Elmer’s Stix-All for Window Glazing

Elmer's Stix-All

Installing window glazing can be a problem for some modelers because many glues react with the clear styrene or acetate used for the glazing.

Cyanoacrylate (CA) glue and standard modeling cement can not be used for glazing because it will cause the clear material to fog or “craze” the surface.  The “crazing” will look like a scaly white crust of the surface of the glazing.

Other glues, such as white glue or Testor’s clear parts cement either don’t hold up well or don’t adhere well to a painted surface. Many times glues don’t grab quickly, making it difficult to keep your hand steady enough to not nudge the glue onto the exposed surface. Often, gluing in glazing can create a mess — making the glazing process a real pain — especially when you’re dealing with small, individual windows instead of installing large sheets of glazing.

For glazing installation, I use a product called Stix-All by Elmer’s. Note that N Scale Limited is not affiliated with Elmer’s and this is not a paid endorsement.

Elmer’s Stix-All is a thick, sticky, gel-like glue that is easy to apply with a small brush or toothpick. It takes up to three days to fully cure, but will set up in about 20 minutes or so. The really nice feature about this glue is that it’s sticky enough to hold almost any part in place almost instantly, but gives you plenty of time to work and rework the glazing until you have it just right.

Also, if you get glue on the exposed part of the glazing, because the glue sticks to itself, it can be easily wiped on with a cotton swab.  Even if you leave some on the surface, it dries clear, making this a nice glue for this application.

The bonding strength on this is also relatively strong.  I wouldn’t use it on anything that needs to support any type of weight or in areas where a secure bond is critical (like structure corners) – but otherwise, I’m finding more and more uses for it.

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About the Author

Frank Giacobbe — Co-founder of N Scale Limited, Frank has been building models since childhood and modeling in N scale since 2oo3. He is the former author of the blog, N Scale Modeling and a member of the Riverside Historic Society in Riverside, NJ. Frank has a passion for big city modeling, the 1940s and the Pennsylvania Railroad.