Glues for motor mount installation

[flyingeagle]

My original hobby which is on the back burner because of not enough room is HO trains. I’m a railroad buff but no room for a layout. Back in 1975 my dad and best friend bought me my first Centuri starter rocket kit and a couple extra rockets along with model semi truck and trailers to build for Christmas. Boy they were good memories for me as a kid. I’m trying to rekindle these memories and keep them alive. My dad is gone now but I don’t want these memories to die either. He wanted me to get into RC planes too but wasn’t into them up until about 4 years ago I bought one. The trains are fun but there is something about the rockets and planes. I like things that I can fly high and watch the rockets come back in a parachute or until the tree gods claim it. I’m in a Rutt and trying to get back into the swing of things.

 

[Daddyisabar]

Your bond is only as strong as the weakest bond between the layers of paper in the LPR/MPR tubing you are gluing to. The Jedi will argue about glues all day, but the glues are always stronger than the paper, balsa or plastic they are bonding.

Whereas the Sith focus on surface preparation, never dilly dallying when setting motor mounts or couplers. Never enough time given for Titebond II to grab or epoxy to go off. Not afraid of using tiny amounts of old style liquid cement to melt a plastic weld. Rubber cement attaching shrouds? Maybe, you get only on shot at placement! CA used for clustered, mid cant motor mounts? Yes, but don't tell the Jedi. 100% silicone adhesive from your plumbing tool box on foam? I don't believe it. And when fully committed to the dark path the HOT GLUE GUN will appear. SO UNCIVILIZED!

YES, give into the Dark side, feel the power, let your confidence flow through you, it makes you strong! Know what glue to use in any given situation by seeing the results in a mindsimed future. No one glue is the best, read the instructions on the side of the bottle, knowledge is power.

 

[flyingeagle]

Glue guns are out of the question. Talk about setting up fast, the glue is already drying to a string while pulling the glue gun away from the project.Let’s let the glue gun stay with the arts and crafts like Christmas decorations or any other decorations not rockets.

 

[flyingeagle]

I can’t shake it! This glue thing is sticking to my mind. Gluing motor mounts, Glue All, Tite Bond lll, regular wood glue or the famous epoxy? I got some great suggestions earlier on what to use. I’m leaning towards Tite Bond lll or the epoxy in which epoxy won’t or shouldn’t creat the BT pucker. Need to think quickly with a lot of builds awaits.

 

[tsmith1315]

Epoxy sounds good to but if you mix to much than needed then I wind up throwing away money but often thought about it.

You can mix one drop of resin and hardener if that's all you need. I've done it many times, I don't like waste.

I have read a post that if you don’t get a 2 part epoxy mixed just right that gluing a motor mount in won’t hold and could come loose. The mix will have perfect. Is something to worry about.

I use hobby store brands (50/50 mix) and I always eyeball my ratios. Always. I never measure, it's not critical. Most of the time it's two small puddles, judged by size. Larger amounts going into two separate cups and eyeball the levels before mixing. I don't recall a batch not going off properly in 40 years.

 

[Hobie1dog]

I can’t shake it! This glue thing is sticking to my mind. Gluing motor mounts, Glue All, Tite Bond lll, regular wood glue or the famous epoxy? I got some great suggestions earlier on what to use. I’m leaning towards Tite Bond lll or the epoxy in which epoxy won’t or shouldn’t creat the BT pucker. Need to think quickly with a lot of builds awaits.

As others have said already that when you use any type of tight bond or wood glue, that it has a chance to grab and when it grabs it holds, and you can't move the motor mount back and forth. so if you use an epoxy you can apply the epoxy right after you get it mixed up and then you have 5 to 15 minutes (according to what kind you use) to move that motor mount back and forth to get it properly positioned, and then you stand the rocket up and let the epoxy set up and it's there for good.

 

[flyingeagle]

I might give the epoxy a try on this build and see how it works out. How will epoxy hold up to the heat given off from the motor especially from ejection gases?

