Hi all,
Quick question. Have you used Tenax for your modeling, and if so, how good is it? I've read somewhere that you apply it over the seam, when the two pieces are attached. How do you actually work with it? Does it require a long time for drying?
Thanks for your help.

Tenax works great. In fact it drys a little too fast. It sets pretty quickly, but the full cure takes longer. Overnight maybe.

Some tips for using Tenax.

Align your pieces and use bits of tape to help keep it there. Don't tape the whole joint, but, just in two or so spots.
Prepare the surfaces to be glued the same way you would any other. A pass or two with some sandpaper to give the surface and glue some tooth.
Use a genuine bristled brush. 100% Sable is prefered. Nylon bristles will react much the same as the joint you're gluing. It's a plastic glue. A Sable brush will shed the glue with a roll or two between your finger and thumb, a flick after that will do the trick.
Drying time is quick, hence my alignment/tape technique above. Do small areas until you are sure your joint is square.

Good luck and I hope I helped.
Cuhail

It works great, I use it 95% of my model building.

Joe

One other tip, do not leave the top off for an extended time, the stuff will evaporate almost before your eyes (and yes I learned this the hard way )

Mike

I use Tenax almost all the time, and think it's a great glue that makes a very strong plastic bond. Those of us raised on Testors Liquid Cement will undoubtedly remember the "apply glue with huge brush and stick the pieces together" method of model building. Thankfully, we've moved past that onto better adhesives, Tenax being one of them. All the application tips above are good ones.

Actually, I still use Testers Liquid Cement. I apply it sparingly with a small brush and use it to tack assemblies together. After a short drying period, I go back and apply Tenax to fully join the parts. This eliminates the need to tape things together and allows some time to align difficult pieces before gluing them together for good.

-YL

Thanks a lot guys for your help. I'll make sure I pick up a bottle at my next vist to the hobby shop. Happy modeling.

Another thing you might want to invest in is a "Touch and Flow" applicator. Basically a hollow glass tube with a hollow needle on the end. It works a lot better than using a brush and allows pinpoint application of where you want the solvent to go. I use one with my Tenax and also with Weld On #3 which is pretty much Tenax on steroids. You can see more about the TnF here Touch-n-Flow Hope this helps. "Q"

Does Ambroid Pro-Weld compare favorably with Tenax and can it be used in the same fashion?

FWIW, I still find Testors liquid cement very useful. Years of cultivating wicking and brushing skills with Testors liquid cement are hard to give up.

Yes you can use pro weld just like Tenax , apply it the same way with brush or the touch n flow .

Cool,

Just ordered a 'touch-n-flo' kit as well as some Pro-modeller washes to try from Sprue Brothers this afternoon.

Got my tax refund this week so I've been really stocking up on modelling supplies (and perhaps the odd kit to add to my stash!)

hi,
Weld-on #3 / #4 can be purchased in pint cans(less evaporation than glass) considerably cheaper than other brands at plastic supply houses. I then decant small amounts to glass bottles (old Testors bottles work well because of the square shape) when needed. Some places may require a signature if you appear real young due to the toluene. Which also speaks to using any solvent type glue/adhesive in a well ventilated area and away from tiny hands,plus any other safety measures necessary.
Hope this helps someone in these tough economic times.
jake

Hi All,

I actually bought the Tenax several months ago and have attempted to use it ever since. Ive tried applying it to the pieces before combining.....pieces combined.....brush......syringe.....the best result i have gotten was when i did not accidentally run my finger on a piece and cause all kinds of craziness......I've read the "Reading the Seams" thread with great interest but I just havent had any real luck with this stuff.

I plan on buying the touch n flow but if it doesnt work, the bottle will be thrown into a midnight bonfire while i get drunk and dance around naked singing "Momma said knock you out"!!!

Sorry for the bit of rage but I find a whole bunch of people prasing the stuff and i cant get it to glue one stinkin piece.....i will not give up.....at least not until tomorrow......lol

at least it doesnt glue your fingers together

Hey Cheese ! It took me time to get used to using it . With anything else it takes practice . It works great for some things , but not all like small parts . Murphy's tips in this thread are great . WE all have our methods on using this stuff ( what works best for me might not work for some one else ) Give it time and keep practicing with it , you will get the hang of it .

You might want to try Microscales glue called micro weld . You can use it like tenax or you can apply it to both surfaces to be joined . ( like testors liquid glue ) the bond is complete in ten minutes but like all other glues it will fully cure in about 24 hours .

And if you do decide to dance around a camp naked singing momma said you out !!! Can we get this one video tape ?

Uhhhhhhh....it seems i wont be throwing it into a bonfire........i still might dance around it naked (and drunk ) but without the extra fuel......depending on the amount of alcohol involved, this might be recorded.....ill keep you posted

So, i thought about this thread a little this morning and said to myself, "Self, lets take a deep breath and really try to see what will/wont work here".....I was in the almost complete stage of a LAV-AT build and needed to combine the upper and lower hull.....I gave it another shot and, lo and behold, it worked great.......then i got a little cocky and tried gluing a rear door and the stuff seeped through a crack where my finger was and left my thumbprint.....it was a bit of a pain but i got the print off......lesson learned, keep fingers completely away from any possible area where this stuff might be applied......i'm actually releived that it worked for me today......dont know if my luck will continue but ill keep trying.

Tenax also offers a construction kit that includes some really nifty mini brushes so you don't have to designate any paint brushes to do the dirty work. It also includes the glass tube with needle that Matt Q. was talking about. Tenax has an official dry time of 10 seconds.Their stock number is 101. It costs about $14 and is well worth it.

I use a metal drafting pen as an applicator. Couple bucks lasts forever. Actually, a drafting set like this for about $6 on E-bay is a great investment: aplicator and compass to measure and make regular marks in scractchbuilding/detailing.

I love Tenax - use it on everything - except PE. Only gripe - it drys too fast.

I have used it for years...almost excusively (minus the occasional plastruct weld for ABS plastic). One thing I did WAY long ago was take the cap from a used up bottle of Ambroid (which is also great stuff, but not as available where im at). the Cap with Ambroid (at least when i had it several years ago) had a aplicator brush in the cap, but the cap is the same size as what fits on the tenax bottle. You have to pull the brush out of the lid and cut it down a little, then ive just used my brush/cap combo all the time. Basicly the only time the Tenax is uncovered is when I am actullyusing the stuff, so very little evaparation or fumagation! Also the applicator brush holds enough of the liquid that I can get it where I need it without too much evaporating, plus enough that it will flow into cracks. I think many folks problem is not using a large enough aplicator.

Something else, sitck the bottle in a spray can lid. It fits perfect in the hole adn will keep you from knocking it over. I knocked over 2 or 3 bottles before doing something about it!

Also if your good, this stuff does work well for attaching canopys, if your VERY carefull and flow it just along the joint.

One other item. If your scratchbuilding, dont use it with very very thin sheet plastic. it will melt the stuff! Use something a litle less powerful, superglue, or use only the smallest amount.
However the same quaility can be used in your favor when filling seams, holes, ect. You can scab some plastic into the hole, flow in the tenax which softens the plastic, then keep adding some more plastic or smooth the softened plastic with more tenax. Takes practice, but there are situations that this is handy. Great for filling in weld troughs on older sherman kits!

I got word of the LHS that Tenax is no longer in production. Stock up while you can. I'm so glad I got 2 bottles in storage.

Wish i'd thought of that

Andy