Aplikátor One-drop s pružnou trubičkou

The One-drop applicator with a flexible tube

One extra drop of glue is behind most ruined joints. It spreads across a visible surface, fogs a clear part or seeps under photo-etched metal and leaves a stain that can no longer be removed without sanding it back. That is exactly why a tool came about whose only job is to get onto a joint precisely as much glue as belongs there.

The heart of it is a flexible tube ending in a narrow mouth. The tube can be bent to the angle you need, so you can get under a wing, into the corner of a cockpit or between two walls that are already glued, without having to turn the whole model. The dosing is calm and predictable - the glue does not leave the tool in a stream but drop by drop.

Practical advice

Work over a mat and always put the first drop down away from the model; that one tends to be the biggest. When the work is finished, flush the tool out at once with a suitable thinner or cleaner according to the type of glue used. Material dried in the narrow mouth makes clearing it practically impossible, and that is the end of the tool.

Do not bend the tube to a sharp angle repeatedly in one place, as the material at the bend weakens over time. Store the applicator so that the mouth does not point downwards and no residue is left in it.

The tool itself contains no glue. Choose its type and viscosity according to the build in front of you.

Before you start

Try the dosing out on a piece of paper first, until you get a feel for how hard the bottle has to be squeezed. With these tools the difference between a drop and a trickle is only a fraction of pressure, and learning that on a finished model does not pay.

Precise dosing will be appreciated above all by builders working with photo-etched parts and clear surfaces, where even a small excess has lasting consequences.