Insta-Cure™ has a water-thin viscosity that wicks deep into joints by capillary action and cures in a matter of a few seconds. Surfaces to be bonded must be tight fitting and should be held together while you apply the CA around the edges of the seam. At the moment CAs cure, they give off a vapour that can irritate the nose and eyes, so be prepared. Thin CAs work very well on balsa since they penetrate into the wood and form more than just a surface bond.
Insta-Cure+™ is a higher viscosity CA for loose fitting joints in which the adhesive must bridge gaps. Normally, the thicker CA is applied to one surface and then the parts are held tightly together for about 5 to 15 seconds. For large surface areas, including those with close fitting joints such as laminations, INSTA-CURE+ ™ should also be used. To prevent premature curing, don’t spread the glue into a thin film. Lay down a serpentine bead with about 1" separations on one surface, then assemble the parts, letting the pressure spread the CA out.
Maxi-Cure™ extra thick CA is the best CA for most plastics, including GE’s Lexan MAXI-CURE™ is the best choice for plastic model assembly. When used with INSTA-SET™, it works better than any putty for modifying or filling voids. It can be carved with a knife or razor blade and sanded and feathered to form a finish indistinguishable from plastic. MAXI-CURE™ bonds fibreglass, hardwood, metal and rubber better than any other hobby adhesive. For gluing to the inside, cloth textured surface of fibreglass, scrape the area to be bonded with a razor blade or coarse sandpaper before using MAXI-CURE™ or any other adhesive. It also is best for bonding the tires for R/C cars. MAXI-CURE™ has proven to be very popular in the archery business for the fletching of vanes onto aluminum and carbon arrow shafts. Along with being the strongest, MAXI-CURE™ is usually the least expensive option for this application.
UN-CURE™ debonder will soften cured CA. If parts are bonded incorrectly or your fingers are stuck together, a few drops of UN-CURE™ will dissolve the CA in about a minute. Apply on bonded skin and roll apart fingers. Once stuck, use acetone to clean off softened CA, then wash off with soap and water. Since cured CA is essentially acrylic plastic, anything that will dissolve CA will also soften most plastics. Care must be used, therefore, when using Un-Cure on plastics. Separating plastics parts with a razor saw is usually the best option.
IC-Gel: IC-GEL™ is a cyanoacrylate paste that is extremely thick which comes in an applicator tube like toothpaste. It has the same bonding and curing time characteristics as MAXI-CURE™. IC-GEL™, however, can be applied to a vertical surface and will stay in place. It will not run. This can be very convenient for some assembly applications. Applying CA to the bottom of a horizontal surface, such as a ceiling, can be very difficult with anything other than a full standard CA bottle. IC-GEL™ can be applied at any angle with just a squeeze of the tube. The gel does, however, have a tendency to continue to come out of the tube for about a second after pressure is released, so this must be taken into account to apply the exact amount of IC-GEL™ that you want.
IC-GEL™ is an excellent putty for plastic models. It will fill any void and can be formed to many shapes. Applying INSTA-SET™ allows IC-GEL™ to be sanded or filed to final shape in less than 20 seconds. Autobody repairmen have finished their jobs in a fraction of the time by using IC-GEL™ with the additional advantage over normal body putties of superior bonding to metal surfaces
Plastic-Cure™ is a gap-filling formulation of CA that works best on plastics. It is packaged in a bottle with a brush built into its top, which in many cases is an easier way to apply the CA. As long as the brush is put back into the bottle after use, the bristles of the brush will not harden. Care must be taken, however, not to introduce foreign material into the bottle. The brush should not be used, for example, to apply CA to wood that has been freshly sanded. Plastic-Cure will also bond wood, but its brush applicator at times will not be the best way to apply it. Plastic-Cure is superior for the application of false nails and wraps on fingernails, where its brush is the preferred method of application.
