Has anyone had any experience with the UHU "Micro Line" pen with Teflon tip (looks like the number is 377970, or 377880 on the packaging)?
How is it to work with? Do the bonds last over time?

I can't find any other UHU glue pen here (NZ is a great place to live, but we don't always get the full range of products here) and apart from the standard UHU glue, the other glues I've tried so far have been disappointing (i.e. warping ).

The standard UHU glue seems to work ok, but the fumes are pretty strong and any over gluing (I find the nozzle/tube a bit inaccurate to control) looks shiny and seems to go brittle over time. The Micro line is twice the cost, but if it is going to be better I'll give it a go.

High Folks. Just checking in. As far as glue goes I've been building paper models for quite a few years and have usually used Elmers spread real thin. However, since I've gotten started with the larger scale WW stuff, and have not had any luck finding the UHU mentioned, I have been trying several different glues. I have found one at Staples that seems to work very well. Its their own brand and comes two 1.7 oz.pens to a package for about 2.99. I don't see a stock number on the card it just Says "liquid glue pens" on it. I don't know what kind of longevity it has as I've only been working with it a short while but like I said before - it seems to be doing just fine.

Meant to come back and post this earlier. My dozen glue sticks arrived. My stack of cardstock and pile of foamcore will once again feel the grip of UHU magic!

I built a ton of stuff last year using the UHU glue pens. I'm sorry to say at least 50% of it has come undone. I'm in Northern Virginia, and the swamp like humidity around here, even with the AC going all summer, was too much for the UHU glue.

I'm going to be building some more stuff over the next few months (indoor activivities for the winter lol), so I'll be looking for something other than UHU glue this time around.

I have an Avery glue pen, that has a blue, kind of tacky glue, and I've used it on some of the stuff I've built, Unfortunately, the pieces are all mixed up, and I have no idea which piece used which glue...so I have no idea if it fared any better than the UHU.

I may try the Elmers, if I'm near a Wally World anytime soon.

I've got some of those avery pens, not real fond of them as they just seem to be a thicker version of the traditional glue sticks, personally I use a tube of Scotch Clear Glue. Comes in a clear tube with a fine tip on one end and a broad meshed end on the other that's great for spreading glue evenly across large flat areas like caveworks walls and other sandwich folds, the small end works perfectly for glue tabs and all but the smallest tabs, for those I just use toothpicks. I picked my tube up at Office Depot but I've seen them at Office Max and Staples as well so they should be easily available.

Finally got to try the UHU Microline glue pen. The pen works fine; but I'm still getting used to the glue which is fairly liquid, and doesn't go through that useful tacky phase before setting, if anything, it seems to just disappear into the card. There's a lot more holding to get a bond than I'm used to, and it's not good for doing two difficult bonds at once - If I can't hold it together, then it will probably separate without bonding. Overspill wipes off really easily and doesn't seem to leave any detrimental residue or shine.

So far I've had not warping problems at all, even where I've reapplied the glue serveral times. I suspect that is more to do with the fact I'm using printed labels stuck onto cardstock (my laser printer warps cardstock, so I've resorted to printing onto Avery labels and then sticking the labels to the cardstock - works really well by the way) so the base materials are pretty solid to start with.

I'm guessing the glue is too wet for normal cardstock construction, and that I'm just lucky with they label printing approach that I'm using.

One thing you really need to do with UHU glue is burnish your joins. It makes a world of difference. I have some wooden paint stirrers that are really good burnishers.

That sounds like great advice Robby, I'm just not sure what you mean. I'm having one of those days (a major client, who I use as a reference site, has just seriously misinterpretted parts of a report I wrote for them - just when another, even bigger, client wants to reference check us before giving us some big time work ) - so, please humor me and explain how you burnish a join.

One of those days where things can only get better
- Zen

To burnish is to rub the glued joint smoothly in all directions. It can be a simple rubdown of the glued pieced. You are trying to squeegy the glue around between the two pieces so it forms an even coating.

I usually start in the center and rub outwardly (think a clock-face, I rub from the center of the clock to the 12, then the 1, then the 2, etc, all the way around).

If you just burnish the joint from one side to the next, in my experience what you end up with is not much glue where you start, and a thicker amount of glue where you finish.

Just my two cents.

What SG said.

I use a flat wooden paint stirrer so that I don't get glue on my hands and so the ink of the model doesn't rub off of my hands while burnishing. I'll burnish from both sides of the model if possible (burnish one side, flip it over, burnish the other).

As a side note, the burnisher also works well for applying pressure in general, especially to smaller creases and glue lines.

