Superglue

[Jonzjob]

I'm not sure where this should go, but as it is a general type of thingy here it is. Appologies to anyone who knows just how to suck eggs..

This is probably aimed primaraly at us blokes, but for the more handy fairer *** too?

If you are fed up with having a little tube of superglue that you can't use after you have had it for a little while then here is a tip for you. It won't endire you to the OH, but it will save yer expensive glue.

Keep it in the fridge. Simple init. Just find a corner where it won't stick out (sorry about the pun, errrr, no I ain't) and store it with the top upwards. That way the glue won't block yer little hole and it's ready to use when you want it. It will last for a heck of a lot longer than the stuff you keep on a shelf in a cupboard.

Also, when you come to stick yer family treasures back together it will stick much better if the 2 surfaces are damp and if it's a small surface and you lick yer finger and damp the surfaces with that it's even better. After all it was designed to stick soldiers together when they got shot up and blown apart in the war in Vietnam.

Not-a-lot-a-people-know-that....

 

[BigShot]

On the "Not-a-lot-a-people-know-that" front - Superglue is also used in making fake fingerprints for getting past all that "unbreakable" fingerprint security... you know... like the stuff in these utterly stupid ID Scheme the guvmint is trying to force upon us at the moment.

So if you ever need to get someone else's fingerprint for some odd reason... Superglue.

 

[Jonzjob]

Your guvmint BS, not mine now

 

[frugal]

And CSI has shown us that the fumes from super glue can develop finger prints good enough to hold up in court

 

[bodgermatic]

Acetone i.e.: nail polish remover (yes, hers), is a handy solvent for cured superglue. Softens, rather than dissolves though.

 

[wobblycogs]

I would imagine if you stuck it in the freezer it would last even longer although it may well freeze solid. Back in my chemistry days we used to store most things we were working on in an old chest freezer. Only thing I'd do it bag up the glue before putting it in the fridge / freezer. Firstly to catch any spills and secondaly to stop air and water getting to the glue.

 

[disco_monkey79]

Thanks for this. Top tip, tip toppers! As Alan "Fluff" Freeman might have said. If he was sniffing glue.

Anywho, I too was fed up with buying a tube, using a wee bit, and it then going hard and unusable. So I bought a multi-pack from Poundland, and it's lasting brilliantly. And does actually stick stuff. No more expensive glue for me.

 

[jimi43]

Fingers are about the only things that stick with that stuff....

Biggest marketing con of the 20th C

IMHO!! :wink:

 

[Jonzjob]

One of the things that I have used it for several times was when I worked for IBM one of the things that used to happen was the floppy disk unit stopped working. Normally because the drive belt had either stretched or snapped. The old 8 inch diskettes. The best temp/permanent repair was, stretched to cut a bit out and superglue it back together, borken just glue it back again. Order the new belt and replace it when the customer wasn't busy. It would last weeks or longer if it were forgotten! In fact, the thing that prompted this post was an 'O' ring broke on my camera tripod last night when I was trying my new camera to get some photos of the moon and I s/glued it back together again, no trouble!

Fantastic stuff and definately no con!

I also use it if I have a bit on the lathe let go and the bits go back together OK. After it's cured, sanded and polished even a blind man couldn't see the join!

 

[jimi43]

Ok...O rings and fingers... :wink:

Oh and it also makes a superb reinforcement for finger nails if you play guitar...and I use it to stick nuts on guitar necks so that I can be assured I can get them off again when they need changing...

My "con" reference was to the word "super".....not...not super....

Their use in surgery is probably one saving grace as to their existence....

 

[ondablade]

Good stuff, but has definite limits. I worked in adhesives development for several years, including on cyanoacrylates.

A few more bits on it:

The monomer was orginally developed by Kodak as a possible useful chemistry in film production. Only later was it bought for a song and adapted as a rapidly curing adhesive.

Doesn't naturally cure well on slightly acidic surfaces like some woods and paper, the original varieties not at all. Didn't actually cure on many of the materials it was originally sold in consumer markets as suitable for bonding!

We used to joke that it wasn't much use for bonding anything except 'O' rings and your fingers.

The latest ones with a modified cure chemistry are much much better though.

Some of the cheaper non proprietary yellow pack varieties probably still use the old chemistries.

An accelerator will kick the cure off on most surfaces.

Acids stop the cure.

Bonds the slippery plastics very well if they are prepped first with the purpose made primer.

The resulting polymer is waterproof, but peculiarly enough the bond/interface to the bonded material is not. Water unzips it, very obviously on non porous materials like plastics - it just falls off. So suitable for damp conditions only with porous materials where it penetrates to get a mechanical interlock.

