Best glue for miniatures and bases

[Wickedcool]

Not sure where to post thing. Strongest/best glue for plastic to plastic especially miniature to base?

[Brophy]

It depends on the type of plastic that the miniature is. If you're talking about wizkids minis, I go with Gorilla Glue Gel. If you're talking about Sprue miniatures(HIPS plastics), than Tamia Extra thin Cement

[Guyra]

Depends on the plastic. If we're talking about HIPS(like Warhammer, Renedra, Dungeons & Lasers, any airplane plastic kit manufacturer, etc.), use model plastic glue(AKA plastic cement). This is a specific type of glue that basically melts the plastic and welds pieces together. And it can be found in basically any hobby shop.

For most other minis, I'd suggest using good, old super glue, AKA cyanoacrylate. There are literally thousands of brands, and most will work fine. Generally, if the packaging says "Super Glue", you should be fine. I personally avoid the gel versions, but that's mainly personal preference.

[ad_hoc]

I've had bad experiences with some super glues because the bottle wasn't well designed and it sealed up.

I have been having good luck with gorilla glue.

[berk the black]

I’ve always used locktite super glue and it has worked well for me. It sets quickly (less than 30 seconds) and seems to work well even when the base and mini are painted. But, I’ve only been dealing with Wizkids minis and bases. So probably always the same type of material.

The Locktite nozzle can seal itself shut if you leave the bottle open for a long length of time (in my case when I forget to put the lid back on when I’m done glueing and go back to separating minis from their bases and painting the bases), but the glue crust can actually be scraped off without damaging the nozzle.

[KingOfVrock]

I've had pretty good luck with any super glue when putting pieces together that have popped off (so I'm just gluing together some interlocking pieces like an arm into a slot, or feet with holes onto some pegs on the base).

However, when pieces break and I'm trying to say, stick the top of a staff back on, I haven't found a good solution for that to hold it in place while the glue can dry. Does anyone have any tips there?

[Wickedcool]

Glue to base. I’ve been gluing Heroclix (npc for d&d etc)to bases that wizkids makes and I’ve noticed that they come off very easily

[berk the black]

Gluing flat surfaces to a flat base is always a bit problematic. That’s one of the reasons I pull of the original base, paint it then reattach it when doing my clear base conversions. That way the pips and divots that help strengthen the bond of mini to base are maintained.

When I took the Sand and Stone Androsphinx and rebased it on a proper large base, I was fortunate in the the mini’s feet had pips on them. That allowed me to drill holes in a smooth large base that helped seat the miniature much more permanently. If it had been the other way around, divots in the bottoms of the feet, that would have been a much more difficult conversion.

[Cusm]

I've had pretty good luck with any super glue when putting pieces together that have popped off (so I'm just gluing together some interlocking pieces like an arm into a slot, or feet with holes onto some pegs on the base).

However, when pieces break and I'm trying to say, stick the top of a staff back on, I haven't found a good solution for that to hold it in place while the glue can dry. Does anyone have any tips there?

I use a CA accelerant when I need an instant bond. It is a spray bottle but I found using the tube at the bottom allows me to dab a drop on the exact spot.

[Imbalance]

I've been partial to brush on Gorilla Glue for a long time. Stuff has a shelf life, though.

[Yack]

I use contact cement ..the most and sometimes gorilla glue.

[Mattnuke]

I’ve been using Loctite liquid for years. It’s hard to beat!

[Tilt]

I use super glue.

But, as Berk mentioned flat to flat is bad and it will break.

When gluing you need to "pin" the two parts in some way. Post into hole will work. I use a cut piece of paperclip as the pin and drill holes in each piece and glue the parts together with the "pin" inside.

GW modelers use pinning a bunch and there are many tutorials about doing it.

[Mattnuke]

If you want a really really strong bond, use baking soda as a catalyst to activate your superglue. It will bond almost instantly and will cure rock hard.

It can cause clouding on clear parts, you need to be careful how much you add so you don’t have a lump of hard glue on your mini, it will produce heat, and you should probably do it in a well ventilated area.

Outside of that it’s amazing how well it works, even on weird angled joints or flat surfaces.

Another hint for flat surfaces is to score the two parts you’re bonding and then scuff them up with a file/sand paper.

I really hate pinning, so I’ve become pretty proficient with the two tricks above.

It’s also nice that it seems like the specific polymer material that WizKids makes these out of reacts well with CA glue (superglue), allowing it to ‘weld’ the top layers of plastic together. I rarely find my joints breaking off.

[KingOfVrock]

guess i'll be picking up some baking soda and safety glasses at the store