Glue for Terracotta ...?

[ItsThatGuy]

I recently purchased a terracotta soldier statue from a flea market. I was absolutely thrilled to find one; too bad it was the only one they had.

Well it survived one plane ride just fine, but not the second one a few days later. I was lucky that it broke in a way that you can't see the actual crack when to put it back together.

Any ideas on how to glue this? I'd like a strong bond and I don't want the glue to show. I was thinking of pouring some kind of glue inside of it so it dripped down to hold it together, but I am not sure what glue to use.

Same question on the hand, but since it would just rest in place like the body, what method would you suggest?

BTW story of the terracotta soldier's : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terracotta_Army

 

[Gigatron]

Luckily, terracotta is an extremely pourous material - and the perfect glue for that, is none other than our friend, cyanoacrylate.

And if you're wondering, "what the heck is cyanoacrylate?", it's just regular, old Crazy Glue.

Put some on both broken surfaces. Hold the statue so that the glue can absorb into the terracotta. Wait about 30 seconds, then give each half another round of glue and press them together. Giving the glue a chance to soak in will make sure that it bonds in all the nooks and crannies. Then the second go-around amkes sure that it bonds with itself.

Just try to not glue the pieces to your forehead.

-Fred

 

[ItsThatGuy]

CA Glue! :eek Why didn't I think of that before?!

That's what holds my Stormtrooper armor together and I've used it for almost everything...

I'll give it a try! Thanks!!!

 

[Gigatron]

You really use CA on your trooper armor? Isn't it styrene or PVC based? For styrene bonding, I'd use something like MEK or it's more expensive brethren, Ambroid Pro-Weld or Tenax 7R (even Tamiya thin solvent). MEK actually melts the styrene, so when you squeeze two pieces together, they bocome mechanically fused - essentially, one piece of styrene.

Either way, good luck with the statue.

-Fred

 

[ItsThatGuy]

Yep. I used CA glue on the whole suit except for the chest straps, I used an epoxy. I've never had to reglue any piece either and I've had that suit since first part of 2007. I've also put together multiple other suits using it too.

The bond is strong and you don't have to wait 24 hours for it to cure. Also ABS glues and other glues that melt the plastic or bond them together can warp your plastic if you are not careful.

 

[Gigatron]

Hmmm...not sure which ABS glues you've used in the past, but MEK doesn't generate heat, or at least not enough to have any effect on the models I've used it on.

Next time you're building one, try the Ambroid pro-weld (it comes with an applicator brush, so it's easier to use), just to see if you notice any difference in the join.

-Fred