# Advice needed - gluing Photo-Etched Parts



## myk (Oct 5, 1999)

Hi Guys, I'm looking for advice on gluing photo-etched parts. I never had the opportunity to use them, but I am building the 1/200 USS Arizona and bought a detail up kit. Thinking that photo-etched parts really make a model pop.
Questions: What kind of glue is used. How do you apply it to such small parts. If you're using super-glue do you use a gel? Or are you using a clear glue?
I did buy a photo-etche bending tool - which I see as a must have item.
Any advice will be much appreicated as I guess still have 192 photo-etched parts to go! Thanks


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

I use a few different glues depending on the part and where/how it has to be added. A gel type CA glue is good for a lot of pieces. For rather flat parts with a lot of gluing surface, I use Gator's Grip acrylic glue. Its water based and you can position the part and move it around more than CA glue. Sometimes I will use a bit of GG glue to stick a part down and hold it in place while I apply some thin CA to the edge of the part to permanently set it.

Things like railings are usually glued with thick CA and then touched up with paint.


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## steve123 (Feb 9, 2009)

You might want to get another smaller kit and the PE for it and use it for practice. It's not an intuitive skill, you really need to have experience for a big kit like that. I'm pretty good at this stuff but PE can drive ya nuts.

Some dividers to measure railing runs will be a big help too. 
Some good sharp cutters, dull or cheap cutters can bend the cut end slightly and cause another problem.

Steve


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## SfanGoch (May 28, 2011)

You will get better results by soldering the PE parts. It's not as difficult as you might imagine; and, the parts look better without telltale beads of solidified cyanacrylate possibly covering and/or obscuring details.


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## jaws62666 (Mar 25, 2009)

myk said:


> Hi Guys, I'm looking for advice on gluing photo-etched parts. I never had the opportunity to use them, but I am building the 1/200 USS Arizona and bought a detail up kit. Thinking that photo-etched parts really make a model pop.
> Questions: What kind of glue is used. How do you apply it to such small parts. If you're using super-glue do you use a gel? Or are you using a clear glue?
> I did buy a photo-etche bending tool - which I see as a must have item.
> Any advice will be much appreicated as I guess still have 192 photo-etched parts to go! Thanks


I just got the same kit this weekend. It sucks that the directions dont show where to put all of the railings with the etch that comes with the kit. i guess you just put it where you think it needs to be. It is a huge, nicely detailed kit though.


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