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Author Topic: Tenex cement: Good for the long haul?  (Read 3188 times)

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Dave Schneider

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Tenex cement: Good for the long haul?
« on: March 15, 2011, 02:45:10 PM »
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I have been using Tenex liquid cement to assemble my styrene structures, and was wondering whether anyone has any bad experiences with the long term integrity of joints made with Tenex or other liquid cements? I have a limited selection of what is available locally due to difficulties in shipping to Alaska (ie. hazardous materials must go by ship or dog sled, not air).

Best wishes, Dave
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Ed Kapuscinski

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Re: Tenex cement: Good for the long haul?
« Reply #1 on: March 15, 2011, 02:57:17 PM »
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I think you'll be ok, because what it does is actually melt the styrene, then evaporate. So, over the long haul, it's not the glue that's forming the bond, but the plastic itself.
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wazzou

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Re: Tenex cement: Good for the long haul?
« Reply #2 on: March 15, 2011, 03:15:13 PM »
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Bryan

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wcfn100

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Re: Tenex cement: Good for the long haul?
« Reply #3 on: March 15, 2011, 03:22:05 PM »
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Dave Schneider

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Re: Tenex cement: Good for the long haul?
« Reply #4 on: March 15, 2011, 03:24:09 PM »
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Quote from: wazzou on March 15, 2011, 03:15:13 PM
Dave -

Off topic but probably of interest to you nonetheless... 8)

http://s291.photobucket.com/albums/ll290/djs_ank_ak/Dorn_Aerials/

http://s291.photobucket.com/albums/ll290/djs_ank_ak/Dorn_Ground/

Thanks Bryan...that's my Photobucket site! I met Leo this past year when I was back in Wisconsin to attend Trainfest and he decided to trust me to scan some of his slides. We need to write some descriptions yet, but he is an accountant and a bit busy this time of year.

Best wishes, Dave
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pedro

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Re: Tenex cement: Good for the long haul?
« Reply #5 on: March 15, 2011, 03:56:37 PM »
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If you can't find Tenax locally, MEK is basically the same thing. I strongly suspect that Tenax is simply repackaged MEK marked up about 1000%. A quart from a hardware store would last you a lifetime. I bought one bottle of Tenax years ago and have refilled it a couple times with MEK. There's nothing better for welding styrene.

Pete
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wazzou

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Re: Tenex cement: Good for the long haul?
« Reply #6 on: March 15, 2011, 04:42:48 PM »
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Doh!!!

I found the links in the Proto Weathering Forum and naturally thought of you.  Had I taken a second, I probably could have noticed the djs_ank_ak.

Pay no attention, move along, nothing to see here. ::)
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Bryan

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Mark5

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Re: Tenex cement: Good for the long haul?
« Reply #7 on: March 15, 2011, 05:02:25 PM »
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I actually just recently started playing with the stuff. A bit of a learning curve in the application methods for me. Gonna experiment on shells that I don't care about 1st.
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Dave Schneider

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Re: Tenex cement: Good for the long haul?
« Reply #8 on: March 15, 2011, 05:34:33 PM »
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Thanks for the info everyone and the tip on MEK. I can get Tenax here in town at the local hobby shop, but there are some issues with other products at times.
I am still willing to hear stories from folks about the long term integrity of these types of cements. Not that I am looking for bad news at this point.

Bryan, thanks for thinking of me. I really do appreciate it. It is interesting to see how quickly the word gets out as I made these links public just last night (AKDT) in the Beer Line group.

Best wishes, Dave
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Iain

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Re: Tenex cement: Good for the long haul?
« Reply #9 on: March 16, 2011, 12:47:36 PM »
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Tenex IS MEK with a few other solvents added in small quantities.  You can get away with just MEK.  I know of joints that have lasted for twenty years and are still going strong.

It seems that the plastic in the medical-grade syringes is immune to the stuff, so that is a good way to apply it.
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pnolan48

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Re: Tenex cement: Good for the long haul?
« Reply #10 on: April 14, 2011, 03:50:58 PM »
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I don't like it, as it a carcinogen. But so is everything else. I bought a gallon can thirty years ago for about $7 and have the vast majority left. I think it requires tighter joints than some other solvents as it has no viscosity. The repackaged stuff probably has some toluene in it to make it stickier for a few seconds.
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amato1969

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Re: Tenex cement: Good for the long haul?
« Reply #11 on: April 21, 2011, 01:30:38 PM »
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I am using lacquer thinner as my styrene solvent of choice.  I'm sure it is killing off some brain cells during the winter when the window is closed.

  Frank
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pnolan48

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Re: Tenex cement: Good for the long haul?
« Reply #12 on: April 26, 2011, 12:50:28 PM »
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A little toluene here, a little trichloroethylene there, a few PCBs from the lake I grew up on--yeah, it's either brain damage or cancer someday. I wonder if the body can formulate the tri-nitrate form of toluene, in which case your brain could actually explode.
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Dave Schneider

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Re: Tenex cement: Good for the long haul?
« Reply #13 on: April 26, 2011, 01:24:09 PM »
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Quote from: pnolan48 on April 26, 2011, 12:50:28 PM
A little toluene here, a little trichloroethylene there, a few PCBs from the lake I grew up on--yeah, it's either brain damage or cancer someday. I wonder if the body can formulate the tri-nitrate form of toluene, in which case your brain could actually explode.

I did that experiment in Organic Chemistry lab when the nitric acid ended up in the HCl acid bottle by mistake. Luckily there was ample time to seek shelter before it blew.

Best wishes, Dave
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pnolan48

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Re: Tenex cement: Good for the long haul?
« Reply #14 on: April 26, 2011, 10:06:00 PM »
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Quote from: Dave Schneider on April 26, 2011, 01:24:09 PM
I did that experiment in Organic Chemistry lab when the nitric acid ended up in the HCl acid bottle by mistake. Luckily there was ample time to seek shelter before it blew.

Best wishes, Dave

Ah, making aqua regia to clean the flask or dissolve the gold. . .

I never really looked for a recipe for tri-nitrate-toluene (TNT). . .

But I've probably breathed enough of the ingredients of both preps to make my brain explosive.
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