Which glue is best? :: View Single Post

I have seen a lot of posts both on this and other forums arguing whether super glue is better than white wood glue when building model ships.

I tend to use super glue these days as it is quick drying and it instantly holds peices together (Well almost instantly). I have seen posts which criticise this glue. Some authors feel that white glue is superior and others speculate whether super glue will last the test of time.

I bought an HMS bounty model about 20 years ago and 90% finished it. Unfortunately I lost the remaining peices and it has sat on top of my wardrobe gathering dust ever since.
The model has been neglected but it has sat in a dry room away from direct sunshine.

Having recently finished the Mantus ship HMS Racehorse I decided to get The Bounty down and finish it. As soon as I touched the model bits started to fall off. It was clear that the wood glue I had used was failing after 20 years.

I don't remember the brand of glue I used but it was definitely good quality white carpenters glue. I was surprised to find that most of the joints were so weak that they fell apart when touched and the glue residue had turned a dark chestnut brown, locally staining the wood the same colour.
On the above evidence I will continue to use super glue on all my models. It may not last 20 years, but then neither did the white glue, so I recon its worth the risk.

Best wishes

John