I just got started modeling again after a very long time. A couple basic questions:
1. What is the best technique to use to cement very small parts together? I purchased a liquid plastic cement with the metal precision applicator (which is nice), but even that dispenses too much glue for some of the tiny pieces that need glue applied to a spot about the size of a large pin head..How do I do this?

2. How do you remove excess glue from the model when you mess up or smear glue by accident on the surface of the model?

Thank you!

I place a drop of glue on some tinfoil and then touch the part to the glue while holding it with tweezers.

As for removing glue that really depends on what method the glue uses for adhering the parts together. If it melts the plastic resulting in a welded joint removing is near on impossible to do cleanly unless the glue has been applied to a painted part. if the plastic has paint on it then the glue does not always get to melt the plastic, this results in the ability to remove the glue with a gentle scrap in some cases. Only other option I can suggest is to hide the problem with some stowage depending on where it is.

Thank you.

My 0.02...

Removal of spilt or mis-placed "glue" depends a lot on the type of "glue" you are using as well as on the how-much and where.

Most plastic "glue" contain solvents which eat the plastic to "weld" the join together. Generally-speaking, the thicker the glue, the more BULK it can add to a join or onto a slopped-on surface. Thick stuff can also hang around and work on plastic longer, as it dries slower than do most very thin "glues"- but the thick stuff does not usually spread rapidly around (unless you push it around...). The thin types -essentially pure solvents- evaporate fast and have less time to work, but also can flow rapidly around and over your project. There is a wide range of intermediately-thick products available, with intermediate abilities to hang out, eat plastic, spread around, etc..

Because plastic "glues" are typically solvents, I don't use them except with great care and caution around things like airplane canopies... as removing spills and mars from those is not easy.

As to CA; "super glues" are a different thing entirely.

As your question is about "removing spilt glue"...

I typically use the very thin plastic cements and rely mostly on "capillary action"; position two parts together in place, and allow a small amount of cement to suck into the desired join. Sometimes, there IS some overflow and some of this thin cement runs out onto the nearby surfaces. Generally, it does NOT add any bulk to the join nor to the slopped-on surfaces.

As it is a solvent, it will mar or eat the plastic; as it is thin, it will evaporate fast. I let it dry COMPLETELY, then simply scrape or sand off the surface-marring with a 11 blade and touch up with sanding medium if needed. Restores the slopped area to original smoothness in most cases! Leaves the build looking pretty tidy. If the marring is really bad- it's Mr. Surfacer - and sanding - time.

The CA glues are NOT styrene solvents and don't eat the plastic, but DO bond to plastic surfaces. CA adds BULK to spilt-on surfaces. Spilt CA forms somewhat "crystalline" layers or blobs which can be scraped off pretty easily with a knife, once completely dry.

My "axiom" on spilling glue of all sorts is to AVOID TOUCHING IT until it dries completely. Easier to remove a small hard blob or mar than a deeper finger-print scar or smear!

Cheers, and Good Luck! Bob

liquid glue use paint brush, better yet get the tamiya extra thin liquid glue

For application of CA I use some home made applicators that work great. First, take a short, maybe 6 inch dowel rod and drill a small hole in one end. Then take a sewing needle and carefully clip off the end of the eye with a wire cutter. This leaves a small U shaped tip which will hold the CA. File the ends smooth and even, then fill the hole in the dowel rod with epoxy and insert the pointed end of the needle, leaving the majority of the length of the needle exposed. It won't be bearing any real pressure, so you don't need to seat it very deeply and the epoxy will hold it firmly. You then have a nice, inexpensive precision CA applicator. Make a selection of these (I have 4) in various sizes for different amounts of CA. The U shaped applicator tip will hold a drop of CA, how much depending on the size of the needle. Pour out a little puddle of CA on the surface of your choice, I use a plastic Cool Whip lid, and dip the needle into it. Apply to area on the model needing the CA. Works like a charm, cheap, easy to make and you can make as many in as many different sizes as you like for next to nothing. I also keep a small stainless steel cup I got from a kitchen supply store handy with some acetone in it and dip the needle in it between applications, drying it off with a paper towel. Keeps the CA from building up on it.
Only one suggestion - don't raid the wife/girlfriend's sewing kit for the needles without permission!
Hope this helps.

Bob

I am saving this info,thanks guys

I use tamiya's micro-scale brushes to apply small amounts of glue. Although, I will definitely have to try the needle and dowel idea out.

Check out my video on using the Touch N Flow applicator.

http://hawkeyes-squawkbox.com/videos/scale-modeling-video-tutorials-2/