Best glue for paper on Plastic.

[Sascha]

I'm adding the N-Goya interior to my Shiki-shima, but the glue I use always comes out in a big blob, so i have to do a lot of wiping to get it right. Whats the best glue for TINY pieces of paper glued to plastic without making a mess?

[bc6]

I'm not sure what glue you're using, but I think it's the applicator you may be using. I've used Elmer's glue for my first paper kit, and it didn't come out too bad. Elmer's probably isn't the best glue to use, but I'm a noob to paper kits, As I was saying, it's perhaps the applicator. Some have suggested using Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue Pen the applicator is precise. I am thinking about using that for my next project.

[bill937ca]

I preferred Tamiya Craft Bond, but it is hard to find now that Tamiya doesn't allow export sales from Japan.

 

https://www.tamiya.com/english/products/87078/index.html

Edited November 30 by bill937ca

[cteno4]

@Sascha what glue are you currently using?

 

to glue paper to plastic you can use PVA (white glue), it’s just not a totally permanent bond like an organic solvent glue like plastic model cement would be, but it’s a lot easier to spread than a model cement would be. Elmers, tamiya craft bond and Arleen’s tacky flies are all PVA glues. I use Arleen’s tacky glue for paper/laserboard kits and such, it’s very tacky and sets up quickly. Arleen’s tacky glue is thick though and when I need a thinner PVA I use the tamyia craftbond. I could just thin some tacky glue, though.
 

I think your best bet would be to just dilute some PVA glue a small bit with water and use a small paint brush to paint the back of the paper and apply. Thinning the glue will help it spread evenly and apply a thin coat (you won’t need much to hold it) so you don’t get lumps or lots extra squeezing out the edges when you press it in place and also get an even coat. Too thin and it will moisten your paper too much and not have enough glue to hold well.
 

You can also use artist’s matte (acrylic) medium (ie mod podge matte you can get at craft stores and even dollar stores) and paint that on without diluting to paint a nice even coat. Matte medium is basically clear acrylic paint with no pigments so sticks pretty well to plastics. The matte medium also then to be pretty invisible if you get a tad of squeezout on the edges, PVA glue tends to be glossier and bit more noticeable. Matte medium also drys a little flexible which is usually useful. PVA dries very hard and tend to pop off plastics if the plastic gets flexed. Matte medium is my main goto for most scenery material gluing as it dries the most invisible and I like the slightly flexible bond.

 

Try using some of the edges of the paper to experiment with diluting PVA glue or using matte medium. In this situation my gut says matte medium will give the best results and be the easiest to apply and position things. But experiment.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[maihama eki]

I have used photo mounting spray adhesive to attach paper to plastic. It works really well. You have keep small pieces of paper from blowing away when you spray the adhesive on the back side. 
 

I’ve used this one. 
https://www.scotchbrand.com/3M/en_US/p/d/cbgnhw011124/

 

Give it a try on some scrap materials before you do the real thing. 

[Cat]

I use a very thin layer of Zap-a-Gap (my standard CA glue on hand), spread with a toothpick.  Depending on application, I spread it on either the plastic of the paper.and align and apply the sign with grip to release tweezers.  I've done very tiny signs with this.
 
If putting the glue on the paper, avoid getting glue onto the tweezers too...  Very tiny signs are easier to put glue on the area, you can dip a toothpick into a drop of glue and then apply to the area.
 
If applied to the paper, any spots where the glue is too heavy might discolour white or lighter colours.  For me, this is usually a feature as I tend to add some light weathering on top of outdoor signs.

[cteno4]

Photo mount may be a bit too gloppy for small stuff and thinner papers. And like you say hard to apply to tiny bits. I find it messy to work with on smaller bits. Make sure you tamp it down well once in place as it likes pressure to sort of set the bond well.
 

I've used ca like cat does for small signs as well, only trouble as she notes is if ca gets onto tweezer tips and starts setting up while placing the sign it can get tricky, wen doing small bits like this I usually have a few dissection needles handy (piece of dowel with a pin stuck in it sharp end out) to move things around and help hold things to pull off stuck things. Also ca requires acetone to lift a sign off. PVA glue you just dab on some water (or put a little piece of soaked paper towel on it) on it and it softens up pretty quickly to remove or can even pop it off he plastic with a knife tip.

