Build adhesives?

[kwiktsi]

OK, I'm sure times have changed since I started in this hobby. It used to be pretty much Epoxy for everything, but I am wondering with all the advancements in adhesives, if there is something better. I know the downside of epoxy is it can be brittle and things can break free if flexed. I see a lot of RTR's using some goop that is firm but has some flex to it for stuff like stuff tubes and such. What is it? Are there various "preferred" adhesives for things like stuff tubes, motor mounts, servo mounts, etc.? I will be building a FC daytona shortly and was wondering what I should be using by today's standards.

Also, if I decide to CF the inside- where should I get the mat and what epoxy should I use?

[Rocstar]

Great stuff, easy 1:1 mix ratio...all I use for motor mounts and such.

http://www.westsystem.com/ss/west-system-launches-g-flex-epoxy/

[MrEvoMan]

JB Weld is always a good alternative for high strength applications - I also really really like their Quik Weld - stuff sets up as fast as epoxy with 2/3 the strength of the full stuff.

Epoxy type adhesives are still recommended for firm applications but where flex is acceptable - I use GOOP or Shoe Goo - that stuff sticks very well, is almost like silicone but won't tear.

[kwiktsi]

Great stuff, easy 1:1 mix ratio...all I use for motor mounts and such.
http://www.westsystem.com/ss/west-sy...-g-flex-epoxy/

I'm going to head to West Marine now and see if they have it in stock!

JB Weld is always a good alternative for high strength applications - I also really really like their Quik Weld - stuff sets up as fast as epoxy with 2/3 the strength of the full stuff.

Epoxy type adhesives are still recommended for firm applications but where flex is acceptable - I use GOOP or Shoe Goo - that stuff sticks very well, is almost like silicone but won't tear.

I have used JB weld a lot on past builds as well and found that it does hold better than epoxy, just tends to pop off as well with enough flex. I would never rule it out, just curious if there was better out there being used now or not :). We are making a lot more power now than when I started, so I figured the adhesive preferences have changed a bit :). Heck, back in the 80's, we probably could have used rubber cement to hold motors in lmao.

As for Shoe Goo, I was wondering if something like that or E6000 would work for the stuffing tube to hull exit going to the stinger on my Pursuit. I was thinking it would seal well, hold it as tight as it would need to be considering the tube is braced as well and not tend to loosen up and start to leak like has happened with epoxy there after a crash. That's why I was curious about what that translucent white stuff was I see in some RTR's. Thanks guys!
Joe

[Rocstar]

I also use West Systems 406 filler with it when I need a thicker fillet.

[BHChieftain]

I use shoe goo as a sealent.

I have used it to seal up the slot where the strut exits the bottom of the hull on my 1/10 shovel

Chief
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[tlandauer]

E6000 works great if you have area contact, meaning if you have two Lexan to be glued together where CA and epoxy actualy would not adhere properly, but that stuff takes days to cure to a hardened state,it never cures like "epoxy hard" though and I am not sure it is a good candidate for sealing up stuffing tube and the likes. I use West System with their filler when I need something thicker for that purpose. By varying the quantity, you can have different viscosity for different purpose, easy to use. The cured epoxy is rock hard and I tried to use a hammer to smash it w/o sucess, it's that strong!

[martin]

The stuff they use in most rtr boats is rubbish, you can pull most things out simply with your fingers. I have on a few occasions had things come unbonded during shipping only to find battery trays etc rattling around in the boat. To make most epoxys less brittle & stronger you add either West 406 Colloidal Silica filler or Micro Ballons, this gives the glue a very white or milky appearance.

[Fella1340]

I just had an experience. I purchased the telex that was supposed to come in the two tube format.
what inrecieved was a telex epoxy and resin in bottles. I am doing a 26" mono build, when the wrong
Stuff came I decided to use jbweld. I used it on the outside of the motor mount and it worked well.
I wanted to stiffen it up a bit with fiberglass 1oz cloth on the inside so I decided to use the gflex resin.
It worked very well, I expected a runny resin but the product was more like a thick paste, I used it on the inside of the motor mount (the floor of the boat has been done in carbon fiber and the motor mount sides
are carbon fiber as well. The product went in well, runny enough to fill the gap but thick enough not to.end up everywhere. I put in my fiberglass reinforcement and cleaned up. It had a yellow tinge to it, very ugly yellow tinge. I thought it would clear as it cured but it only went an uglier shade of yellow as of this morning
I made an assumption it would clear up just like the high quality epoxy resin I used to do the carbon fiber
Laydown. Lesson #246 learned. I will sand the flex back as far as I can and put down the clear epoxy resin
To take care of most of the cosmetics. A little paint through the airbrush once fully cured and you will hardly
notice it. Next time I will tint it with black poster paint powder, I have used this extensively with epoxies when making knives. I have never had an issue and know many other knife makers that use this as well.
other than the ugly yellow appearance it looks like it will work well. It seems slick feeling to the touch which
makes me think it will flex well. Either way I think its covered. Jb on the outside, gflex inside. It seems an excellent product I just really wanted to warn about the ugly appearance when done. Next time I will tint it to make a fillet, let dry and then go back in with 1oz fiberglass cloth, put a few layers down and use the clear layup epoxy if doing carbon fiber on carbon fiber again. (The cloth all but disappears under the clear epoxy resin and makes for a nice neat job that's super tough)

[iridebikes247]

For carbon fiber keithbradleyboats.com he has the best cloth I've used. For epoxy west systems with 207-clear hardener. This stuff is awesome and enhances the color of anything its put over. They have a lot of pigments available too. pricey but anything worth having usually is.As fella said everything disappears underneath the clear resin you're left with something nice and glossy.

