What is the trick for CA?

[Dewey Torres]

I have been using thin CA to inlay my turnings and the end of the bottle has been caking up to the point where I cant get the lid back on.

So my solution has been to use ca dissolver and break it back down.

That takes forever... any slick tricks out there?

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I put mine in the fridge. The outside beer fridge, not the food fridge. Only because the food fridge gets opened a lot more and chances of knocking off the bottle more. I also made a holder out of 2 X 4 material. Cut 2 pieces and double it up, so it fits in the lowest door pocket. Drill out a recess to hold the bottle. With the 2 by doubled up and the fit in the door it should not pop out.

So, after you're all done and putting your stuff away, the beer fridge is already open! Drink AFTER turning! I hit myself in the face today AND I WASN'T EVEN DRINKING! Good catch..... Good thing I use a face shield.

[Ron Erickson]

I always wipe the tip off with a rag after every use. No more problem. Ron

[Jack Savona]

I've always tapped the base to force CA down & away from tip, then squeezed the bottle to force any CA still in the tip upward, then wiped with a rag or paper towel. Cap back on.

Not totally perfect, but still usable.

[John Terefenko]

I too wipe the top off when done and also hit the side on the edge of a table to help the CA run back into the bottle and not clog the neck. Has worked quite well for years. I do this with wood glue as well.

[David Drickhamer]

Hi Dewey,
I worked with CA quite a bit before I retired and found several things.
If you touch the tip of the applicator to anything it starts to create dried CA on the tip. If you then cap it, it will start to plug up the cap and tip creating the mess you have now. Since CA cures in the absence of oxygen it is not necessary to use the cap. I've had a bottle of CA on my lathe for months and it is still like new. IMHO the only thing the cap is for is to prevent it from spilling if you knock it over.
If you continue to use the cap let the bottle sit several minutes and let the applicator drain back into the bottle before capping.
Dave

[Burt Alcantara]

I wonder if this is a climate thing. I don't do anything. Every other bottle or so I have to stick a pin in to get thru the "cake." It's very dry in my shop.

Could this be brand related? I use Balsa USA Gold.

Burt

[Brian Effinger]

I just give the bottle a little squeeze with it upright so that some CA gets into the nozzle but doesn't overflow, and then release. The liquid will be sucked back into the bottle.
David is right too, about the glue curing. Technically you don't need a cap. Unless you are a klutz like me and will spill it everywhere.

[Bob Bergstrom]

Listen to Dave. Just set it in a safe place and skip the cap. I used to clog it up quite often, but leaving the cap off seems to resolve the problem.

[Maylon Harvey]

Dewey,

I do as a lot of the above but they eventually still clog. So I have a small covered jar of acetone that I put the top in to soak. I keep all the old tops from used up bottles or at least 2 or 3. When ever one clogs, into the acetone it goes and take out one that's been there and is clean as new. Works for me.

[Wally Dickerman]

When I open a fresh container of CA I throw away the cap. The cap tends to hold glue up in the spout where it dries.

When I've emptied a glue container I keep the old spout. Any time a spout becomes clogged with glue I put it into a glass jar and replace it with a clean used one. When the jar contains a few spouts I pour in some Acetone. In a few hours all of the glue is in the bottom of the jar and the used spouts are clean. Been doing this for years....works for me.

Wally

[Dean Thomas]

There is a product that can help and certainly, if you're inclined you could make clones with some piano wire and some turned small spheres. KC Cherry Pickers (http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store/Adhesives___Instant_Glue___KC_Cherry_Pickers___che rry_pickers?Args=) from CSUSA. Cheap solution to an old problem.

Other thing is to be SURE to keep the stupid bottles with the tip pointed skyward. ;)

[scott schmidt grasshopper]

when my spout gets CA all over the outside I just give it a twist with some reg pliars and it breaks loose. I have steel guitar strings for line burning and a good sized base string unplugs any hole problems I have. I experamented with differant sizes strings to get the right size hole ( I hate lots of glue coming out for little applications)
happy turnings, scott