The Little World

What is my limit of self-deception. Can I convince myself that I am a teen idol? Or will I have to settle for being the sort of idol that lives in a ruined temple with spiders and snakes?

More to the point, shall I admit to myself that one of the cornerstone products that I bought for my model airplane building is actually somewhat of a hornswoggle and that I have found it out?

The material in question is Micro Krystal Klear – the thick PVA solution that we use to form clear windows in models and that is used to stick canopies down. I use it for just these purposes and have always found it efficient. But I’ve noticed that it is somewhat of a Coleman’s Mustard sort of product.

Coleman’s used to boast that they made their fortune on the amount of mustard people left on the side of the plate. That was because the hot English mustard was so concentrated that it quickly warned people off from using too much – but they still took a generous dob on their plate nevertheless. Well I suspect that Micro Krystal Klear is the same – it tends to congeal so much in the little plastic bottle that you end up clearing fully a third of it from the neck of the container before you can dip out a working blob.

The situation is made better or worse by having a viable alternative. I have used Weldbond PVA glue for years in the construction of wooden projects and Foam-Core building models. It’s a Canadian product and can stick things together in two languages. And it really does stick – much better than the Australian Selleys white glue that was the previous standard. So much better that I suspect it can be an effective substitute for the expensive Micro product.

But I’ve got to admit it to myself. I mean, I’ve got a third of a tube of the Krystal Klear left and frugality makes me loathe to throw it out. Perhaps I’ll just compromise by squeezing it into the Weldbond container and let it mix in there forever.

Or perhaps I’ll fill the Micro bottle with Weldbond and let them eventually become an intermediate consistency. They’re both clear enough to simulate windows.