Thanks, useful tip

Sorry to be a heretic, but I have never used the UHU office pen as I just can't seem to find it in the UK, so I tried this:

http://www.prittworld.com/products/adhesives/powerpritt.html
(If you scroll down on the link it shows you the snazzy ends)

Powerpritt Gel, it has a thin pen like nozzle, plus a nifty gadget that you can pull over the pen bit, to make a large area glue pen, plus when it dries it's like rock.
I've suffered no warping, and have just built the Firstlight set using it and it's so solid, that I'm not going to foamboard base it.

The trick as with many of the glues mentioned here is not to overuse it, and add too much.
If I get any leaking out at the edges, I use a tissue to wipe it away before it dries.

Fantastic stuff, believe me.

I was in Michael's (craft store) looking for some balsa wood strips when I had an epiphany...scrapbooking glue! I was kicking myself for not thinking of it earlier...what's more perfect for building paper models than a glue that is specifically designed to glue paper together, and have it remain glued indefinitely?

I highly recommend Scotch's Scrapbooker's Glue, which I believe has already been mentioned in here, but I'm too lazy to go back and double check.

I got mine at Target, but I know that Office Depot carries them as well: http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?level=SK&id=742968&Ntt=scrapbook&uniqueSearchFlag=true&An=text

I have been all over the city and cannot find the UHU glue anywhere. As a result, I picked up some Scotch "quick-drying tacky glue"--this was before I saw the scrapbooking version. The two seem to be very similar--at least form the packaging copy. This tube has a fine-tip applicator and is a non-wrinkle formula. Being "photo-safe" and all, I figured it was a safe bet. Although it looks and feels something like white glue, I haven't had a problem with warping or wrinkling--The only "large" area sandwich fold I've tried is on the mill wheel--and I immediately put it between two of my old grad school textbooks (you know, the 10 pounders?) just in case.

I've also used the scrapbooking adhesive tape that comes in the applicator that looks like correction tape... it comes in two versions--permanent and removeable. The removeable is terrible for building (for obvious reasons) although it may work well for tiles or linking. The permanent is terrific--but a little unwieldy (tough to get good coverage, and a zig-zag application is VERY difficult LOL). I'd recommend it; unfortunately, I've lost the applicator and can't remember the brand name. If/when I find it, I'll post up the brand if anyone is interested. For larger constructs that won't require any post-fold cutting (walls, etc.) this stuff works GREAT.

Well, the UHU 'Micro-line' glue pen seemed to be going well, right up till I tried building the curved walls for DungeonWorks (Mini Chunk 1"). When the tension come on (to hold the curves in place) the already glued tabs start to drift.
It looks like this glue doesn't dry hard, it just forms a strong but still slightly rubbery bond. Which is fine for most joints, but fails for those under load.

Anyone know of a good glue available in New Zealand?
Alternatively, any Australians willing to help me find/get a good glue.

Thanks,
Zen

I was at Office depot yesterday and they did not carry the UHU Glue pen. I have also tried my local Michaels craft store with no luck. However what I did pick up at Office Depot is the Elmer's All Purpose Glue Stick Pen.
It says it is good for scrapbooking, office, crafts and hobbies. The part number is E1530.

As soon as I print out some sheets will give it a try and report back. It looks like your typical glue stick only much smaller tip in the size of a sharpie marker.

I've checked at two of the Big Red Boxes (Office Depot and Staples) and neither carry the Office pens.

Could the price you saw have been $2.88? That 11 cent discount from their typical $X.99 pricing would mean that the item is being discontinued in the stores.

Fortunately you can order them direct from the manufacturer (in Germany) or distributer (in the US) I forget the websites, but just plug UHU into your search engine of choice and you should find them.

I ordered 5 cards (10 pens) before Christmas and they're wonderful. I pretty much ruined the first pen halfway through by forgetting to clean off the tip between uses, and ended up gluing the darn thing shut, but the second one performed beautifully. You seem to get the most even flow when the pen is in the 75%-25% full range. Pity they're not a refillable style, I'd keep a single 'production pen' ready and topped of at the 75% level for quick, easy use.

Well Gaming Bird, two things to mention:

#1 - You are right, Office Max/Depot stopped carrying them. However, the link mentioned earlier int he thread has some guy selling these on ebay. Has been for a few years now I guess. I ordered a dozen pens maybe 6 months ago now and he shipped promptly. So if you need a source at a reasonable price, give the ebay guy a try. Nothing against ordering from the manufacturer, but I do recall looking online and only found one company that sold them by the gross, and I didn't want 144 of them. Another company was used to selling in bulk, and while you could order small lots, the shipping was really expensive. Ebay guy had them both beat easily.

#2 They ARE refillable! Not that you can buy refills, but the yellow end bit (the applicator) can screw off. The applicator tip is reverse threaded, so twist it clockwise to loosen it.

So the glue in that tube you think you wasted because it is glued shut can still be salvaged if you didn't toss it. Wait until a new stick is down a bit, then work off that applicator (remember clockwise to take off). Then if you still can't get that end cap off the glued one, cut the tube with a hobby knife and pour the glue into the new one.

