper position then, while maintaining the position, apply accelerator to the seam. The
CA will harden instantly and can be released. Allow the parts to be left undisturbed for
three hours for complete cure. If the drop provided by the PT 18 tip is too large, squeeze
some of the MAXI-CURE on to small piece of aluminum foil and use a pin to pick up a
smaller amount to apply.
To apply a small amount of accelerator use the "TOUCH-N-FLOW" precision
applicator sold by Micro-Mark. However, in using the applicator, do not touch the tip
directly to the adhesive or the tip may be plugged. If this does occur, cut off the plugged
end of the tip, clean opening, and continue to use.