Adhesive Types
A guide to common adhesives used in model making
General Purpose
All Purpose Adhesive
Solvent-based general purpose adhesive. Versatile, bonds many materials. Can be used as contact adhesive for instant bond. May attack foam board cores — test first.
A solvent-based general-purpose adhesive that’s been a workshop staple for decades (commonly sold as UHU, Bostik, or similar). It bonds by dissolving slightly into surfaces and then hardening as the solvent evaporates. This gives it a much wider material range than PVA, including many plastics, while remaining easy to use and reasonably repositionable before it sets.
All purpose adhesive works well for mixed-material joints — card to plastic, fabric to wood, and general-purpose bonding where you don’t need maximum strength. It can also be used as a contact adhesive: apply to both surfaces, let them go tacky, then press together for an instant bond. Worth noting that the solvent can attack foam cores in foam board, so always test on a scrap piece first.