I think I have finally found my replacement for Mek Pak. I became addicted to that styrene cement whilst living in Henley on Thames (Nine miles from Reading for ardent CBC fans). “Addicted” in the sense of strong preference as opposed to plastic-bag-solvent-abuse-self-harm. Unfortunately, my stockpile has run out or evaporated, and I’ve been chasing a replacement for a couple of years now.
I stopped into Central Hobbies to pick up some Tamiya Extra Thin Cement, which I’d heard good things about, and discovered this bottle from Flex-i-File on the shelf. I might have stuck to the Tamiya plan, but for two considerations: the other Flex-i-File product in my tool chest is a soft sanding stick I bought coincidentally when I lived in Henley, and I find it useful for its purpose.
The second consideration is that apparently Flex-i-File’s world headquarters are in the village of Embro, Ontario. That stopping place is so small that people from there say they’re from Woodstock, and most everyone has to look that up too. The only reason I know about Embro is because I have cousins who grew up on a dairy farm near to Embro. They never claimed to be from there, either, but Embro used to be our target when my siblings and I had to navigate there with real actual paper maps in the dark days before Google. As I liked Embro, and I liked one of Flex-i-File’s other products, I decided to give this bottle of solvent a whirl.
I like the stuff. It is nice and thin so it slurps into cracks quickly to form bonds, and has the right level of aggression to hold without turning thin plastic into a sloppy mess. It also doesn’t smell very much at all, especially when used in a syringe as I do. This is a winning product; I may try their applicator as well if it cuts down on discarded syringes.
Pembroke:87 
I am a huge fan of their touch-in-flow applicator for gluing styrene. It is way, way more precise than a syringe and very stingy on plastic weld fluid. And if the tip gets clogged, as they do eventually, just score the needle with the edge of a file and snap the tip off with pliers. I just counted and I have one active on my work surface and four back ups in my glue applicator box! Now that’s a testimonial!
md
Based on the strength of your recommendation, I think I will give their applicator a go. Thanks, Mark!
Interesting. I looked in the Walthers catalogue, and I found a bunch of Flex-File products, but not this (https://www.walthers.com/search/show/60?q=Flex-i-File). I’ll have to check out local hobby shops.
You can get it from their website directly or, hey! Road trip!!
I looked on the website and it says it’s not available in Canada because the label doesn’t meet Canadian standards. I’ve sent them and email to ask about it, and I’ll let you know.
Bizarre. I don’t know what to tell you as Mark and I buy it in Canada!
This is the response I got from Flex-I-File.
“Hello Richard,
Plast-I-Weld will be available again in Canada once the labelling issue has been resolved. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause in the meantime.
If you have any additional questions please let me know.
Thanks,
Lindsey Weber
Profile Accessories Inc
Alpha Precision Abrasives
Flex-I-File
Thanks Richard.