I have a “woodburning” LGB Mogul that took a tumble when checking new track at a friend’s.
In the tumble the smokestack was broken. I know this was discussed before but what glue did you use on the LGB? I have tried three so far and nothing works!
Thanks
Doug Arnold said:I've used MEK for gluing LGB plastic, but beware, never use it indoors, always wear a respirator,gloves, and eye protection. Its pretty nasty stuff.
I have a "woodburning" LGB Mogul that took a tumble when checking new track at a friend's. In the tumble the smokestack was broken. I know this was discussed before but what glue did you use on the LGB? I have tried three so far and nothing works! Thanks
Oh the things we do for our hobby.
Thanks for the warning! After I glue it I will need to do a little bodywork. What do you use for body filler?
I use the red body filler that you find in the automotive section of places like K-mart. Its a big tube, about the same consistency as Miliput, and 10x cheaper. Sands nice, too.
Nothing wrong with MEK or MEK peroxide, I have been using it for years and it hasn’t effected me, me, me, me, me. Actualy if you are going to use MEK (or MEKp) apply it with a eyedropper (glass not plastic) or use the “toothpick drop” method, because a little mistake can destroy a lot of hard work.
Would the MEK based Universal Cement found in home improvement stores (for various plastic pipes) be a good alternative to liquid MEK? These cements are fairly thick and can be applied with a brush. I’ve used it with good results on plastic automotive lenses where styrene cement did nothing. Never tried it on model plastic, but I bought an LGB flatcar at ECLSTS to cut up and widen to 1:20.3 SG. I was hoping the cement I have on-hand will work.
JR
The best form of MEK to apply is as fine a liquid as you can , it "wicks "into cracks , and evaporates quickly without damaging the adjacent surfaces . The stuff sold with the Plastruct is damn good , too .
One of the tricks with MEK (I’ve been using it for ages-we used to clean Torpedo Homing Heads with it ) is to use a very fine brush to apply it , just touching the tip of the brush to the joint . The MEK is whisked off by capillary action , just where you want it .It is super for putting windscreens in . You just touch the tip of a brush–not heavilty dripping --to the junction of the windscreen and surround , and the MEK goes shooting round like magic . And that is all you need . If you gently blow on it (don’t suck) it evaporates away from the surrounding surface , should you have overdone it . It leaves a slightly matt finish behind , and if left to dry , you won’t see the damamge . I have not used solid cement for ages , in fact , I went to use some the other day and all my tubes had dried up , so I mixed a bit with MEK and plastic filings . I needed to gap-fill a joint .
MEK dries very quickly , and if you should try it , practice on a couple of bits of plastic . You may be pleasantly surprised . Tweezers can be useful to stop you spoiling the joint with big fingers .
Mike M
ps those of you from another place may remember my RhB Flower Carriage which had been smashed badly in a fall onto concrete from 6 feet or so , the plastic body (LGB) shattered and split , and was invisibly repaired using the above technique .
The House of Lords ?
Pah!!!
You can only mend that from the inside with copious bribes … er , hum , sorry , loans .
Mike M --who incidentally believes in heredity peerages .
Take the barrel of an old plastic ball point pen…cut aproximately a two inch length of it…then cut an 1/8 slice out from the entire length of the cut off piece…put the smoke unit wire thru the slit that you cut…then squeeze the cut pen barrel and insert half of it inside the bottom of the broken stack…align the stack on the boiler and push the rest of the tube into the loco boiler until the smoke stack is flush with the boiler…It holds very well.
Note: If you squeeze the tube and it will not go into the stack or boiler a wider gap down the length of the ball point pen barrel is necessary.
The Lone Railroader