Glue for Piko buildings.

stockers

stockers

Trains, aircraft, models, walking, beer, travel
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i was the proud recipient of a Piko Rosenbach station building for Christmas.
Now, I have heard that the glue supplied is both insufficient and not the best.
So what is the best?

Super glue works well on resin but not sure about this very rigid, smooth plastic.
The supplied glue reminds me of Uhu!
I seem to remember that plumbers pipe cement has been recommended - does it actually melt the surface of the plastic?
I expect that two pack epoxy will be pretty good but that's slow and messy.
Builders grab adhesive wont soak into the smooth plastic so i cant see that being very good long term.
Silicone might work. I use it inside pre-glued corners of resin with success but as a main fixer - not at all sure.

Any ideas or experiences?
 
Pipe adhesive is like a more potent plastic kit cement. Easy enough to try it on an unimportant piece to see if it melts the surface. If it does it should do the job.
 
I used plastic cement for mine
 
The normal plastic glue such as the stuff supplied with Piko kits doesn't seem to last when used outdoors. I now use plumbers glue. It's a bit messy if you use the brush supplied but seems to be more durable outdoors.
 
I used Bison hard plastic glue. I have used this glue on my outdoor buildings 12 years ago and all is OK. :) :) :)
 
A good polystyrene adhesive for placing the walls together and then exterior grab adhesive (the solvent based one from B&Q) run up the inside of the corners, across joins etc of lthe arger more structural pieces.
For the details, waterproof superglue or 'Serious Glue'

My buildings have been out continually for nigh on eight years, surviving all weathers and animal incursions with just a few pieces of detail breaking off (due to me knocking them heavily when sorting out track etc.)
 
stockers said:
The supplied glue reminds me of Uhu!
Click to expand...
I have actually found Uhu to be pretty good, though I do use Araldite for some bits where the area of contact is only small. I most definitely will never use the supplied glazing material again though, as it gets blown in by the wind and now prefer 2mm clear PVC, with a wider outer margin to increase the glued surface.
 
Don't forget to sand all the "mating" surfaces to remove the weathering (paint) from there otherwise the adhesive/solvents won't bond the plastic properly. That's usually why people think regular styrene glues/solvents don't work. Bit like forgetting to thoroughly clean metals prior to soldering. Max.
 
Have Piko changed the type of adhesive they supply I wonder, because I have found the stuff they supplied with the kits I assembled about 12 years ago to be very effective. I have three of their buildings, including the big and heavy gravel works. I used the glue supplied with no additional reinforcement and they have survived 4 years in the extreme temperatures of my loft followed by 8 years outside in the garden in all weathers. The only damage in that time was when the gravel works blew over in a storm and the roof ridge separated.
 
Many thanks guys. A decision has been made.
I am going to use the supplied glue (which is actually branded UHU) for all the assembly. Then I will carefully flood all joints, big and small, with industrial super glue. The inside of all structural joints will then have a bead of silicone or grab adhesive run along them.
DSC05842 (Small).JPG
 
We will see if it lasts! :-\
 
I love the Piko kits , easy to complete, and look great,, the UHU glue supplied is fine but there isn't really enough in the box to complete the kit. I use the Pola glue which comes in a 45ml tube where as the UHU ones I believe are only around 5ml. Several of my Piko kits have been outside for over 5 years and the UHU / Pola glue has stuck to the task ;D
 
I have had numerous buildings outdoors now for many years. The ones that have deteriorated (trim parts fall off) are preassembled models. The trim was applied by the manufacturer with a superglue. Now one should look at the origins of superglue. It was designed as a water soluble wound treatment. The idea was that moisture would dissolve the glue over a period of several weeks. I would not use superglue for any outdoor environment.

My preferred glue outdoors is Revell Contact Professional. For 'structural' joins such as the assembly of building main pieces, the solvent glue is reinforced with a bead of silicone sealant at each join. The solvent glue offers no shock resistance. The silicone sealant bead reinforces the join giving a degree of flexibility to the structure. My main buildings made from kits (Piko) have been outdoors now over ten years with no structural deterioration.
 
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