Need advice; Gluing miniatures

[The Soloist]

Ok, folks, imma get some insta set!

Be aware that Insta set bonds are less durable than one without because the glue becomes crystallized.

One trick that is strong and never fails is tiny pellets of Green Stuff+ glue.

 

[soviet]

If you're joining two flat surfaces with superglue, scoring some lines / cross-hatching with your scalpel creates a larger surface area for the glue to bond with

 

[soviet]

You might find it helps to soak the resin in lukewarm water with washing up liquid first. Traditionally this is to remove any mould release lubricant but it might still do something for 3D printed models too

 

[Clint_L]

I just used gorilla glue to put together a whole kickstarter of plastic resin miniatures from Tiny Furniture, and the hold is fine but it generally took a little longer to set up. The tip about lightly scoring the area to be glued is exactly right, especially if the resin surface has that glossy sheen to it.

 

[GreyLord]

I don't now about 3d printed stuff, but for models that were plastic I always used plastic cement. I understand it literally melts the plastic together or something which makes for a very strong bond. I used a q-tip as an applicator, though a toothpick probably would be more accurate.

 

[Clint_L]

Plastic cement is great until you get sloppy and ruin the whole miniature. Speaking from experience.

 

[Mad_Jack]

Part of the issue is that people often apply a lot more glue than they actually need to form a good bond, sometimes enough that it will squish out the sides of the join and need to be wiped off. If the bond between the parts is going to be bearing a lot of load, it's usually advisable to pin it in addition to glueing it.
Cyanoacrylate is generally the best all-purpose glue for plastics, especially since it comes in gel form in containers with pin-point applicators. If you find that just applying the glue straight from the tube is laying down too much glue, the easiest thing to do is to put a drop of glue on a disposable surface such as cardboard then take a toothpick, shape the end of it with your hobby knife to a useful size, and dip it in the glue. You can apply the glue in a much more controlled fashion and a much smaller amount. Which amounts to a much quicker drying time.

If you have some sort of helping-hands or other tabletop miniature/craft holder, you can put your main figure in that to hold it steady while you use both hands (with or without tweezers) to steady the piece you're gluing on.
(I find that a lot of folks don't think to use their painting magnification while glueing as well, which really helps.)
In addition, once you've got the part in place, breathing on it like you would to fog up a window will help to set the glue faster due to the moisture in your breath.

 

[CM]

I always use liquid cyanoacrylate in the squeeze bottle, and not the gel type in the aluminum tubes. As Mad_Jack said, less is more when it comes to super glue. Pinning helps if it's a joint that will see a lot of stress, as others have mentioned, but waists shouldn't have that issue. Dabbing a part with a damp rag before applying the glue might help, as water accelerates the cyanoacrylate curing process. I have also heard that you should apply a very small amount of glue to both surfaces, wait several seconds, and then bond them. Maybe exhale on them to get a bit of moisture on the glue.

Many people use a toothpick or old brush to apply a bit of uncured resin to the parts, press them together, and then hit it with a UV flashlight to harden it instantly. This can also be used to fill any gaps in connecting multipart miniatures.

If it's photopolymer 3d printer resin, I don't think modeling cements that others were talking about will work at all. That's intended for styrene plastic.