The Best Glues of 2024 for Plastic Models and DIY Projects
Hello, my friend, hello again; today we come together to talk about The Best Glues of 2024 for Plastic Models and DIY Projects and hope the blog can help you.
Get stuck the right way with quality glues formulated for plastics.
One formula definitely does not fit all when it comes to good glue for plastic DIY projects. Adhesives are chemically designed to work with certain materials. Wood glue, for example, is great for carpentry but won’t be effective on metal. Even super glue—possibly your default option for just about anything—has its limits, as its active ingredient (cyanoacrylate) doesn’t adhere well to smooth surfaces.
We recommend the Pratley Powda Bond Adhesive Repair Kit as our best overall pick because of its powerful super glue and powder formula and compatibility with a wide variety of materials.
Trickier still, gluing plastic depends largely on the target material. A glue that works well to bond plastic to plastic may be a poor choice to adhere plastic to metal or wood. Most DIYers maintain a collection of adhesives to get the job done right the first time, so don’t get stuck using the wrong product. Read on to discover the best glues for plastic that we selected—some of which we even tested—and find out why the choices below rate as the top options for all your plastic bonding needs.
- BEST OVERALL: Pratley Powda Bond Adhesive Repair Kit
↓ Jump to Review - BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: Loctite Epoxy Five-Minute Instant Mix
↓ Jump to Review - BEST SUPER GLUE: Krazy Glue Home & Office Super Glue
↓ Jump to Review - BEST FOR PLASTIC TO PLASTIC: Testor Corp Cement Glue Adhesive
↓ Jump to Review - BEST FOR PLASTIC TO METAL: J-B Weld MarineWeld Twin Tube Marine Epoxy
↓ Jump to Review - BEST FOR PLASTIC TO WOOD: Gorilla Clear Epoxy
↓ Jump to Review - BEST FOR PLASTIC TO RUBBER: 3M Scotch-Weld Plastic & Rubber Instant Adhesive
↓ Jump to Review - BEST FOR ABS PLASTIC: Plastruct Plastic Weld
↓ Jump to Review
Photo: amazon
How We Chose the Best Glue for Plastic
We researched and hands-on tested some of the best plastic glue in a variety of categories offered by the top brands with high customer satisfaction. The top picks for bonding plastic were selected for testing or thoroughly researched based on type, compatible materials, curing time, quantity, and ease of application.
The list features different types of glue for bonding plastic including super glue, epoxy, and model cement. We prioritized options with included applicators that cure within 24 hours. Several of the best glues to use on plastic are weather- and water-resistant. We included plastic-to-plastic glue and glues that form a permanent bond with other materials including metal, wood, composite, stone, brick, and concrete. Each pick for the best plastic adhesive is available in volumes between 13.9 and 59.14 milliliters.
Our Top Picks
The top-rated products below were chosen and/or tested based on their quality, price, and customer satisfaction to help you find the best glue for all your plastic projects. Each of our selected products has been listed with their most notable pros and cons as well as some product specifications to help you narrow the search.
Best Overall
Pratley Powda Bond Adhesive Repair Kit
Photo: amazon
Product Specs
- Type: Combination super glue and powder
- Compatible materials: Wood, glass, concrete, plastic, and rubber
- Volume: 20 milliliters
- Curing time: 30 seconds
What We Like
- Comes with a powerful powder and super glue adhesive for effectiveness; can be used for gaps and filling
- Cures in 30 seconds; can be sanded, filled, and/or painted immediately after being cured
- Can be used on automotive parts, electrical switches, remotes, tools, and pool pump valves
What We Don’t Like
- Some users may not need the included filling powder
- Not intended for use on polyethylene, polypropylene, or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) plastics
The Pratley Powda bond adhesive uses a combination of filling powder, which is a wood aggregate, and heavy-duty cyanoacrylate, or super glue, to form a powerful bond that can be sanded, filed, drilled, tapped, and painted without losing its structural integrity. As the best super glue for plastic, it bonds to both rough and smooth plastics, including wood, glass, concrete, plastic, and rubber, within 1 minute of all liquid being absorbed.