And thank YOU for the suggestion that the sticks work best in the 75-25% range. I had noticed that sometimes the sticks just work better, and now I wonder if it's because of the amount of glue inside somehow making a smoother application. I'll pay attention now, and if that's true I may start to use new tubes to refill older ones back up to ideal limits!

Steve

After reading the above post, I purchased two packs of pens from this seller and I'm sorry that I have to say, BUYING FROM THIS SELLER IS RISKY! I paid for my pens via Paypal on Dec.9th and got an automated response on Dec. 12th acknowledging payment. Since then, nothing, and it is now Jan 17th. I have emailed this person 4 seperate times and gotten zero response. If you check the feedback ratings, you'll see I'm not alone in not receiving items or a response to questions about slow action on the seller's part. Also be warned that if you buy from this person and leave negative feedback, you will receive negative feedback as retribution.

I will probably move forward with a dispute resolution case if I don't hear from this seller soon, but it's been pretty disappointing. My Worldworks projects have been on hold for over a month now as I wait for decent pens that either don't exist or are gathering dust in this seller's garage.

Sorry to hear about your troubles Talarius. I have purchased those pens from the same seller twice in the past and had no problems. It's been a while though, and I have been thinking of ordering more from him... but it sounds like he must be having some issues recently if his service has deteriorated this much.

I hope you get it resolved... please do keep us posted on this thread.

Arabin

That is distressing news. I placed an order for four three-packs last October, and received them in about 3 weeks. Everything went smoothly. I noticed he has quite a few negative comments about him, ont he other hand, he must do a tremendous volume, because his approval rate is above 98% and he has 5K+ feedback items.

Hopefully it will get resolved and he's just slow in shipping.

Steve

Actually, I just read back through lots of his feedback and this one stood out:

Never rec'd item - Never rec'd responses - reported and PAYPAL refunded money.
Reply by whole777: Have been recovering from surgery and not available to return messages

I know it doesn't help, but it might explain the problem a little.

Arabin

When I mentioned the one glued shut, at first the tip was stuck inside the cap, and later it was GLUED SHUT, as in could not remove cap, the tube was twisting and near rupturing from stress and the cap stayed on as if it was one with the tube.

Now that I know the tip uses left hand threads, I'll try working with the 'load balancing' to see if I can stay in the 'sweet spot' for application.

(Please note that the emphasis above is not intended to be sarcastic, but to indicate the solidness of the unintended glue bond.

I just checked the Saunders link in the top post of this thread, and it's not working, looks like they're reorganized their site since then. You can find the pens at the following link:

http://www.saunders-usa.com/uhu/?brand=104&model=105

At $3.50 per card, and 5 cards (10 pens) qualifying for the $3.00 shipping, the total cost is ($3.50 x 5 => $17.50 + $3.00) $20.50 for 10 pens, you're spending $2.05 per pen, not too bad by my count. I haven't checked the prices for 'Mr. eBay,' but I think I'd prefer the guaranteed delivery from the distributer if i can't pick it up in a brick-and-mortar store..

Heh. I almost broke my first tube, because I didn't know the thing unscrew the opposite way.

Very disturbing to hear that about Whole777. I've purchased from him 4 or 5 times, and every time I gor my stuff in under 2 weeks. Definitely keep us posted.

Thanks for the link Gaming Bird. The price works out only a little more expensive than Whole777 and since he has been having difficulties of late, I'll probably place my next order direct like you did. Hopefully Whole777 can get back on his feet and return to his previous high standard of service.

Arabin

Hello, two products that I have found helpful are Duo-Tac and Sobo glue. Duo-Tac works well for sandwich folds. It is an adhesive sheet. Sobo glue is very good for tabs and fiddly things, it doesn't seem to have a high water content even though it allows for repositioning (the Duo-Tac does not).

I've chronicled my "Adventures with Adhesive" here, hope it helps others just getting into the gluing stuff: http://wwgallery.pcinfoman.com/displayi ... ?pos=-4152 .

Elle

Well, I'm not in Oz. If I'm not mistaken, though, you've got access to Berocca.

I'm thinking trade....glue for Berocca.

Anyway, getting ready for my first build and I've picked up a roll of Duck Easy-Stick Double Stick Adhesive. The label says "Great for Memory Books". I haven't seen anyone mention this one before. I'll post back on my results. Oh, and for anyone who is having trouble finding a burnishing tool, try looking for a pizza roller. It's basically a small rolling pin.

Lol.
I'm sure that's not necessary, it all depends how you use the glue

Off topic, but it just occurred to me how appropriate it is for the glue thread to be a sticky thread

Ok, I'm leaving... quit throwing things at me...

Arabin