Creations Unlimited Hobby Products

"Touch-N-Flow" Liquid Solvent Cement Applicator with "Fill-N-Clean" Accessory Tool

Stock Number: #711, #720

Reviewed By  Michael Novosad, IPMS# 36721

MSRP: approx $7 (Touch-N-Flow), $15 (Fill-N-Clean) Product Contact: Fred L. Shassberger Creations Unlimited Hobby Products 4318 Plainfield Ave., N.E. Grand Rapids, Michigan 49525 Phone: (616) 363-1242 www.flexifile@sbcglobal.net Available at many online and brick/mortar hobby stores, along with their other products such as "Flexi-File". My first experience building a plastic model occurred before I was a teenager. In fact I was probably nine or ten years old. My older brother bought me an F-86 Sabre Jet for Christmas. He also included a small bottle of liquid cement. I cannot recall the brand of kit or the scale, but I remember the plastic was a dark grey. My brother also claims to this day to have told me to wait before starting the work so that he could help me. That part I missed. There I sat with a plastic kit and a bottle of liquid cement and no idea on how to put the model together. I have a vague recollection of the instructions, so I must have followed them (??). I think I used a paint brush to apply the liquid cement to the joins and the surrounding areas. It worked. All the parts fit and the eventually ended up stuck together. I was really proud of that accomplishment, even though the surface of the model was pretty much crazed by the overflowing solvent, and my little finger prints were imbedded in the plastic as almost all the join lines.. My brother was not pleased. As I grew older I took my modeling more seriously, I graduated to tube cement, and eventually back to liquid solvents. By this time however I had learned to recognize crazed plastic surfaces as something to be avoided. I began using a draftsman's ruling pen to apply the liquid solvent along join lines, and was content with the results. Fast forward to now. When I rejoined our local branch club I was introduced to the "Touch-N-Flow" Liquid Cement Applicator. We have a once-a-month build session, and I was assembling a kit with liquid solvent and a ruling pen. Our club treasurer gave me a Touch-N-Flow applicator. I was a bit leery about using the tool at first, and continued to use the ruling pen for the next few models. When I finally decided to use the "Touch-N-Flow" Liquid Cement Applicator I was sold. For me, the biggest advantage was to apply the liquid cement to those pesky hard to reach places. Often, when using the ruling pen the tip would not quite fit into the confines of the space. The use of the "Touch-N-Flow" Liquid Cement Applicator has eliminated that problem for me. Also, I could apply very small amounts of solvent when necessary. For those of you who have not tried the product read on. The "Touch-N-Flow" Liquid Cement Applicator as manufactured by Creations Unlimited Hobby Products of Grand Rapids, Michigan, is an outstanding and valuable modeling tool, and now has a family of support products called the "Fill and Clean " to go along with this handy modeling tool. The "Fill and Clean " includes a sturdy resin base complete with three parallel groves designed to hold the Touch N Flow liquid cement applicators when ready for use. The resin base looks like a wide, white door stop, as it tapers up toward the back of the unit. On the left rear of the base is an oval depression designed to hold the soft plastic squeeze bottle, which in turn holds the liquid cement. To the right are two smaller circular openings for the blunt needle protective cover and the blunt needle itself. This base is valuable as it reduces the possibility of knocking over the liquid cement bottle when working on a project. The soft squeeze bottle serves several purposes: first it holds the liquid solvent cement to be used during the model-building session. Setting in the resin base the squeeze bottle is virtually impossible to tip over, thus avoiding those accidents where liquid solvent cement is spilled on exposed plastic parts. In this position the squeeze bottle is ready to hold the "Touch-N-Flow" applicator during the automatic fill process (the liquid solvent cement will rise in the glass tube by capillary action). The tube can also be filled by gently squeezing the bottle to force the liquid solvent cement into the tube. Next, we have the cover for the blunt needle. When in place on the squeeze bottle this cover prevents the liquid solvent cement from evaporating overnight and during modeling down times. The "Touch-N-Flow" liquid solvent cement applicator is inserted into the collar of the squeeze bottle, with the needle tip approximately 1/8" above the bottom of the squeeze bottle. In a few moments the liquid cement will begin to fill the glass tube, and once removed from the squeeze bottle is ready for use. In the event the modeler cannot wait for nature to take its course a gentle squeeze of the bottle side will force the cement into the glass tube, and the "Touch-N-Flow" is removed from the bottle before the side pressure is released. Types of Liquid cement to be used in the "Touch-N-Flow" applicator include Ambroid, Testors, Tenax 7R, but not any type of solvent using a filler, such as the Plastistruct cement. This latter type of solvent (with the filler) will cause the "Touch-N-Flow" to become permanently clogged and useless. The "Touch-N-Flow" applicators can also be used to apply super glue accelerator to hasten the curing process. Fill the "Touch-N-Flow" with the accelerator and run a line of the liquid along the side of the super glue, but do not touch the super glue with the tip of the "Touch-N-Flow" . The line of accelerator will creep over to the edge of the super glue and the set up reaction will occur. "Touch-N-Flow" applicator used for the accelerator should not be used with the liquid solvent cement. The modeler should identify the accelerator-dedicated "Touch-N-Flow" to avoid using it with liquid solvent cement. This is very important. Note: Super Glues of any kind should never be used in the "Touch-N-Flow" applicators. This is extremely important. The super glue will cure and make the "Touch-N-Flow" worthless. Typical applications of Liquid cement using the Touch N Flow applicator. Fuselage join line, wing join lines, etc. Using the Touch N Flow applicator in those hard-to-reach places.

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