The included filling powder is used for repairing holes or gaps between objects, as when a piece of the object is missing. Among the strongest adhesives for plastic, this combination product is placed into the hole or carefully applied in a gap to create a permanent bond that also fills the gap or hole. The powder comes in black or white but can be mixed for a metallic gray appearance. As filler, this adhesive can be used on automotive parts, electrical switches, remotes, tools, pool pump valves, and many other applications. If you don’t need the powder for filling, the heavy-duty cyanoacrylate works as a powerful adhesive on its own.
Get the Pratley glue for plastic at Amazon.
Best Bang For The Buck
Loctite Epoxy Five-Minute Instant Mix
Photo: amazon
Product Specs
- Type: Epoxy
- Compatible materials: Metal, glass, ceramic, wood, plastic, china, tile, fiberglass, concrete, and stone
- Volume: 14 milliliters
- Curing time: 24 hours
What We Like
- Suitable for a wide range of projects and provides a weather-, water-, and solvent-resistant bond
- Easy-to-use self-mixing syringe is easy to apply with precision in hard-to-reach areas
- Can be painted, filed, and/or sanded after curing in just 30 seconds
- Affordable adhesive compared to other options on the market
What We Don’t Like
- Must be applied immediately after mixing before resin and hardener set
Loctite Epoxy Five-Minute Instant Mix works on metal, glass, ceramic, wood, many rigid plastics, china, tile, fiberglass, concrete, and stone. This value adhesive performs as well as higher-priced products for a wide range of projects, such as gap bonding, surface repairs, and laminating. The strong epoxy glue for plastic is easy to use thanks to a self-mixing syringe and the push of a single connected plunger to combine resin and hardener before application.
Once mixed, resin and hardener set within 5 minutes, so be sure to apply it immediately. The result is a high-strength, permanent bond that is weather-, water-, and solvent-resistant. After 24 hours to fully cure, the epoxy glue can be painted and sanded without losing tensile strength.
Get the Loctite glue for plastic at Amazon or Ace Hardware.
Best Super Glue
Krazy Glue Home & Office Super Glue
Photo: amazon
Product Specs
- Type: Multipurpose
- Compatible materials: Plastic, ceramic, rubber, wood, leather, metal, and more
- Volume: 0.18 ounces
- Curing time: 10 seconds
What We Like
- Bonds to plastic, ceramic, rubber, wood, leather, metal, and more
- Can be applied on gapped, uneven, or vertical surfaces; holds up to 1,000 pounds of weight
- Comes with a nonclogging precision tip as well as a brush applicator
- Cures in 10 seconds; suitable for quick and easy jobs in offices, schools, or when crafting
What We Don’t Like
- Some users have reported that the cap of the brush applicator can become stuck to the container
Crafting, schoolwork, and office tasks can benefit from this small but mighty tube of Krazy Glue. Made to bond with vertical, uneven, or gapped surfaces like plastic, ceramic, rubber, wood, leather, metal, and more, this glue comes at a small price point and has a precision nozzle and a brush-on applicator. The bottle is also nonclogging and the bristles on the brush applicator are designed to prevent them from sticking together. This adhesive for plastic creates an excellent bond in just 10 seconds and holds up to 1,000 pounds. Though this option is only 0.18 ounces, it comes in a six-pack for those who frequently use super glue.
What our tester says: Tom Scalisi, a Bob Vila writer and product tester, notes in The Best Super Glues that “Krazy Glue proved to be remarkably strong and effective, and only a small amount is needed to create a solid bond between surfaces. In testing, we found that the glue works on virtually all surfaces, including some hard-to-bond smooth plastic surfaces. Krazy Glue successfully bonded eyeglass frames, pieces that broke off a toy playset, and PVC pipe.”
Get the Krazy Glue glue for plastic at Amazon.
