Tamiya Thin Cement, Tenax, Pro-weld

[Janissary]

Hi, I have been using Tamiya thin cement to squeeze and bond parts together. The oozing plastic acts as filler, which is nice. However, I have not used Tenax or Pro-weld. Could you explain the differences of these two and the Tamiya thin cement? Are they all essentially the same or does one have advantages over the other ones? Thank you very much.

Edited October 28, 2010 by Janissary

[Bigasshammm]

I've used Tenax forever now and it does essentially the same thing. It instantly starts to melt the plastic thus filling in the gaps with a little bit of "squish" that is then easily sanded off. I've never used the Tamiya glue and I think I may have used Pro-weld before and if it's the stuff I'm thinking of I couldn't stand it. If correct Pro-weld doesn't have the reaction with the plastic as Tenax does so it takes longer to setup and is more difficult to keep pieces in position. At least from what I remember if in fact that was Pro-weld that I remember. Either way Tenax is great but it sounds like it does the same as the Tamiya so I would stick with what you're used to. One negative for Tenax is it seems to dry almost immediately so you have to put a decent amount on and then stick the parts together asap or put the pieces in place and then brush the glue over the seams or connection.

Hope that helps. Sounds like gibberish to me.

lol

Kris

[Patrick_Nevin]

  Janissary said:

Hi, I have been using Tamiya thin cement to squeeze and bond parts together. The oozing plastic acts as filler, which is nice. However, I have not used Tenax or Pro-weld. Could you explain the differences of these two and the Tamiya thin cement? Are they all essentially the same or does one have advantages over the other ones? Thank you very much.

Personally, Pro-weld, Plast-i-weld, Plastic Weld etc are slightly more aggressive on the plastic, a sight more volatile (i.e. getting them to the site starts meaning a touch-n-flow from pure necessity) and have a reputation for being harmful to health that makes me wear a breath mask when using them. All have uses, but the Tamya Extra Thin is pretty much of an all-rounder

Any use.

[Chuck1945]

Cant address Pro-Weld, I think I may have used it, but if so, it was several years ago.

For me the main difference between Tamiya Extra Thin and Tenax is that if you leave the lid off the Tenax overnight, it will have evaporated by morning. Tamiya doesnt. Stick with your Tamiya, and if you are using thin try the extra thin, it works even better imo.

Edited October 28, 2010 by Chuck1945

[balls47]

I have used Tenax for along time, with very good results. I recently bought a quart of Methyl Ethyl Ketone (M.E.K.) for around $4 or 5$ at Tractor Supply (TSC). One of the main ingredients of the liquid cements is M.E.K. It works great, just like the Tenax. I have never used Pro-Weld or the Tamiya liquid cement. The only other thin liquid cement I have tried is Microscale's Micro-Weld (non-toxic formula). The Microscale product didn't work as well, but it's probably because it was the non-toxic formula. It probably didn't contain the hotter stuff that is in the Tenax, Pro-Weld, etc. However, I will continue to use Microscale products, because I find them to be of high quality. One thing that I like about the Tenax and the straight up M.E.K. is that they evaporate quickly. If I get a small run of Tenax, I just let it dry well and there is normally no damage. The thing is to let it dry. Like a lot of products in our hobby, it can be hazardous to our health. Wear breathing protection.

If the Tamiya works for you and you are happy with it, stick with it (sorry, it just came out that way). Good Luck :)

[Old Blind Dog]

One of these day I am going to get around to trying the Tamiya Extra Thin. I never hear anything but good stuff about it.

In the meantime I've used Tenax and the Ambroid Pro Weld. Both work well, though I've found the Pro-Weld is a bit less hot and somewhat slower than the Tenax (in relative terms). You definitely don't want to spill either of them, especially if you've got bits and pieces of your latest project laying around the bench, and you sure as heck don't want to leave the caps off the bottles over night, unless you want to see $5 to $7 USD evaporate straight into thin air! :)

Interestingly, good ol', fairly cheap Testors Liquid Cement (in the glass bottle with the brush applicator) does about the same thing as the Tenax or the Pro-Weld, though it takes longer to set up. It has a pronounced odor of MEK to it.

