Munkyslut
Good call Bob!
I've been looking at PE parts after seeing some of the great results mates here have achieved, looking forward to a bit of skoolin😉

Augie
Personally, I use CA..

Bob Hall
CA ?

René "Lord Bilbo" Bartholemy
I use CA too, but would like to start soldering as soon as I get myself an iron.

Augie
Cyanoacrylate.. superglue.

Bob Hall
Ah ! Thanks Augie !

wilky
CA, too

Nathan Dempsey
Thin CA for me.

Alan G
I use superglue gel. This gives you a small amount of time to move the part should it be placed slightly in the wrong position.

Bob Hall
Cool ! That makes sense.

Al
I use CA mostly but soldering is much more solid. I find a pair of third hand tweezers to be indispensable for either.

Bob Hall
So, just a traditional soldering iron, or something more specific ?

Bill Newcomer
I use Testors window maker. It wicks under 100%, dries clear and does not fog glossy surfaces. Then Future clear over the whole model.

Bob Hall
Mmmmm, Cool, Thanks Bill, I use that a lot. I'll give that a shot, sounds like it's more forgiving if mistakes are made.

Daniel
Can only speak for cockpit PE where I mostly use PVA glue, same reasons as bill said canopies don't like CA - and it stays flexible, so if I glued little levers with ca they would skyrocket through the room after accidental touching, with pva they just lean and even slowly move back to the position they dried in. Drawback is slow drying under large parts- which is not always a drawback😉

Al
Regarding Soldering Irons I've gotten the best service from this one (currently unavailable but...)
on Amazon:
Tabiger Soldering Iron Kit 60W 110V-Adjustable Temperature Welding Soldering Iron with Tool Carry Case

It's about $17, it's adjustable and heats up super fast. Many of the non adjustables take forever to get hot and lose their heat the second you touch the brass. I use mine around the 200 mark (not sure what the 200 stands for).

Get yourself some good liquid flux, a little bottle of Tix will work best. Get small diameter solder; I bought a kit which had the solder, the flux and some anti-flux for $20ish.
Also on Amazon:
Tix Solder Kit - Jewelry Repair and Craft Soldering Kit

I went all out and got a rechargeable ultra-fine soldering iron and it gets used hardly ever, the infinitely less expensive one listed above does all my soldering work, good for household and automotive too. Save your $$$ and go with this plug in soldering iron, I think it will serve you well for many years.

Bob Hall
Doesn't sound like a bad investment, I picked up a bunch of Soviet Armour kits from a guy (about 6 kits now) that were all loaded with PE extras, so I figure I'd try my hand it. Definitely will be a learning experience for sure, Thanks Al !

Nigel
VMS CA is a little more resistant to 'popping':

Youtube Video

I also prefer solder for metal-on-metal. I've just got hold of some paste: flux and fine solder powder in one; hopefully it'll be easier for fine pieces. Gonna test it soon enough.

Al
Cool. Also it's important whether CA or solder, to prep the surface by ensuring it's clean. I use some thinner, dry it off and for good measure will use a light sandpaper. Some PE comes with a coating on it.

Spanjaard
good tip about those solders with adjustable temperature, thanks Al