Piers Acland Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 Hi all, Any thoughts/advice welcome about the best glue for adhering a canopy to balsa fuselage. Is canopy glue (like ZAP 560) better than epoxy? My inclination would be that epoxy would be stonger but may be wrong. Thanks Piers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel R Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 Yes, canopy glue is good. Works on covering film. Clean up with water. Dries slightly flexible, not far off RTV. Excellent for mylar hinges as well. What you cannot do is fill it with microballoons and shape the result, like you might with epoxy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 Gorilla glue clear! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken anderson. Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 hello piers...for years I've used clear silicone...the stuff from aquarium shops...is the best..small tube aprox £5....put the canopy on/in place fasten it with some masking tape/leave over night...any squished out surplus,trim off and the canopy will be there for the life of your model...don't tell everyone. ken anderson...ne...1..squished out dept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin McIntosh Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 Forget so called canopy glue, ca, epoxy or silicone and simply use DeLux Materials RC Modellers glue. It takes a while to set but when it does it is crystal clear and the problems with the other adhesives simply disappear. I struggled with the problem for years before trying this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 Pacer's Canopy Glue works a treat - I think it is essentially the same basic glue family as RC Modeller's Glue aka RC56, so any of those are great for the job. CA is a no-no, due to fogging. I've never tried, or thought to try, epoxy- if you think about it you can mix epoxy on a bit of clear plastic packaging material, similar to a canopy, then, after it's set, you can flex the plastic and the epoxy parts company allowing you to re-use the plastic to mix another batch of epoxy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Gates Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 +1 for silicone sealant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin McIntosh Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 You can use ca if you wish but it must be the foam friendly stuff which does not cause fogging. You also need to abrade the inside edges very carefully. The only `canopy glue` I tried was u/s. After it had set I wiped down with a slightly damp cloth and the canopy fell off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IDD15 Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 +1 Deluxe Materials RC Modellers glue. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Wright Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 Giving my hot glue a go on my current one, stays flexible, will see how it goes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Fry Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 1 hour ago, leccyflyer said: Pacer's Canopy Glue works a treat - I think it is essentially the same basic glue family as RC Modeller's Glue aka RC56, so any of those are great for the job. CA is a no-no, due to fogging. I've never tried, or thought to try, epoxy- if you think about it you can mix epoxy on a bit of clear plastic packaging material, similar to a canopy, then, after it's set, you can flex the plastic and the epoxy parts company allowing you to re-use the plastic to mix another batch of epoxy. Tight bottom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 The clue to the similarity in the various canopy glue forumlae and RC Modeller's glue is there in the numbering - if it has a 56 in it, then it's likely more or less the same stuff as RC Modeller's glue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Stephenson Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 4 hours ago, Steve_Wright said: Giving my hot glue a go on my current one, stays flexible, will see how it goes The glue will be so hot it could easily distort any vac-formed canopy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Wright Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 have a 2 heat setting gun, on the lower temp it caused no issues. I was worried it would start setting before I had the glue on the canopy but is lasted okay and seems to have stuck well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piers Acland Posted June 18, 2021 Author Share Posted June 18, 2021 Thanks Gents. More choice than I thought! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Cracknell Posted June 18, 2021 Share Posted June 18, 2021 Just as an aside is R/C Modellers Glue still made by De Luxe? I haven't seen it on the shelves for a while or is it now called something else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Stephenson Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 Robert, It's still on their website... R/C Modellers glue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Barclay Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 No problems with epoxy from pound shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Cracknell Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 Andy Thanks for that, what threw me was that my bottle (3 years old now) said nothing about 'canopy'.... I'll give it a try,,, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Stephenson Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 Robert, you'll find the clean-up is far easier than using epoxy and it doesn't yellow with age, although it does take a few days to set in a closed cockpit environment so keep it strapped down till it goes clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tosh McCaber Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 Ron, I thought that Gorilla glue expnded as it set? Would it not leave a large bead? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 Gorilla glue clear, not brown! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tosh McCaber Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 I didn't realise that clear is not polyurethane! What's it similar to- makeup? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 Sorry but I stopped using makeup a few years ago, so wouldn’t know! ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Stephenson Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 (edited) Gorilla clear seems to be a non-foaming polyurethane glue by the smell of it. A few years ago my first purchase of Gorilla glue was from a model shop and it was clear and foaming since then I have only found the brown foaming or the clear non-foaming kind. Is the clear foaming still available as I haven't seen it for years. Edited June 22, 2021 by Andy Stephenson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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