# Piko and Pola Building Cement



## jbwilcox (Jan 2, 2008)

Piko kits supply cement but the pola buildings apparently do not. 

What is the best cement to use when assembling these buildings? 

John


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## sbaxters4 (Jan 2, 2008)

If you are planning on putting them outside I would NOT use the Piko cement.... Been there done that and it didn't hold.... I wnet to pick up one kit that had sat for about 2 months and when I got about half way to where I was going with it ALL the cement let go and the whole works ended up at my feet in pieces, on concrete driveway.... /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/sad.gif Thankfully nothing broke just all the glue let go and the parts all seperated.... not sur ewhat I'm going to use to put it back together yet....


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

I've been using "Welder" or "6000" stuff from the craft store. It is NOT a plastic solvent, rather a contact adhesive. It is strong but somewhat flexible, and you can pull it apart and simply scrape off the residue if need be. 

The only real down side I have found is, although it dries clear, after a while in the sun it will yellow, so don't leave a mess. It also works for firmly attaching figures to rocks or cars.


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## rpc7271 (Jan 2, 2008)

I use dabs of superglue to hold things together and then back up all my joints with E6000.


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## Russell Miller (Jan 3, 2008)

Click on the TAP Plastics banner at the top of this page and order a tube Weld-On #16. It is a thickened Solvent Based Cement and it will permanently bond the plastic building together. I also use the Weld-On #3 liquid type cement when doing building construction. When used correctly, the solvent type glues actually melt the plastic together, welding them into one piece. 
TAP Plastics also carries the E-6000. E-6000 is a wonderful adhesive but I wouldn't recommend it for Pola Building Construction. I use the E-6000 when I am bonding different materials together, especially ones that have different expansion and contraction rates, such as gluing metal to plastic. E-6000 is also a wonderful waterproof adhesive for wood - to - wood bonding. 
Russ Miller


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## Madman (Jan 5, 2008)

I agree with the Piko or Pola glue as a temporary hold. After that I use any type of adhesive caulk I have on hand, and caulk all of the joints on the interior of the building. Most caulks have adhesive properties, otherwise they wouldn't work. Any good latex/silicone mix is fine, or straight silicone, though more expensive and tougher to clean up. Also liquid nails or any of the construction adhesives will do just fine. There isn't much that will soften or react with the plastic parts of these structures. 

If you can stand the oder use MEK. Buy it at the paint store in one gallon cans. It's the same stuff hobby shops sell in those one ounce bottles for the same price as a gallon at the paint store. It actually melts the plastic and fuses the two pieces together, just like welding metal. The parts being assembled must be clamped tightly so that the softened plastic of each piece fuses to oneanother.


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## stevedenver (Jan 6, 2008)

i have used Quick Grip cement-about 2.75 or so for a large tube 

clear, gel like-meant for fabric decorations 

have used it now for about 2 years 

this type (not necessarily the brand ) is recommended by Tom Muella in some of his kits as i recall 

its great glue 

heres why i love it and pass it on 

its viscous, it sticks with little run, minimal odor, and it sets up in about a minute, so you can glue walls or a roof, adjust and slide things for proper alignment or squaring, and then hold it for ten-twenty seconds and youre done--quicker than styrene cement, cleaner than goo, stronger and more gap filling the acc (all have thier place of course) 

will hold flat even those occasionally slightly warped, thick pola roofs 

while i havent tried to pull things apart after drying, i suspect that the glue will let go with heavy even pressure -there is no 'welding; like styrene solvents, and may even allow for a clean removal of old glue-it strikes me as similar to a vinyl caulk


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## Madstang (Jan 4, 2008)

I have used 3M Emblem glue that is sold at all NAPPA auto stores. 

It works quite well. I leave my buildings outside all year long. 

What I have noticed with this glue though is that after a while it starts to yellow and get a little brittle..that being said I do repair buildings from time to time and I just scrape off the old glue and reglue. 

My buildings have been outside for approx 4-5 years, and from time to time have to go through the reglueing ritual. 

I seem to be only regluing the buildings I have made from kits as the fully assembled ones I have purchsed never need regluing...just REPAINTING!/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/pinch.gif 

You would think that the manufacturer that produces the fully assembled structures would get a clue that most people leave the buildings out all year long exposed to the elements, so a better kind of paint that would stand up to this treatment would be a VERY LARGE benifit! 

There is a couple brand of figures that hold up to leaving outside for ever and NOT fade! 
So I could only assume that a better paint could also be used on the aformentioned structures! 

Yes I also know if I brought them in for the winter or whatever they would not fade, but I do not have the room to store them. 

Back to the glue try 3M glue it reminds me of the Piko glue..a bit. 

Thanks 

Bubba


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## VillageRail (Apr 25, 2008)

I pulled out a couple of new (old stock) Piko kits this week to finally start building. Checked the first tube and it had already started to harden so I tossed it out. Checked the second box, same thing. So I pulled a third box out, and sure enough, it had gone bad also. Not even good enough for temporary holds. Nice idea to put the glue in the box. Too bad it doesn't actually work.


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## TTrigg (Jun 7, 2008)

I've had good luck using the "cheap no name" superglue from walmart. 4 tubes for a buck, each tube holds one ounce. The cheap stuff contains more of whatever "melts" the plastic. After doing the "Hotel Califronia" and several buildings from CMS I've noticed that there has been a small bead of "melted" plastic that protrudes from the joint. It cleans up very easy with a pocket knife. 
Pics at: 
www.photobucket.com/rosebudfalls


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## Guest (Jun 10, 2008)

Triggy likes the Walmart stuff, I seen him with basket full /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/laugh.gif 
Toad


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