Best For Plastic To Plastic
Testor Corp Cement Glue Adhesive
Photo: amazon
Product Specs
- Type: Model cement
- Compatible materials: ABS and polystyrene plastic
- Volume: 25.8 milliliters (per bottle)
- Curing time: Not specified
What We Like
- Creates a strong adhesion between plastics; welds the components together
- Comes with precision tips for accurate application in hard-to-reach spots
- Suitable for crafting and model-making tasks
What We Don’t Like
- Strong chemical smell; must be used in a well-ventilated area
- No curing time is mentioned on the manufacturer website
Nothing beats a quality model cement for joining ABS plastic or polystyrene plastic, and Testor Corp’s cement glue makes the job even easier thanks to multiple precision tips that ensure accurate application. Toluene melts the plastic on application and polystyrene welds plastic objects together once the toluene reaction ends, making it the strongest glue for plastic to plastic.
Be sure to place pieces correctly to avoid visibly melted plastic around the glued area. Note: When one glues plastic to plastic, they will always want to use it in a well-ventilated area due to the cement’s strong chemical smell.
Get the Testor Corp glue for plastic at Amazon.
Best For Plastic To Metal
J-B Weld MarineWeld Twin Tube Marine Epoxy
Photo: amazon
Product Specs
- Type: Epoxy
- Compatible materials: Fiberglass, plastic, metal, composite, and wood
- Volume: 28.4 grams (per bottle)
- Curing time: 16 to 24 hours
What We Like
- Waterproof formula comes ready to mix and use; suitable for aquariums and boats
- 5,020 pounds per square inch (PSI) tensile strength can withstand immense pressure and strain
- Excellent heat-resistant glue for plastic withstands up to 550 degrees Fahrenheit; suitable for use near machinery
- Can be tapped, filed, sanded, molded, and drilled once cured
What We Don’t Like
- Takes up to 24 hours to fully cure; may not be ideal for quick fixes
The J-B Weld waterproof glue for plastic was designed for repairing boats, fixing dock pieces, or fastening metal hardware at the marina. Among the best adhesive for plastic and metal, it is heat-resistant up to 550 degrees Fahrenheit and has a tensile strength of 5,020 PSI, which means that it would require 5,020 pounds of force to pull apart two objects fastened using this glue. It can be used with aluminum, fiberglass, metal, plastic, composite, and wood. It’s a two-tube epoxy that comes ready to mix at a ratio of 1:1.
The epoxy takes between 4 to 6 hours to set. This gives you a long period of adjustment to ensure that the adhesive and materials are set just right, but it’s best to clamp pieces in place once you have a perfect position. The complete cure time is between 16 and 24 hours, and once cured, it can be tapped, filed, sanded, molded, and drilled.
Get the J-B Weld glue for plastic at Amazon, Ace Hardware, or The Home Depot.
Best For Plastic To Wood
Gorilla Clear Epoxy
Photo: amazon
Product Specs
- Type: Epoxy
- Compatible materials: Plastic, wood, metal, ceramics, brick, stone, concrete, glass, and foam
- Volume: 25 milliliters
- Curing time: 24 hours
What We Like
- Can be used for gap filling and repairing exterior siding; comes with a precision syringe applicator
- Water-resistant formula is suitable for use in households and automobiles
- Clear, spotless finish is not visible or obvious after application
What We Don’t Like
- Not a waterproof glue for plastic; may not be suitable for use in aquariums or boats
Gorilla two-part epoxy glue for plastic is useful for gap filling; repairing exterior siding; or gluing plastic, wood, metal, ceramics, brick, stone, concrete, glass, and foam. It comes in a dual-syringe form that uses a combined plunger to push the resin and hardener out through the same point.
Once mixed, the epoxy glue sets in 5 minutes, allowing you time to ensure proper placement before permanent adhesion. The epoxy is water-resistant (though not waterproof) so it can hold up fairly well when used on outdoor items. A good plastic glue, the formula takes 24 hours to fully cure to a completely clear, spotless finish.
Get the Gorilla glue for plastic at Amazon, Ace Hardware, or The Home Depot.
Best For Plastic To Rubber
3M Scotch-Weld Plastic & Rubber Instant Adhesive
Photo: amazon