Preferred Armor Glue?

[CadBane3[TK]]

Hello all!

 

I'm a relative newby here and have my kit put together but have had a few parts where the glue has started to fail slightly (front of the shin, where it needs to be somewhat flexible), perhaps I didn't sand enough before adhering them together. I've seen threads on here were people suggest E6000 and I've seen threads that call from cyanoacrylate (like Zap-A-Gap or super glue). Maybe they are essentially the same thing, but I thought I would ask the experts before I try a repair that doesn't take. Please let me know what your preference is for this.

 

Thanks!

[Novak Dimon[TK]]

Hi Michael,<br>

I would recommend E6000. In my opinion it is the perfect glue for the armor. It is strong as hell and at the other side it is easy to take apart the pieces and remove the glue. Very handy if corrections or repairs are needed. <br><br>

Cheers <br>

Christian

[sylverbard[TK]]

What glue did you use? E6000 is the safest, but you need to glue, tape in place, then clamp. Its also easy to clean glue that slips out after dry.

Crazy glue, zapagap, is fast, strong, and more unforgiving if you goof.

 

Abs cement is also fast, strong, and permanent.

[Colin1138[TK]]

Another vote for E6000 here. Used it on my ROTJ kit 3 or 4 years ago..yet to have any issues with it...and I have put that kit through hell!

 

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

[mgb1016[501st]]

E6000 hands-down.  If you make a mistake it's much easier to take apart but takes 24 hours to fully set.  Zap-A-Gap is evil.  It dries almost instantly and is a major pain if you need to take something apart.  A piece of my left index fingerprint is still stuck in the inside seam of one of my biceps!    

Edited October 5, 2016 by mgb1016

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

E6000 without a doubt, easy to rub off if you have excess and easy to get parts apart if you make a mistake or need to adjust.

 

Downside you have to leave clamped for 24 hours to dry completely

[CadBane3[TK]]

E6000 it is. Thanks for all the input!

[kman[TK]]

If you need to wear the piece tomorrow morning, CA glue (CyanoAcrylate, aka Super Glue, Zap-A-Gap, etc) is pretty much your only option.

 

If it's a piece you'll ever want to make repairs on, or you're new and don't know 100% exactly how to do everything, or there's any chance of making a mistake (maybe you're a pro but like a few beers while you work on armor? LOL), CA glue is hell to get off without serious damage.

 

If there's time, I always recommend E6000 for plastic armor like Stormtrooper armor. Clamp it and tape it thoroughly, because it's slippery and piece WILL drift overnight, even clamped, if you let them move at all. Give it a full 24 hours before unclamping.

 

Technically E6000 takes a full 72 hours to fully cure, but should be ok in most instances in 24 hours... but NOT less than 24! The exception would perhaps be gluing the button plate on, where there's really zero strain on the connection. That should be fine in 12-18 hours. Any actual armor seams should be given the full 24 hours.

 

Once the part is glued, the bond is strong and flexible. And yet, if you need so, some raw strength can tear the pieces apart, even a few years later. Very handy for repairs, or if you sell your kit someone who need to make sizing adjustments. Or if you just screw up when first gluing the parts together.

Edited October 5, 2016 by kman

[Locitus[Admin]]

E-6000 curing time seems to be getting longer every year...

 

I unclamped my pieces after 12 hours in order to free up the clamps for the next piece of armour, and it's survived years of trooping and travels without issue.

[kman[TK]]

E-6000 curing time seems to be getting longer every year...

 

I unclamped my pieces after 12 hours in order to free up the clamps for the next piece of armour, and it's survived years of trooping and travels without issue.

 

I've had pieces move when I freed them after only 12 hours.  After losing a full day of build time due to that one incident, I don't risk it anymore.  Particularly after reading enough reports of people who had issues with some particularly high-load pieces were 24 hours actually wasn't really enough.  YMMV, of course... I also know that ambient temps and humidity can play a role in how fast the glue sets.

 

The instructions on the tube itself say 24 hours, with 72 hour time to fully cured, IIRC.

Edited October 6, 2016 by kman

[Locitus[Admin]]

You should obviously not mess around with the pieces after you've unclamped them, just leave them be.

 

My tube just says "for maximum-strengh bond, allow for 24-72 hour dry time"

[jkno]

For E6000 you should also be careful that there are bootlegs on ebay. Though the bootleg is not too bad and might work form non-important things I wouldn't use it for a valuable armor. Buy original from trusted sources.

[kman[TK]]

For E6000 you should also be careful that there are bootlegs on ebay. Though the bootleg is not too bad and might work form non-important things I wouldn't use it for a valuable armor. Buy original from trusted sources.

 

I've heard that for people overseas, but the OP is in the US, so legit E6000 is readily available in retail stores like JoAnns, Michaels, Walmart, etc.

[Slayer6769[501st]]

For E6000 you should also be careful that there are bootlegs on ebay. Though the bootleg is not too bad and might work form non-important things I wouldn't use it for a valuable armor. Buy original from trusted sources.

Geez oh pete, crooks will make fakes of anything. Pathetic really.

I was wondering if anyone has ever used Liquid Nails for glue? Has plenty of work time and cures to a super strong bond. It will also adhere to most anything. It's readily available here in the states, I would think it would be overseas as well.