Hello , Long time veiwer , first time poster . I have begun Scratchbuilding Foam planes from $tree Board and i am just now getting the hang of working with this stuff .

Last Night I used Gorilla Glue for the first time ever . Before everything was Hot Glued and that was getting to heavy . i was using 5-6 sticks of hot glue for light planes . so i wanted a stronger lighter glue . and this is why i picked gorilla glue .


I tried this glue for the first time last night on my 30" Sbach . I cut the tip off the glue top as small as it would allow . and when it came out it was a MESS ! a Huge chucky stream of glue came out and absorbed into the foam and spread out like oil . here is what it looks like today ...



So my question how do you pro's use this glue and apply a thin perfect bead of glue to the seam of a foam joiint ?

apply gorilla glue
scrape with a cc card or similar
spray a mist of water
wait a minute or two and the join
wipe away excess
tape the seams
when dry remove the tape.

There is something very wrong my friend. First off I have build many planes using GG. I have never had to cut the end off... there is a factory cut hole in the tip and I have never had it ever pore out and make a mess I have always had to squeeze it out. I have never experienced it soaking in to the foam like oil. I strongly suspect you are either not using GG or you are using GG version of super glue which is not recommended for building with foam or at least I haven't heard anyone talking about it.

Originally Posted by bombardierJay

Hello , Long time veiwer , first time poster . I have begun Scratchbuilding Foam planes from $tree Board and i am just now getting the hang of working with this stuff .

Last Night I used Gorilla Glue for the first time ever . Before everything was Hot Glued and that was getting to heavy . i was using 5-6 sticks of hot glue for light planes . so i wanted a stronger lighter glue . and this is why i picked gorilla glue .


I tried this glue for the first time last night on my 30" Sbach . I cut the tip off the glue top as small as it would allow . and when it came out it was a MESS ! a Huge chucky stream of glue came out and absorbed into the foam and spread out like oil . here is what it looks like today ...



So my question how do you pro's use this glue and apply a thin perfect bead of glue to the seam of a foam joiint ?

Originally Posted by larryross

There is something very wrong my friend. First off I have build many planes using GG. I have never had to cut the end off... there is a factory cut hole in the tip and I have never had it ever pore out and make a mess I have always had to squeeze it out. I have never experienced it soaking in to the foam like oil. I strongly suspect you are either not using GG or you are using GG version of super glue which is not recommended for building with foam or at least I haven't heard anyone talking about it.

well heres a pic of the glue and tip cut ...



well i think i know why it spread like " OIL " this plane iam building i ran out of $tree foam board and had to buy some of that ELMERS foam board . and it still had that TISSUE paper stuff left on it after i riped two layers of paper off ( i hate this stuff "elmers foam board " never again will i buy it ) and the tissue paper is what absorbed the CG and was a Vessal for the CG to spread out like a wild fire ...

From your picture it looks like GG to me. All GG/PU glue wants to foam up making it wet makes it foam more. If you have high humitity you can get by without using any water. As mentioned in post #2 if my joint is going to be where it is visable I also put tape over the joint. I use a good masking tape or 2" packaging tape.

Provided the tape has a good strong holding glue on it it will seal to the surface of the foam. That will stop the glue from foaming on the outside of the glue joint. Also the GG expands as it dries use it somewhat sparingly.

Try testing it on some scrap foam. Use the tape over the joint; slightly dampen it on one sample. On another sample try it without damping it, and see which way works best. it generally takes about 1 to 2 hours for it start setting up good, but it can still expand up to 4 to 6 hours from my experences with it.


A little trick I have learned is you can use it on CA hinges and put them directly into the foam. The glue hold great to the foam; only use a very light coat. If need be wipe some of the glue off it only takes a very small amount / it does expand as it dries.

Originally Posted by scousethief

apply gorilla glue
scrape with a cc card or similar
spray a mist of water
wait a minute or two and the join
wipe away excess
tape the seams
when dry remove the tape.

thanks i will give this a shot , sounds like this is the way to do it .

Use as little GG as possible, and wipe off any excess as it comes out of the joint.
I personally prefer the white GG, as it's not as ugly if a little gets where you don't want it.

i bought some GG White wood Glue. i tought it was this GG white glue evryones talking about . but i just read its the same as regular yellow gg just dries faster and stronger ?

so what do i do with is GG white WOOD glue ? does it have any use with foam ?

Dries faster but not stronger
the original formula has been tweaked to dry faster but the white works really god also

it don]t take much because of the expansion when it is activated with water

The wood glue is not all that good for foam but great for balsa and card modeling.

Originally Posted by RogueTitan

Dries faster but not stronger
the original formula has been tweaked to dry faster but the white works really god also

it don]t take much because of the expansion when it is activated with water

The wood glue is not all that good for foam but great for balsa and card modeling.

Then i will stick with this yellow GG , when its gone I might try the GG White .

Yep now i have a gaint bottle of wood glue . guess i will try making some basswood engine mounts with it then ....

My standard rule of thumb is, If you think you used just enough GG, you used too much! Good advice on spreading it thin before joining. Also, I lay whatever I'm gluing on wax paper. Helps keep any seepage from sticking to the build table. Also, get the GG "Precision Pen" bottle. Has the white glue in it, a longer,thinner nozzle and smaller outlet hole. You can refill it from the larger bottles to save money.

another thing about GG is if it is stored for long periods of time it will cure in the bottle it is best stored in a zip lock bag with the air sucked out of it
keep the bottle upright and the cap on when not using it because exposure to air will start the curing process especially in humid climates.

Originally Posted by EZglider

My standard rule of thumb is, If you think you used just enough GG, you used too much! Good advice on spreading it thin before joining. Also, I lay whatever I'm gluing on wax paper. Helps keep any seepage from sticking to the build table. Also, get the GG "Precision Pen" bottle. Has the white glue in it, a longer,thinner nozzle and smaller outlet hole. You can refill it from the larger bottles to save money.

+1
Using the small bottle is a great idea!

I have used only the dark GG. Here are a few tips. When used on wood you can control the excess foaming buy wiping it with a Q-tip dipped in acetone. Don't try this on foam

On foam you can use rubbing alcohol on the Q-tip to help wipe away the excess glue while it's still foaming. Not as good as acetone but you'll still have the plane afterwards. Do it several times as it continues to foam.

Another thing I have tried is to mix a small amount of glue and a drop of water on some wax paper. Keep mixing until it is foaming and then wipe it on the parts to be joined. You'll have a few minutes to use it but it sets up real quick after this. This is good for doing repairs. Again this can be wiped with alcohol to eliminate some of the foaming.

Batman: I like the idea of mixing it until it foams for quicker drying. I'll have to give that a try.