Favorite Adhesive

[BronzeGiant]

So, what's everyone's favorite type of glue to use when assembling rockets. My favorite was and always will be the yellow Ambroid Liquid Cement in the white and orange tube. Sometimes it's kinda hard to find so I stock up when I see it on the shelf. Anybody else use this?

Steve

[stefanj]

I have heard of but have never used yellow Ambroid.

I suppose my go-to adhesive is yellow carpenter's glue of various brands.

Sometimes Elmer's white glue, when yellow glue's tendency to shrink would cause problems.

20 minute epoxy for high power stuff.

[Rob Campbell]

I haven't seen Ambroid in around 30 years. It was great stuff. I'm now partial to CA, epoxy, carpenter's glue, and occasionally, Gorilla Glue.

[tbzep]

For LPR I mostly use white and yellow carpenter's glue. I use CA, epoxy, contact cement, the modern equivalent of 3M-77 (forget the number), and Tenax 7R in a few specialty situations. Probably left out one or two.

[Scott6060842]

Stuff I use:

Elmer glue all, Elmer Carpenters wood glue, Tenex 7r (for plastic), Allenes tacky glue (for wraps) , Titebond mold and trim glue (A must have for fillets on small rockets), Bob Smith 15 minute epoxy (large fillets, etc.), CA

Bondo glaze and spot putty
Future floor polish
Pactra vintage balsa filler coat - Midwest sanding sealer

If you want to make a trick rocket that falls apart in flight use orange testers plastic cement

[ghrocketman]

Ambroid (and Sig-Ment) along with Testors Cenent (both yellow and green tube) are extremely WEAK adhesives for attaching fins on rockets and is even worse for engine mount use. I would never use it even for 1/2A mini-motor power stuff. If it works for you and it is what you like, go for it.

For LPR up to 24mm C11 power I attach with Titebond II and fillet with 15 or 30 min Epoxy. The strength of epoxy is not required for under a high-thrust full 80 n-sec F, but it makes totally even, single-pass, ultra strong fillets.

For all 24mm D12 power and-up I use 15-min Epoxy to attach fins and 30-min Epoxy for fillets. I build the engine mount(s) with 30-min Epoxy. I use quality aircraft-grade Epoxy, not junk hardware store stuff.

I don't ever use 5-min Epoxy; that stuff is weak junk.

Is Epoxy really neccessary below say an H250 ?
Maybe not, but I NEVER have fins separate from tubes on landing and the extra weight is negligible.

For plastic cement I almost always use Tenax 7R plastic weldor.

I use medium-thickness Super Jet CA for limited use in rocket building where appropriate, but use a lot of it for building R/C aircraft.

For Balsa grain-filling I use Vintage Pactra Aero Gloss products. 3 coats of Balsa Fillercoat followed by 2-3 coats of Sanding Sealer.

For Contact Cement where required, I use vintage Sig Core-Bond which primarily is used for attaching 1/32" Balsa or 1/64" plywood skins to R/C Pattern-Airplane foam wing cores. It works well for attaching body wraps to rocket tubes.
For clear-canopies I use R/C 56 glue.

[BronzeGiant]

I have never had a problem with Ambroid and will probably use it as long as I can get it. Buit I'll agree it's not for everybody. I do use it to make a fillet where the fin joins the body tube and if a fin has separated during landing it's usually a case of "the fin would have come off no matter what you glued it on with." If you know what I mean.

I've never had any luck with the super glues as the parts are usually too porous and they suck up all of the real thin glues.

In my area Tenax 7-R is about as scarce as Ambroid gets sometimes. I haven't seen it in a long time. I used to use it when I build plastic model cars but it seemed to evaporate too quickly and was so thin that it would run under your fingertips before you knew it and then you'd have a fingertip whorl branded into the plastic part.

[scigs30]

Elmers Glue All.

[ghrocketman]

ELMER'S ???????
C'mon Noww....
You MUST be joking....even if not, that's a BAD JOKE.

[scigs30]

Nope, been using it since the 70s with no problems what so ever. I still fly my Goldberg Cub I built in the 80s with Elmers and still going strong today.

[scigs30]

Nothing like the smell of old Monokote, fuel and Elmers.

[luke strawwalker]

I dunno... Glue threads are like asking "which is best-- blondes, brunettes, or red heads??"

I like all of em...

Different glue for different jobs...

Paper to paper joints white glue is best... Wood to paper and wood to wood yellow glue. Plastic to plastic, tenax usually, but not always... Plastic to paper, like wraps... It depends.... Hard to bond materials, usually epoxy, stuff when you need extra working time to get everything positioned just so, epoxy for sure.

CA strictly for hardening balsa, I never use it structurally for bonds... Shear strength is terrible and it gets brittle over time. Shorter the time on epoxy the weaker it is... Never use less than 30 minute...

