Mark Brown Posted October 28, 2007 Posted October 28, 2007 I picked up a bottle of this stuff quite some time ago, but I haven't ever gotten around to trying it. I noticed that the bottle warned that it expands, and that's kept me from experimenting. Can't think of a lot of applications in modeling where expanding cement would be useful. But I thought I'd ask and see if anyone has experience with it, and what, if anything, they've found it useful for. Does it really expand, and how much? What does it bond well with, and is it better for shear or compressive strength? Thanks!
Matt LeBlanc Posted October 28, 2007 Posted October 28, 2007 I have used it on other stuff(not models)and it does expand some. Matt
ubermodel Posted October 28, 2007 Posted October 28, 2007 I used it recently on a wooden cabinet door. Spread a very thin bead along a tongue-in-groove joint and sure enough, as they say on the bottle it foams and expands....the little I used seeped out a bit. The bottle says it can be used on non-porous surfaces like metal & glass, but also says you need to moisten one (or both) surfaces first....not quite sure how one would moisten glass. I don't think it would be good for gluing engine halves together, but it might work well for windshields - anyone try this?
dub Posted October 28, 2007 Posted October 28, 2007 I haven't used it either, but I do have a question about it too. What is the dried glue like? As in, can it be used to "grow" a part in casting? There was a thread in this area a little while ago about shrinking and growing parts using white glue. It would seem that this stuff would be ideal for growing parts. Is the texture of the dried glue workable?
Brendan Posted October 28, 2007 Posted October 28, 2007 I have used Gorilla glue quite a bit. The reason why it asks for moisture is that the moisture helps it react to harden more quickly. If you live in an area where there is a lot of moisture in the air, you do not need to put moisture on the surface. As for uses for casting, I would not suggest it. This stuff sticks to just about everything even if there is a releasing agent to it. (I have tried and failed several times.) Being a polyurethane glue, it bubbles up quite a bit. It would make it so you would have a lot of imperfections in the casting. I have gotten it on my skin before and it didn't come off for over a month. It's both a sheer and compressive strength glue. If you put it on two pieces, make sure you use clamps because it will push the pieces apart. My dad and I used this glue to put together his wooden drift boat. It is one of the few glues that is 100 per cent waterproof and is used mainly in wood construction. Hope this answers some of the questions.
Jantrix Posted October 28, 2007 Posted October 28, 2007 I've used Gorilla glue for wooden projects and it's quite good. However as it does expand and foam, I can't think of ANYTHING model related that it would be useful for. There are other better products out there.
Mark Brown Posted October 29, 2007 Author Posted October 29, 2007 (edited) Thanks for the info, gang.....I'm glad I asked. It does sound like it's got no good applications in model building, so I'll just use that 2 square inches of desk space for something else. If anyone ever does find a good way to "expand" resin parts, I'd sure love to hear it. I had a friend (used to be fairly well known in the resin industry) who said he'd found a technique, but he wasn't talking and I never did find out just how much it would expand stuff. What we really need is a way to CONTRACT parts......as in from 1:1 to 1:25!! Edited October 29, 2007 by Mark Brown
BigPoppa Posted October 30, 2007 Posted October 30, 2007 Thanks for the info, gang.....I'm glad I asked. It does sound like it's got no good applications in model building, so I'll just use that 2 square inches of desk space for something else. If anyone ever does find a good way to "expand" resin parts, I'd sure love to hear it. I had a friend (used to be fairly well known in the resin industry) who said he'd found a technique, but he wasn't talking and I never did find out just how much it would expand stuff. What we really need is a way to CONTRACT parts......as in from 1:1 to 1:25!! I heard that you can soak the mold in something that makes it expand. The problem is that there is no control on how much it will expand or if the whole thing wil expand evenly.
ubermodel Posted October 31, 2007 Posted October 31, 2007 What we really need is a way to CONTRACT parts......as in from 1:1 to 1:25!! I think that kind of contraction only takes place in neutron stars and black holes..... Regarding enlarging resin parts, check the last reply I made a few weeks back in that "shrinking parts" thread. I had some success heating the mold in an oven (as heat causes it to expand) and then casting a part before it cooled off). This worked okay with small molds/parts, not sure if it would work so well with larger ones. Plus it kinda ruined the mold after two or three tries.
Lee1 Posted November 8, 2007 Posted November 8, 2007 In wood applications it is a very strong glue. I have used other brands of it (polyurethane) to repair snapped off guitar headstocks. They hold up better than any other glue I have used except maybe epoxy. Epoxy is cool, but very messy and I think the polyurethane glue gets into the fibers of the wood better.
MrHernandez81 Posted November 21, 2008 Posted November 21, 2008 i've used goriila glue to put my glovebox door back on the '85 fleetwood and that thing is now stronger than new i believe, but as for use with models the only thing it may be useful for is simulating an overheated radiator
Pete J. Posted November 22, 2008 Posted November 22, 2008 I've used Gorilla glue for wooden projects and it's quite good. However as it does expand and foam, I can't think of ANYTHING model related that it would be useful for. There are other better products out there. I have been using Gorilla glue for some time in wood working and concur. There isn't anything in modeling that I can think of that would be useful. The reason for the expansion is to force the glue into the pores of the materials being glued. If you clamp the pieces, the force created by expansion is very strong. In porous material, it works very well. Problem is that it squeezes out the of the joint and is really a challenge to clean up. Nope, not worth a darned for modeling.
lonewolf01 Posted December 3, 2008 Posted December 3, 2008 I have been using Gorilla glue for some time in wood working and concur. There isn't anything in modeling that I can think of that would be useful. The reason for the expansion is to force the glue into the pores of the materials being glued. If you clamp the pieces, the force created by expansion is very strong. In porous material, it works very well. Problem is that it squeezes out the of the joint and is really a challenge to clean up. Nope, not worth a darned for modeling. i belong to another model club here in michigan and the president has used gorilla glue to hold window in place and they even used somehow to assemble tank tracks together they are still experimenting still for more uses
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