Superglue doesn't hold weapons/limbs for long.

[Andrew_McGuire]

Another technique to consider when using CA - in addition to the careful preparation of the parts already stressed - is to sprinkle some Deluxe Materials' Roket (sic) Powder onto the joint after gluing. Baking powder may work too, though the Roket Powder is very finely ground, and easy to apply via the nozzle.

[zemjw]

just spotted this link on the Popular Science website - link

His book "Every Tool's a Hammer" has just been released - it's on the various amazon sites

[Bowman]

........ though the Roket Powder is very finely ground, and easy to apply via the nozzle.

According to the MSDS, the Roket material contains n n-dimethyl-p-toluidine which is a known carcinogen. The baking soda may not be as strong but is a lot more forgiving.

[Hupp n at em]

With the epoxy, make sure you put a little more of the hardener in than the instructions say. It means you will have less time (a few minutes) to work with the glue before it starts setting hard. But too many times I’ve followed the manufacturers’ instructions with a 50:50 mix, only to find I hadn’t put quite 50% hardener in - and it never goes off. You are left with a horrible gummy mess of glue which will not set fully hard and eventually needs to be wiped off with acetone or turpentine, which can make a right mess of the model concerned.

Epoxy is the best and most reliable for sticking metal to metal. But you have to get the mix right. And it doesn’t provide an instant bond. You have to leave it to harden - which can take a few minutes, a few hours, or never, depending on the mix you’ve used. So you can’t just stick (say) an unsupported arm on. It will just fall off again before the epoxy hardens and sets. So it needs careful handling 

Why does it sound like you're suggesting a healthy dose of patience is involved??    That's in short supply around here let me tell you! 

[Hammers]

just spotted this link on the Popular Science website - link

His book "Every Tool's a Hammer" has just been released - it's on the various amazon sites

That was a pretty good review.

[redzed]

get a soldering iron, the correct solder and the correct flux and melt the parts together.

practice on a dozen figures and you'll never go back.

[Ultravanillasmurf]

I agree with most of the above.

I do agree that putting superglued figures in a closed box might cause the fumes to settle on the figure as a white fuzz. Anyone who suggested that has not been watching CSI ^___^.

I have superglued figures then reinforced the join with  milliput or greenstuff (also fills in any gaps).

Due to my inept drill and pin technique, I do use another method. I drill a fine (0.4mm) hole in both parts. I drill quite deep. I then open one of the holes up to 1-1.5mm diameter but only to about a half of the depth. I then cut some 0,4mm rod to fit. I glue the rod into the part with the 0.4mm hol. I then mix a small quantity of greenstuff  to fit in the 1-1.5mm hole. The greenstuff and the larger diameter hole allows me to adjust the location of the parts. Once that is set I then flood the join wth thin superglue to hold it in place.

[Hammers]

get a soldering iron, the correct solder and the correct flux and melt the parts together.

practice on a dozen figures and you'll never go back.

You're a brave man, zed.

[Andrew_McGuire]

With a view to repairing damaged figures, particularly weapons, I bought a soldering iron some years ago, and subsequently some solder designed for white metal figures, but didn't know what flux was required, so am yet to use them. In truth, I'm still traumatised by melting figures on my one attempt with a borrowed iron in my teens, and am far from sure I'll ever get past it. I now understand, of course, that the melting point of the solder has to be less than that of the parts to be soldered, but even so I can't help thinking the result will be a pool of molten metal, and quite possibly serious burns.

[Andrew_McGuire]

According to the MSDS, the Roket material contains n n-dimethyl-p-toluidine which is a known carcinogen. The baking soda may not be as strong but is a lot more forgiving.

Thank you for this. Just wondering, should I use the rest of the bottle....?

[Ultravanillasmurf]

With a view to repairing damaged figures, particularly weapons, I bought a soldering iron some years ago, and subsequently some solder designed for white metal figures, but didn't know what flux was required, so am yet to use them. In truth, I'm still traumatised by melting figures on my one attempt with a borrowed iron in my teens, and am far from sure I'll ever get past it. I now understand, of course, that the melting point of the solder has to be less than that of the parts to be soldered, but even so I can't help thinking the result will be a pool of molten metal, and quite possibly serious burns.

You do need a temperature controlled soldering iron and low melt solder.

Saying that, a friend of mine repaired a number of Platoon 20 figures for me using a 25W iron.

Beware of flux, some will eat your paint, your figure or your lungs!

[Andrew_McGuire]

Thanks. I did wonder about the power of the iron. I've seen some on eBay with variable temperature - a transformer, I suppose - but was worried by the suspiciously cheap price (less than £15) and the voltage (they were Chinese, probably not compatible with UK sockets). I asked the seller for clarification, which was promised, but....well, they're busy, I'm sure.

Until I'm confident about this and the flux I'm staying clear.

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Keep an eye on the model railway press as they often have articles on soldering white metal kits (ad theirs are a lot more expensive than ours).

[Andrew_McGuire]

Thanks, I'll do that.

[nervisfr]

KraGle !!!!     
http://en.brickimedia.org/wiki/Kragle

Excellent !

https://media.giphy.com/media/3jiLt1aBGfF37ZmK8a/giphy.gif

For better gluing , i use a mix of Superglue and Neoprene (Pattex black/yellow tub).
You'll get a chimical chain reaction fixing the 2 pieces together instantly.
better to drill and pin arms/head on the body too