Want a fin joint stronger than either the balsa or tube itself that locks then together near instantly? You simply cannot beat the good old double glue joint using yellow wood glue... The fin will snap or the tube delaminate before the joint lets go.... Like a good weld, no need in going for stronger when either the part or surrounding parent metal will break before the weld does...

Fillets--Titebond moulding and trim wood glue hands down... One and done, no drips, no sags, no voids... We finger makes perfect fillets in one app most of the time... No sanding required.

Later! OL J R

[tbzep]

ELMER'S ???????
C'mon Noww....
You MUST be joking....even if not, that's a BAD JOKE.
It will hold more than the paper or balsa it's bonding. It's only true downfall is that it will allow fins to get out of whack if they are laying down on the fins in a hot car or out in the sun. On a similar note, that downfall will actually let you align fins that you didn't get right the first time by heating them with a hair dryer, heat gun, or laying out in the sun and gently leaning the fins into position. ;)

That said, I normally use Elmers carpenter glue on paper and balsa rockets these days because it sets quicker. I put it in a small Elmer's school glue bottle for more pinpoint application. I don't care for the large slotted bottles for delicate work. I get good fillets out of just about any glue I work with. About the only time I use epoxy on small rockets is with motor mounts that I think might stick before I get them placed.

Since white and yellow glues shrink, I learned to go a little lighter on motor mounts to minimize the indented rings on the BT. The mounts are still strong without huge fillets. If there's still an indented ring, it won't be bad and will easily be taken care of when I prime and sand. If I get stupid and dump in too much glue on the mount, a little bondo spot putty will make those indented rings disappear with minimal sanding effort.

[ghrocketman]

Elmers becomes extremely flexible in hot solar radiation.
I have used it for attaching wraps and shockcord mounts, but nevef fins due to that reason.
I would NEVER consider using anything but Thin and Medium CA for construction of an R/C Kit except for attaching firewalls, wing-spars and joining wings. For that I use Epoxy. I never waste my time on the long-cure times of Elmers or Titebond for building aircraft and I don't know anyone that does. It makes a long build agonizingly long.
The first R/C aircraft I stick-built was in 1978; a Carl Goldberg Gentle Lady sailplane with a Cox Tee Dee .09 on a power-pod. I was 8 years old at the time. My instructor asked what glues I used and I told him 30min Epoxy for the power-pod firewall and the wing-spars where the panels joined and Titebond for everything else. He told me to stop using Titebond due to how long it takes to dry and reccommended Hot Stuff or Super Jet CA for future builds. Switched to CA (and it was EXPENSIVE back in '78) and never looked back. ALL R/C builders that have any sense build primarily with CA.

[scigs30]

I guess that is just a matter of opinion, the bottom line is the job gets done. I definitely don't have to prove myself, Ive posted all my builds, rockets, freeflight, Rc. I guess I could just sit back and criticize others and tell everyone I'm right and never post builds.

[LeeR]

I guess that is just a matter of opinion, the bottom line is the job gets done. I definitely don't have to prove myself, Ive posted all my builds, rockets, freeflight, Rc. I guess I could just sit back and criticize others and tell everyone I'm right and never post builds.
I tried to press the "Like" button, but alas, it isn't available. 😀

I too use many different glues, and just started using Mod Podge for papering fins. I don't paper all fins, usually simply-shaped ones, the most recent being a Der Red Max. This V-2 is my first rocket with papered fins. I made a one-piece cover with the sharp crease over the leading edge. I use either 65lb. cardstock, or 100 lb. Cardstock sounds heavy, these weights are really more like really heavy typing paper, and incredibly smooth. This V-2 may look a little different. I trimmed the stock oversized fins down to scale size. I also used micro rail buttons. My MakerBeam rail is laying next to the V-2.

[Doug Sams]

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I've been waiting two days for it, but no one else has said it, so please allow me: "Look! A glue thread !"


How appropriate that I should allude to rmr on Throwback-Thursday :)


Doug

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[LeeR]

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I've been waiting two days for it, but no one else has said it, so please allow me: "Look! A glue thread !"


How appropriate that I should allude to rmr on Throwback-Thursday :)


Doug

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I go back far enough to be an rmr'er, but probably so old I don't remember the glue threads. Does it make sense to make glue threads a "sticky"? Just wondering ....

[chrism]

Come on guys! You all know what the best adhesive is of all time!





Liquid Nails!!!!

[scigs30]

Another great glue Titebond Translucent.
http://www.titebond.com/product.aspx?id=e06720fc-44f9-42b2-8c5c-77e7d85cf624

[Doug Sams]

I go back far enough to be an rmr'er, but probably so old I don't remember the glue threads. Does it make sense to make glue threads a "sticky"? Just wondering .... :)

In hindsight, I probably saw more comments about glue threads than I saw actual glue threads :)

Doug

.

[scigs30]

Well, glue and filling balsa grain products and techniques. The good thing is we have a lot of options.