 

jeff

[Sascha]

On 11/29/2024 at 11:52 PM, cteno4 said:

@Sascha what glue are you currently using?

 

to glue paper to plastic you can use PVA (white glue), it’s just not a totally permanent bond like an organic solvent glue like plastic model cement would be, but it’s a lot easier to spread than a model cement would be. Elmers, tamiya craft bond and Arleen’s tacky flies are all PVA glues. I use Arleen’s tacky glue for paper/laserboard kits and such, it’s very tacky and sets up quickly. Arleen’s tacky glue is thick though and when I need a thinner PVA I use the tamyia craftbond. I could just thin some tacky glue, though.
 

I think your best bet would be to just dilute some PVA glue a small bit with water and use a small paint brush to paint the back of the paper and apply. Thinning the glue will help it spread evenly and apply a thin coat (you won’t need much to hold it) so you don’t get lumps or lots extra squeezing out the edges when you press it in place and also get an even coat. Too thin and it will moisten your paper too much and not have enough glue to hold well.
 

You can also use artist’s matte (acrylic) medium (ie mod podge matte you can get at craft stores and even dollar stores) and paint that on without diluting to paint a nice even coat. Matte medium is basically clear acrylic paint with no pigments so sticks pretty well to plastics. The matte medium also then to be pretty invisible if you get a tad of squeezout on the edges, PVA glue tends to be glossier and bit more noticeable. Matte medium also drys a little flexible which is usually useful. PVA dries very hard and tend to pop off plastics if the plastic gets flexed. Matte medium is my main goto for most scenery material gluing as it dries the most invisible and I like the slightly flexible bond.

 

Try using some of the edges of the paper to experiment with diluting PVA glue or using matte medium. In this situation my gut says matte medium will give the best results and be the easiest to apply and position things. But experiment.

 

cheers

 

jeff

I tried the PVA method. Works perfectly.Thanks a bunch!!

[cteno4]

Great. Trick is thinning the PVA enough for it to spread thin and easily, but not too watery where it can soak the paper and wrinkle it.

 

If you do get any wrinkling or bleeding you can always hit the backside of your paper with lacquer spray to seal it from water from glue. You can also hit the front to help protect it from dirt, glue bits, and such that you might get onto the face while installing. Dirt and glue can come off the lacquer coat a whole lot better than off paper and if printed with inkjet any moisture can cause bleeding. I’ve also found paper cuts nicely once lacquered and less likely to tear when trying to chop up tiny bits.
 

I lacquer both sides of printed signs I do or ones I get in kits to just avoid any ink bleeding potential. I also scan everything from kits as I’ve screwed up a few bits in the past as well!
 

Make sure to try to wipe off smooth plastic surfaces to remove grease as this will make PVA more prone to pop off plastic if stressed.

 

If you ever need to do paper to paper or cardboard algae/washi paste is great. It’s made for collaging and doesn’t wrinkle and soak the paper but gives a nice bond. But unfortunately it does not stick to plastic well enough to use for the long term.
 

jeff

[mr bachmann]

Try Pritt , you know the stuff - comes in a glue stick , other manufacturers do it , paste the paper and the plastic , 

I use it on buildings for paper over lays mainly roof tile and shingle , it won’t soak and stain the paper .

[cteno4]

I’ve never tried the stick glues for modeling, I’ve always been concerned they may not hold for super long times. Years ago doing some other craft things I used a few different stick glues on paper to cardboard and they worked for months but did start to come up here and there (we didn’t care they were just some temp mockups). This was for much bigger pieces though, so maybe fine on tiny stuff, but maybe harder to get a nice even coat on smaller bits.

 

@mr bachmann whats your long term experience with the stick glues? I assume it’s been good, but what durations have you observed? Thanks, curious.

 

jeff

[Kingmeow]

I too had similar issues with stick glue letting go after some time.  But that was YEARS ago.  "Lately", say within the past 5 years, they seem to be holding.  Maybe different formulation now a days?

[cteno4]

Yes I’m sure there are a ton of formulations! I do recall I went to the art store (very professional one we use to use) and got a specific recommendation for the most permanent one they had as we wanted this mockup to last well for a few months. For the life of me though I can’t remember why we were not using spray mount for this which we used all the time in mockups and models.

 

jeff