*** Ultimate Pepakura Glue ***

I spent a lot of time trying to come up with a really good method for gluing up our models.
First, just for convenience, I tried those “linear” glue dot dispensers. They worked pretty well, were easy to apply, not messy and had no drying time. However they didn’t have very good holding strength. My models quickly began to fall apart.

Next I tried hot glue. Pretty convenient, very good holding strength, not too messy (except for a few “glue strings”) and had exceptional holding strength. However hot glue also had it’s drawbacks. It dried almost too quickly, making lining tabs up difficult. Also I felt that the “joints/connections” were too “bulky” when using the hot glue. Hot glue tends to “glob up” because of the way it is dispensed from the glue gun.

I was reading some other posts where people were experimenting with “super glue” and “rubber cement”. I didn’t like the super glue method. Too much of a chance of gluing my fingers together! The rubber cement idea was a pretty good one, but ugh that smell!!! If you don’t mind getting stoned and your work deteriorating as you go along I guess rubber cement would work. I, however can’t afford to loose the brain cells!! So these options were out for me.

So I started brain storming. I really liked the rubber cement idea. I wasn’t too messy, dried quickly and created a nice super strong joint. Then it came to me...





It has all of the great qualities of rubber cement (it is easy to get, easy to apply, dries super fast {if you need to, you can speed it up with a hair dryer} and is super strong) without the nasty smell and loss of brain cells. Plus it is easily cleaned up with water.

I am a carpenter and we use this stuff to fasten laminate counter top material to the structure that the top is made of. It used to be that this stuff was just like rubber cement, solvent based, and therefore stinky as heck. But recently they have come out with an extremely good water based version. It also has the advantage of being readily available at your local hardware store.

The product that I used is “DAP: Nonflammable Contact Cement” (neoprene rubber formula) from my local Home Depot. A quart was about $10.00 USD. The other advantage this has is that this stuff goes a VERY long way. One quart should be more than enough to complete an entire set of armor! Here is a picture of what I bought. If you can’t find the exact brand just look for “water based contact cement/adhesive” Make sure you get the WATER based formula, if you don’t it will be just as stinky as the rubber cement!


The way that this particular adhesive works is, you cote each piece that you are gluing together VERY LIGHTLY with the adhesive. You don’t need much at all. Just enough to make a very thin layer on your pieces. If you use too much, because this stuff is pretty watery, your paper will start to warp. This is NOT a problem unless you put way too much on, or you use VERY thin paper. If you are using card stock, you will be just fine!

I did find a couple problems that were mildly annoying and kept it from being perfect. I soon remedied that! The first problem was that because the adhesive is white and dries practically clear (you only see a slight sheen where the glue is when applied) it was hard to see how much glue you are actually applying. This led me to applying too much glue at times and having the above mentioned problem, paper warping. I remedied this by adding a couple of drops of food coloring to the adhesive to give it a “tint”. Now I could easily see how much I was applying.

The last problem I had was that the glue dries very quickly and tended to gunk up the fine brush I was using to apply the glue. So, instead of ruining a ton of brushes I went and got a box of “Q-tips”. They work great!! Very cheap (always handy), easy to get into difficult areas and double sided!

:not worthy: very nice. Now lets see some success stories spring from it.

no noob here. good work

I have had good success with this method already myself. I have already constructed a few Pep models using this technique.
It worked great for me. I think that everyone will be pleased with the results!

Spartan 161 said:

I have a question. What's the life of the glue when you have it in a dish in open air like your above picture? Being water based I am just wondering how quickly it starts to thicken as some of the solution evaporates.

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The glue doesn't evaporate quickly at all. If you leave the lid off, the only thing that will happen is that the glue will develop a thin "skin" on it's surface.
This will occur if you leave the cap off for several hours. All you have to do is take a Q-tip (or whatever) and lift that skin off. You don't have to do this but
that skin annoys me so I just remove it.

I believe that you could leave the lid off for days without the water evaporating, though I have never done it. I think
that once that skin develops it keeps the rest of the glue from deteriorating. I just used that small container to test the
tinting process. If you wanted to, you could tint the entire container.

Hope this helps!

I prefer Quickgrip, it's like slower drying Superglue, but it works just as well as anything else.

a quart for ten bucks? and you use q tips.......yeah.......and it dries fast? how fast?

uh........i dont know.........home depot is a bit outta my way......and i dont really count on DAP for my paper needs......

but this may be my savior.

rvb4life said:

a quart for ten bucks? and you use q tips.......yeah.......and it dries fast? how fast?

uh........i dont know.........home depot is a bit outta my way......and i dont really count on DAP for my paper needs......

but this may be my savior.

Click to expand...

It dies almost immediately. Remember, you are just lightly coting the surface. If you get too much on and it doesn't dry before you put the two sides together you can hit it with a hair dryer for a couple of seconds and it's dry. And you can find this stuff made by a bunch of different companies, it doesn't have to be Dap brand.

Spartan 161 said:

Thanks for answering my question NullARC. Sounds like good stuff. At work last night I was thinking about this stuff and I have another question.