 

[Hobie1dog]

I might give the epoxy a try on this build and see how it works out. How will epoxy hold up to the heat given off from the motor especially from ejection gases?

Better than anything else

 

[SolarYellow]

You can mix one drop of resin and hardener if that's all you need. I've done it many times, I don't like waste.

I have a small notepad on the work bench that I use for mixing BSI. Eyeball the length/width/height of two beads from the bottle. Mix. Easy to scrape the surface with the mixing stick to not leave unmixed corners in a cup. Tear off the sheet and throw it away when I'm done.

 

[flyingeagle]

The only thing I have trouble with is the epoxy wants to drip off the end of the stick when I’m trying to place it into the BT before I get it to where it needs to go. I know that can happen with any glue when applying inside but the epoxy seams to have more of an gooey consistency and can have an effect on sliding in the motor mount. Any suggestions on how someone might have a better way to this.

 

[flyingeagle]

One thing I would like to accomplish is when you use a stick to apply a bead of wood glue inside a BT is to slide the motor mount into position then draw it back about a 1/4 inch then back in where it belongs. By doing this you are coating the sides of the BT along with the side edges of the centering rings. When you just push the engine mount into place the upper centering ring is acting like a plunger and is pushing the glue only in front of it into a thick bead. Using any type of wood glue, white, regular or Tite Bond ll you only get one quick shot at this.
I have built a few rockets to where I looked down the front of the tube and I can see most of the glue puddles in front of the upper ring. This is making me think that the sides of the ring isn’t adhering to the body tube. The glue is being pushed forward out of the way. I haven’t tried using epoxy yet but I just want to make sure the engine mount is secured enough from the the force of the motor not to loosen the mount.

 

[neil_w]

You keep circling on the same question. White glue is fine. Epoxy is fine. People have been building motor mounts this way for decades. Go build it.

 

[neil_w]

One thing I would like to accomplish is when you use a stick to apply a bead of wood glue inside a BT is to slide the motor mount into position then draw it back about a 1/4 inch then back in where it belongs. By doing this you are coating the sides of the BT along with the side edges of the centering rings. When you just push the engine mount into place the upper centering ring is acting like a plunger and is pushing the glue only in front of it into a thick bead. Using any type of wood glue, white, regular or Tite Bond ll you only get one quick shot at this.

White glue (e.g. Elmer's Glue-all) is significantly less grabby than wood glues. Don't lump them together.

The glue is being pushed forward out of the way.

No. The *excess* glue is being pushed out of the way, and it forms a nice fillet in front of the ring, adding strength. There's only a very thin layer of glue between the centering ring and the body tube, regardless of what king of glue you use.

Again, you are way overthinking something that rocketeers have been doing forever and it works fine.

 

[waltr]

The only thing I have trouble with is the epoxy wants to drip off the end of the stick when I’m trying to place it into the BT before I get it to where it needs to go. I know that can happen with any glue when applying inside but the epoxy seams to have more of an gooey consistency and can have an effect on sliding in the motor mount. Any suggestions on how someone might have a better way to this.

Do not pick up too much glue/epoxy on the stick. Keep rotating the stick to keep the glue from forming a 'drip'.
I use round bamboo skewers and dowels for this operation which are easy to rotate.

 

[Daddyisabar]

Glue guns are out of the question. Talk about setting up fast, the glue is already drying to a string while pulling the glue gun away from the project.Let’s let the glue gun stay with the arts and crafts like Christmas decorations or any other decorations not rockets.

Fear of the hot glue is great so you have eliminated it from your mind. Good, good! Some day you will gain the experience and construct a toilet paper tube scratch build with hot glue and it will work!

If you insist on using only one glue for paper and balsa LPR the answer is...ALEENE'S ORIGINAL TACKY GLUE! You will be safe and sound! Available at Hooby Lobby or any arts and crafts store. Oh the horror!
Shoe Goo is right out!

 

[flyingeagle]

I will give epoxy a shot