Relies as above on surface moisture to trigger the cure, so consequently won't cure alone through anything except a thin film next to the surface. Use an accelerator if gap filling is required - ideally with a slow curing gel version as there is otherwise a high risk of cracking caused by overheating. (exothermic cure)

Not a very strong or tough material as polymers go, and naturally prone to fracture if shocked or stressed. Consequently not much used in more demanding engineering applications. But fine on wood and the like.

Tends to fail in joints where different rates of expansion in the two substrates stress the joint with temperature changes.

Attempts to produce shock resistant/flexible varieties have not been very successful.

Limited temperature resistance.

Will cause stress cracking and embrittlement on contact with some low molecular weight plastics.

The gel varieties are less inclined to cure in nozzles/needles during dispensing.

Traces of contamination picked up by touching the bottle nozzle or dispenser needle to surfaces in use can destabilise the stuff, and greatly shorten the shelf life or trigger curing in the dispenser.

Contamination of packing is consequently a very big issue in manufacturing and packing.

The faster curing varieties are more affected.

The first sign of aging is normally stringing within the liquid.

Highly volatile, and when the vapour cures it produces 'blooming' effects, especially on gloss surfaces like plastics.

The low viscosity varieties (water like) are great for bonding pre-assembled joints. Applied after assembly the stuff wicks into narrow gaps by capillary or wetting action, and then cures.

 

[jimi43]

So...um...like I said...a marketing con...

OK OK a marketing HYPE....is that better!



I did experiment with the (even more expensive) pro cyanos....the ones that the model users use for making balsa models of the Space Shuttle and the like...and they were certainly better....

Using the correct type for the correct application certainly helps...but I stand firm...the use of the word SUPER conjured up to the general public a glue to beat all glues...a cure for the common cold and the stuff used to reach Pluto on a push-bike...

Marketing!

DON'T use it to fix your sunglasses on a hot day in the tropics! It stuck the nose pad on fine...well for 10 minutes until it fell off again...but it nearly blinded me with the fumes coming off....NOT GOOD STUFF!

I think that glues each have their own strengths...TITEBOND for wood...EPOXYS for the metal to something else bonds...pure ACETONE for some plastics....that AIRFIX stuff for other plastics...mmm the smell is great!

I tried storing my "SUPER GLUE" in the fridge and that works brilliantly though...no clog at all....now...how to get my fingers unglued from that packet of cheese...mmmm a problem....

8) :wink:

Jim

(not being too serious!)

 

[ondablade]

Sorry Jim, apologies if it seemed that way, but i didn't intend to come over as negative in any way. The fumes (the vapour) are pretty obnoxious, but apparently fairly safe....

ian

 

[jimi43]

Sorry Jim, apologies if it seemed that way, but i didn't intend to come over as negative in any way. The fumes (the vapour) are pretty obnoxious, but apparently fairly safe....

ian

Hey Ian...no apologies necessary at ALL mate...yours is a very well written post and I totally agree with it...

My posts are mostly tongue in cheek as you will probably see...but I do seriously think that "SUPER GLUE" when it first came out was the thing that everyone HAD to have...come on...doesn't EVERYONE have at least one tube somewhere in a drawer?

I understand that similar technology was used to bond the space chassis of Lotus Elise cars...I am SURE that this ain't the stuff I have in my fridge!

:wink:

Jim

 

[xy mosian]

the drive belt had either stretched or snapped......The best temp/permanent repair was, stretched to cut a bit out and superglue it back together,...

Used to use that exact method on HiFi turntable drive belts, the fun bit is trying to align the two ends.

xy

 

[Jonzjob]

Easy to align. All you do is to lay the 2 ends slightly overlapping and use a scalpel or something VERY sharp and cut the new ends at about 45 deg to form a scarf joint. Damp the 2 ends with a 'licked' finger hold the ends together with a small bit of polythene sheet around them and put a small drop of cyano on the join.

The best way to do that is to drop a drop of cyano onto a bit of poly sheet and use a watchmakers screwdriver to pick a tiny amount and drop it onto the join. Roll it gently for a couple of seconds, job done! The rolling action will align the joint, but do it gently ad quickly!!

 

[OldWood]

Thought it worth while bringing this back up again rather than start a new thread.

Ian's (Ondablade) excellent posting on the CA glues mentions crack filling - how do I identify the thin type of CA glue suitable for this ? I saw it being used at the club the other day and forgot to ask the user what type it was.

Rob

 

[Benchwayze]

S
I tried storing my "SUPER GLUE" in the fridge and that works brilliantly though...no clog at all....now...how to get my fingers unglued from that packet of cheese...mmmm a problem....

8) :wink:

Jim

(not being too serious!)

It's simple Jim.
Stop eating cheese! :lol:
John !

 

[Mike Wingate]

I buy it from "Poundshops" in 3 x 10ml small squeezy bottles that dont clog if you keep it upright and cool with the cap on. It was discovered whilst developing a superclear material for gun sights. in 1942. Rediscovered in 1951 and sold commercially in 1958.