West systems makes a bunch of fillers the colloidia silica is the best I've used so far I think joel above mentioned this too.

[Southwest]

I would check an see if shoe goo has acetone in it. I used it in plastics and it melted the bottom of a plastic boat. The smell is bad enough. I don't think it is sold in California but could be wrong on that. I read a lot of boat items cause cancer and have warnings. I had cancer and am leery of those items.

[properchopper]

OK, I'm sure times have changed since I started in this hobby. It used to be pretty much Epoxy for everything, but I am wondering with all the advancements in adhesives, if there is something better. I know the downside of epoxy is it can be brittle and things can break free if flexed. I see a lot of RTR's using some goop that is firm but has some flex to it for stuff like stuff tubes and such. What is it? Are there various "preferred" adhesives for things like stuff tubes, motor mounts, servo mounts, etc.? I will be building a FC daytona shortly and was wondering what I should be using by today's standards.

Also, if I decide to CF the inside- where should I get the mat and what epoxy should I use?

If you're concerned about hull flexing causing stuff to break free (or causing misalignment of shaft to flex) rather than using expensive, messy toxic CF, a simple 3/32" birch ply bed is a preferred alternative and is way more effective than a layer of CF cloth. Notice too that the motor mount is just epoxied in place and one has never broken loose in dozens of builds, most subjected to the rigors of racing. West Systems GFlex 650. Bulletproof !

DSC04775.JPG


If you insist on a FLEXIBLE bond, 3M 5200 is the ticket. It will adhere to just about anything, won't EVER let go (it's used to hold full-sized boats together), is messy to use and full-cures in one week
Fast-cure is also available

DSC04800.JPG

Here's an idea : Instead of (as some do, and I'm not singling anyone out specifically )building a boat that's rigged to go way past it's design/strength limits and having to over-reinforce everything to contain its innards during the inevitable crashes, forget all that expensive, messy, toxic CF second guessing and build it to a sensible operating realm to spend your time enjoying it rather than over-building, retrieving and repairing it. Yes I know this concept will ruffle some feathers. Just my opinion, but without diverse opinions there would be no horse racing

[kwiktsi]

Thanks for all the info here guys. I have been using West 105 and GFlex since I posted this. Pricey, but great stuff! The 105 with hardener and the pumps was like $75 from my local West Marine for a quart, but well worth it IMHO.

Here's an idea : Instead of (as some do, and I'm not singling anyone out specifically )building a boat that's rigged to go way past it's design/strength limits and having to over-reinforce everything to contain its innards during the inevitable crashes, forget all that expensive, messy, toxic CF second guessing and build it to a sensible operating realm to spend your time enjoying it rather than over-building, retrieving and repairing it. Yes I know this concept will ruffle some feathers. Just my opinion, but without diverse opinions there would be no horse racing

That's no fun lol. J/K

[Fella1340]

Back again, I wanted to test the gflex (the kind that comes in two 4oz bottles and dries an ugly yellow) to see
how strong it was. I used poster paint to tint it Thia time and left two pieces of 4mm carbon plate to dry overnight. One was a flat piece about 3/4" x2"long and I put a piece of 3/4x about 1" at 90the deg. Once cured up I toolkit to the vice and hammered away at the 1"at piece. It stayed quite rigid with just enough flex in it. It took 4 swings of the hammer to break it free and it took the epoxy off the piece of 3/4"x2" 4mm plate down to the carbon fiber. I can't ask for a better bond though I would like to find a better product to colour
it with. It stays nice and black in small batches but is inconsistent in a bigger batch. Best stuff I have
ever used! Sorry about the crammed, my phone likes to put extra words in sentences for me. If I try to fix I usually lose the whole post. Jeff

[siberianhusky]

I think I have almost every glue that you could use for building rc planes and boats, from Ambroid to Z-Poxy. Still haven't found the wonder do it all adhesive.
Might have missed it above but I have become a big fan of JB Weld for installing aluminum motor and servo mounts. Last time I tried to remove one I pulled a chunk out of the bottom of the boat.
Also use small blobs of PL Foam Board Adhesive to hold pool noodles in place.
Not an adhesive but Plumbers Putty works great for sealing up hardware when mounting it.
Goop works great for installing the rubber push rod bellows, can be peeled off when it's time to replace them.
LOL Lepages Seal-All did an awesome job of gluing the sole of my workboot back on a couple weeks back! (Wish I was wearing them in my driveway last Friday, put a nail through my foot loading my truck for work!)
So many glues so little time to try them all!