I apply all three types with Microbrushes for greater precision.

cheers

Old Blind Dog

[Llarry]

I use Pro-weld, or Weld-ene or Bond-ene, and I don't particularly like Tenax. My experience with Tenax is that (compared to the others), I apply some, and nothing happens. And I apply some more, and nothing much happens. And I add a little more, and about this time it starts to kick in and now I've got some over-melt because I've used too much. In my hands it's slow starting, then overly hot. Not my ideal.

What I do with any of these is use a cap with a brush mounted in it. Some come with one, some don't, but they're all interchangable. When I get one with a brush, I take off the cap, give it a few seconds to dry, then cut the brush tip at an angle a little steeper than 45 degrees. This gives a nice point. When the bottle is empty, I keep the cap and brush and swap it in for the next brushless bottle I buy.

I ought to try the Tamiya some time. The FLHS carries it and Tenax, to get any of the others I have to go over to Roy's Train World.

[C-130CrewChief]

I have been using M.E.K for quite a long time now, and I find it to be no different from Tamiya, or Proweld. Works GREAT!

Curt

[Hawkeye's Hobbies]

My first choice!

[drwonga]

I absolutely love Tamiya Extra Thin Cement! It has completely changed the way I build models. And it also helps seal up seams if you glue stuff together right. It's strong, it's fast working, it comes in an awesome container, easy to use with the little brush...well worth it in my opinion. If you haven't tried it, you should!

[1idjak]

Is one able to use a syringe and needle to apply ProWeld, Tenax, Bond-ene, Weld-ene, M.E.K. or the like, without? If so, what gauge needle do you find works better? Does a person need to be a medical professional to purchase these as tools for use in modeling from on-line suppliers?

[Zotted]

Pretty sure you can buy needles regardless if your a medical professional or not.

[Air-Craft]

  1idjak said:

Is one able to use a syringe and needle to apply ProWeld, Tenax, Bond-ene, Weld-ene, M.E.K. or the like, without? If so, what gauge needle do you find works better? Does a person need to be a medical professional to purchase these as tools for use in modeling from on-line suppliers?

I don't imagine that any of the mentioned adhesives would do the plunger seal on a syringe any favors, I think the same would apply to the syringe body if plastic. The Touch N Flow applicator is your best bet for applying in that manner, it's a glass tube with a steel nozzle that uses capillary action to work - far easier than using a syringe.

[1idjak]

  Zotted said:

Pretty sure you can buy needles regardless if your a medical professional or not.

[1idjak]

  1idjak said:

Is one able to use a syringe and needle to apply ProWeld, Tenax, Bond-ene, Weld-ene, M.E.K. or the like, without? If so, what gauge needle do you find works better? Does a person need to be a medical professional to purchase these as tools for use in modeling from on-line suppliers?

Zotted,

Thanks for your response. Guess I could have checked before I asked.

Sorry for the previous post without comment. Newbie, don't you know.

[1idjak]

  Air-Craft said:

I don't imagine that any of the mentioned adhesives would do the plunger seal on a syringe any favors, I think the same would apply to the syringe body if plastic. The Touch N Flow applicator is your best bet for applying in that manner, it's a glass tube with a steel nozzle that uses capillary action to work - far easier than using a syringe.

Air-Craft,

Touch N Flow is a great tool.

However, I have a difficult time getting Touch N Flow to accept adhesive using ProWeld. Haven't discovered the trick in getting the capillary action to flow well from a small bottle of ProWeld into the Touch N Flow. ProWeld seems to be the correct consistency.

I have also attempted using Hawkeye's Hobbies preference (Weld-On 3) in both the Touch N Flow as well as a small bottle with needle type dispenser without much success as it evaporates far too quickly and is very very thin. The needle gauge is larger that that of the Touch N Flow and glue ends up in unintended places.

