Glues

Depends what for;

I've always got on hand;

1. Two types of liquid poly
2. At least two cyanoacrylates
3. Epoxy Resin
4. Contact adhesive
5. PVA

1. for plastic kits and making "plastic soup". Thin stuff for fine detail, and a thicker stuff for larger areas.

2. brush on, squeezey tube, and if i'm feeling flash, gel. Try the $2 shop; you can bottles that are half full and presumably rejects form other stores, and about 5 tubes for $2. The tube stuff, although branded, is often poor quality, so I guess it is mfr's rejects. Worth a gamble for that price. Warehouse sells tubes for about $1, and I've found it is fine. I generally use superglue for plastic minis (only use liquid poly if i feel like a change or for tacking joints) and adding small metal and plastic details to models. Apart from that, superglue is only realy good for sticking flesh (and that's how I check if it's a good batch or not - don't recommend you try that at home) As ana side, do you know what cyanocrylate (superglue) was invented for?

3. Heavy duty joints, attaching figures to bases et cetera. get a decen one and you use it for casting water.

4. As above, but for cases whwere it's not practical to hold the joint while it sets.

5. This should really be called "superglue". Sticking foam, card, wood, groundwork. mixing with paint / sand / filler for texturing, several secret techniques I'm not about share , There are some materials that only PVA will stick, and some that it is simply the best at. It can be diluted and used as a surface coating, mixed with all kinds of things for different applications, even used to cast passable water if you are patient enough (takes a lot of coats, and is'nt all that good, but better than nothing. And it is cheap. Again, the $2 shop for a wee bottle, or somwhere like carters for a 5 litre drum.

Somethings, such as wood and card, will be bonded for life with PVA (cabinet makers use it after all) other joints will be strong, but tend to fail catastrophically ie good joint, then gives way suddenly under too much strain with little warning. To be fair, that is true of some other glues, such as epoxy resin.

Then there's also the old glue gun, soldering iron, gas torch, nails, pins, screws...

(The white powder is probably a sign you are using to o much; you really need tiny amounts of cyanocrylate)

That's the other thing; regardless of what type you buy, if you don't use it quick it goes off or the top gets permanently glued on.

i read a story about a guy who had a bottle with top firmly stuck, so he stuck a pin in the bottle to make a pouring hole. pin went straight through, and cos it was now covered in glue, he had a glue bottle superglue-pinned into his hand ;D