The Little World

And wash your hands afterwards…

I use all sorts of perfectly good adhesives for my modelling – cements, glues, resins, etc. And while they all have different formulae and different actions on the plastic models, they have one thing in common; I can make them go where they are not wanted. I have smeared every known glue on my workbench, lights, tools, and clothing for years. There is not a fuzzy jumper in my closet that doesn’t bear traces of the hobby.

Now I have resolved to reform. I’ve discovered a cheap and easy way to keep the place glue-free. For while de-contamination is all very well, un-contamination is far better.

The answer proved to lie on the shelves of the crap shop. ( Close Louis Vuitton – open more $ 2 stores! ) Cheap post-it note packs and bags of craft matchsticks. They literally come in under $ 2 each and you have hundreds of disposable palettes for whatever you need to mix.

The post-its also have that half-sticky back surface that means they do not skid around as you mix. The matchsticks handle epoxy perfectly, and if you go for the syringe dispensers you can get out a remarkably economical quantity each time. There is still a market for yet-smaller epoxy packs – just sayin’…

Tip: Throw the lot away as soon as you’ve applied the glue. Anything left unset will naturally gravitate to under your arm.