I suppose I need to find either a bottle with a smaller gauge needle for a thinner glue and/or a larger container of glue for the Touch N Flow. That or quite being so particular.

[silver1]

  1idjak said:

Is one able to use a syringe and needle to apply ProWeld, Tenax, Bond-ene, Weld-ene, M.E.K. or the like, without? If so, what gauge needle do you find works better? Does a person need to be a medical professional to purchase these as tools for use in modeling from on-line suppliers?

I would be worried about the tenax or whatever attacking the plastic body or rubber seal between the plunger and body of the syringe.

I tried to buy just the needle to the syringe before for gun barrels and such and was forced to buy the whole syringe assembly for the smaller gauges.

This device

is great for filling a touch-n-flow. Available at http://www.flex-i-file.com/adhesives.php

Edited November 3, 2010 by silver1

[1idjak]

  silver1 said:

I would be worried about the tenax or whatever attacking the plastic body or rubber seal between the plunger and body of the syringe.

I tried to buy just the needle to the syringe before for gun barrels and such and was forced to buy the whole syringe assembly for the smaller gauges.

This device

is great for filling a touch-n-flow. Available at http://www.flex-i-file.com/adhesives.php

Guess what I have ordered? Flex-I-File appreciates it too!

Thanks silver1, Air-Craft, and Zotted!!

[Air-Craft]

  1idjak said:

However, I have a difficult time getting Touch N Flow to accept adhesive using ProWeld. Haven't discovered the trick in getting the capillary action to flow well from a small bottle of ProWeld into the Touch N Flow.

As you more than likely know, the normal method is to put the inverted TnF into the Pro-Weld, put your finger over the tip, withdraw & turn over - if this isn't working for you, it's possible the TnF is blocked (possibly with hardened styrene), try blowing through the TnF into some water & see if you get any bubbles?

If it is blocked, leaving it tip down in the bottle of Pro-Weld may clear the blockage, but seal the top while doing so, otherwise your Pro-Weld will evaporate. Failing that, some heat may help clear the blockage, as will some fine copper wire strand.

[eizzle]

I always have trouble with my TnF just quitting on me... I will clean them out and take a fine wire to the needle, but they just seem to not work anymore. I use tenax, and I wonder if it doesnt degrade the stuff they use to seal the needle to the glass tube after awhile?

[FlyingSnowmew]

Tamiya's cements work well and give you a bit of time to play. Although I couldn't stand the fumes of Tamiya's liquid cements, and the jars never seemed to seal tight for me.

[balls47]

  1idjak said:

Is one able to use a syringe and needle to apply ProWeld, Tenax, Bond-ene, Weld-ene, M.E.K. or the like, without? If so, what gauge needle do you find works better? Does a person need to be a medical professional to purchase these as tools for use in modeling from on-line suppliers?

I find myself using the really small syringes that diabetics use for insulin more frequently. With the cement being the consistency of water, they work great. The syringe is marked, "U-100 Insulin Single Use Only." I have a friend that is a diabetic, so I have a limitless supply. The needle has an orange cover, and I keep the needle covered unless I am using it. The needle is very fine and you could jab yourself very easily. They can also be used for pitot tubes, etc.

As far as purchasing the syringes, I checked with my local pharmacist. He said that I could buy the needle part only in specific lengths, like 1 foot, 3 feet, etc. I would just have to cut them to the size I need. He said to buy non-sterile needle tubing because it would be cheaper. You don't need to be a medical professional to buy it. Hope this helps.

Edited November 10, 2010 by balls47

[C-130CrewChief]

I bought a bottle of Tamiya extra thin years ago and re-fill it with MEK. The fine brush is good to go even years later. The best thing about using MEK... If you leave the lid off on accident, it only costs cents.... NOT DOLLARS!!!

[STL MODELER]

So wich product works best with the touch n flow?

[Air-Craft]

  STL MODELER said:

So wich product works best with the touch n flow?

Ambroid Pro-Weld, Flexi-I-File's Plasti-I-Weld & Micro Mark's Same Stuff all work well.