What actually are the use of these 2 items? They are both used as adhesive. Now, what are their differences? Which do you prefer?

CA glue is very fast (the longest cure time is about 30 secs) and adhesion is not necessarily done melting the plastic as per the cement who takes the time for the melted plastic to cure (from minutes to hours). CA is mostly used to glue together different materials like PE/copper/brass to plastic and it's almost indespensable when you work with resin parts. Cement works fine on various kinds of styrene...
Ciao

Hi, I am getting more and more inclined to go with the liquid plastic glue over the tube stuff all the time. As if any of it tends to get out on areas that you don't want it on (and I'm notorious for this), at least it's doesn't leave a 'blob', so to speak, like the tube glues do. But I think that the tube glue gives a better bonding effect. At least that's been my experience so far.

I use the super glue for, of course, PE, resin, and any bonding of other types of matierals to the plastic. Also as a filler with that super hardener out that goes with it. I find this to be the best for filling in areas that are too big or deep for the Green Stuff or other types of plastic fillers to work well. But it's a constant reminder that super glue has no sheer strength to it and so this means a person has to be real careful when weathering a vehicle, as these little bitty pieces have a real bad tendency to 'pop' off if they are hit too hard or just once too many times.

I think it's mainly just a matter of personal preference for the individual modeler as to which one they prefer to work with. We're all different ,and different things work better for one person and not so well for another.

Take care, sgirty

I use the Testors liquid cement in the glass bottle for larger parts where I want "weld" the plastic together. The bulk of basic assembly, I guess. I also use it on parts that I may have to scoot around a little to get in the correct position.
I use CA for fragile, small, plastic parts that need a good bond and I don't want to wait forever for them to set. Also use the CA for PE, etc.

Shaun

I generally use whatever cement is available for about 95% of the general construction of my models. The nice thing about using cement is that you can move the piece that you are gluing around for a few minutes. (I usually use either Testor's or Tamiya but I have recently been trying out the Humbrol Poly Precision Cement.) For those pieces that just don't want to stay in place or that are very slightly warped, I will use CA. I also use the CA for any PE or metal pieces that are being used.

One thing that I hate using is the cement that comes in a tube. I'm sure it has it's uses, but I really hate the "hairs" or "strings" that always seem to show up.

For plastic I use a "homebrew" of Testors liquid and tube glue. This is pretty much the same as the Tamiya thin bottled glue. I have been using this mix for over 25 years.

I use revell contacta glue with the applicator i also use liquid glue for texturing surfaces with,
oh and i use super glue to stick my fingers together with

i use th red label testors liquid cement..and dropped the tube stuff..Also dont try the "Blue" label..does not set as fast..but is as strong when dry..

They are both indespensible to me. I use CA when 2 different material are being joined, resin, PE, styrene. I also use CA if it's a tricky assembly step and I want it to hold quickly. I follow that up by flowing liquid cement into the joint to ensure a strong bond after it can hold itself together. I use liquid cement whenever I am joining styrene to styrene and won't have trouble holding it until it sets good.

The main difference is that plastic cement is a solvent which actually melts the base material, whereas CA is an adhesive which which forms a layer between the two sufaces and sticks to both of them. Hence it is easy to break a CA joint, as it is purely the integrity of the glue to material adhesion that is holding it together.

In fact if you look at a part that has been CA glued and then 'fell off', you will often find that there is more glue on it, or the surface it came off, because the failure is not of the adhesive but of the interface with one of the materials being joined. (Geez I could have explained that better - sometimes I think I must have Irish ancestry!). Styrene is not a good material for CA adhesion and you will often find a metal detail will pull away complete with glue, leaving a clean surface on the plastic.

A well done cement job should be virtually impossible to break as the base plastic has melted in to one mass, much like welding metal.

Of course its horses for courses. Styrene cement can only be used for styrene because it has to melt the material to work. CA will work on most non porous materials. I often tack styrene parts in place with CA then apply cement for the permanent fit.

Regards Dave

Super glue serves to bind parts together. Cement (tube or liquid) melts the plastic to allow "welding"

If you ask me, keep both in your tool kit. There will be instances where you cannot use one on a particular job. Like super glue, for instance. You can't use it to cement clear parts (esp. canopies) or else it will frost and it will be quite tedious removing it. Super glue come in small tubes so you may wanna use it sparingly. For most cementing jobs, cement comes in handy. Savvy modelers prefer using liquid cement. I rarely use tube cement unless I need something thick to hold parts that do not lock or seat well. Sometimes, liquid cement won't keep a part in place.

Of course, do be careful using super glue, get some on your hands and you better start looking for acetone (the antidote for super glue if you do not have the appropriate remover).

Another use for super glue is it can be another type of filler for gaps and those depressions on the parts. Whatever you o, do not use cement as filler or it will melt the plastic.