I have used Loctite Contact Cement in leather work before. This is a totally deferent product from the one you have shown. But one thing stuck out in my mind. The term "Contact Cement." See with the loctite after each piece is coated and dry's, you are Ready to join them together. BUT You better have them perfectly lined up. once that stuff touches it bonds in like a second flat and is unmovable.

So I was wondering do you have any time once the two surfaces touch to get the pep pieces lined up? If yes about how long? Oh and thanks for bringing this product to our attention. I think this thread deserves to be in the Pepakura Armor Forum

Click to expand...

Good observation! Yes, contact cement does have the tendency to grab as soon as the two surfaces touch. In my experience with this product, you can line up one edge of your joint and stick it and then carefully adhere the rest of the joint. This stuff doesn't really grab hard until you press the two halves together very firmly. So as long as you carefully line your joint up before applying much pressure you're fine.

I personally use hot glue, but if the water-based stuff dries almost immediately, wouldn't the same problem with limited movement be the same with this as well?

Edit : I just noticed this was just answered a little while ago. My bad.

Spartan 161 said:

I have a question. What's the life of the glue when you have it in a dish in open air like your above picture? Being water based I am just wondering how quickly it starts to thicken as some of the solution evaporates.

Overall sounds like a good idea. I use super glue haven't glued my fingers together yet

Click to expand...

i use the super instant as soon as it touches glue and i glued my fingers together and i had to get it off with acetone!!

Ugh, I hate super glue. This stuff looks WAY EASIER TO USE; no constant dripping of hot glue, no evil "pressure-squirting", and with the same results? Well i think I'm gonna go and try this out, and yes I agree with the others that this should be moved to the Pepakura forum! NullARK I think you saved me, lol.

Something to apply the glue with and keep it from dripping or getting where you don't want it http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares.asp?M...ct&ID=13106

and for the resin work http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares.asp?M...ct&ID=15139

This stuff looks promising and the price is right...not to mention a practical, pain-free solution to those who are weary of hot glue. If I had it to do over, that DAP stuff sounds like it would have saved some ouchies!

I went to Lowe's the other day and picked this up.

Okay, NullARC, GREAT SUGGESTION! I wish I would have used this stuff on my previous pep stuff. I used hot glue and the sheer thickness of hot glue makes some of the tabs extremely difficult to glue. Not to mention that the tip of the glue gun doesn't always get into those hard to reach places.

I use a Q-tip to apply the glue to the tab, then apply pressure to it. Once it sets, it's good. And if you don't line up the tab perfectly, you can make some adjustments either while it's setting, or do what you can to correct it on the next tab. With hot glue, you could really ruin an entire piece if you jacked up just one tab.

There are a couple of things I don't like, but they're so small compared to how easy this makes the process.

And truthfully, the 1 qt. size could quite possibly be enough to do pep armor for half of Nebraska. Maybe even all of Nebraska and Kansas. I've put together the jaw of a DF4L helmet and you can't even tell I've used the stuff. Seriously, you could probably put together a whole helmet with the glue that sticks to the lid. I think the only way you'll ever use the entire can is if you spill it, or use it to actually apply laminate to cabinets.

Vader said:

I went to Lowe's the other day and picked this up.

Okay, NullARC, GREAT SUGGESTION! I wish I would have used this stuff on my previous pep stuff. I used hot glue and the sheer thickness of hot glue makes some of the tabs extremely difficult to glue. Not to mention that the tip of the glue gun doesn't always get into those hard to reach places.

I use a Q-tip to apply the glue to the tab, then apply pressure to it. Once it sets, it's good. And if you don't line up the tab perfectly, you can make some adjustments either while it's setting, or do what you can to correct it on the next tab. With hot glue, you could really ruin an entire piece if you jacked up just one tab.

There are a couple of things I don't like, but they're so small compared to how easy this makes the process.

And truthfully, the 1 qt. size could quite possibly be enough to do pep armor for half of Nebraska. Maybe even all of Nebraska and Kansas. I've put together the jaw of a DF4L helmet and you can't even tell I've used the stuff. Seriously, you could probably put together a whole helmet with the glue that sticks to the lid. I think the only way you'll ever use the entire can is if you spill it, or use it to actually apply laminate to cabinets.

Click to expand...

Ha ha ha ha... told you this stuff went a long way!!!

Seriously though, glad you like it!
Now, if I could just come up with an
easier way to fiberglass the inside of
helmets I'd be in business!!

As soon as I get up to 50 posts, I'm gonna
repost this in the Pepakura section. I'm hoping
that more people will see this idea and make use
of it.

Let me know if anyone else has success stories!

All of nebraska and kansas eh? So like 3 helmets? Indiana was that way at least.

This is a really great idea and I'm adding it to my shopping list. Anything has to be better than a glue stick.

I think I'm the only person who uses elmers glue and has success with it.

I have switched from super glue to Tacky Glue myself.. Not the Gold bottle there is a white bottle of the same stuff but it has better grip...

Of course I can see where the contact cement idea is better for quick adhesion. I was unaware there was a water based version out there because regular contact cement is great but smells real bad...

It is a bit pricey, but I personally prefer the small bottles of Loctite Super Glue Control Liquid. I have had a lot of success with it.