C A Glue

[John Christian]

can anyone recommend a good or favourite kind ?
thanks in advance

[Steve Eure]

There are several who will recommend StarBond. I have been using Bob Smith Maxi-Cure for a few years. I like it and it is fairly inexpensive.
https://modelmerchants.com/shop/bob-...saAh-TEALw_wcB

[Mark Daily]

I don’t think there is a lot of difference but I’ve been using 2P-10 with great success.

FastCap Solo Thick Adhesive Refill (2.25 Ounces) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006IUWCM..._RAyqEbAX3H1QT

[Earl McLain]

Depends on the use for me--even in pen turning. For flooding powders into cracks--Bob Smith super thin (insta-cure). I've had great luck with Bob Smith products in general. Mercury makes a very good line, and i use their thick Flex for gluing brass tubes into wood blanks. Used to use Mercury Flex Med & Thin as a pen finish, but switched to Glu-Boost several months ago. Whatever you use, buy from a vendor that keeps stock moving--especially if using as a finish. And, as economical as quantity purchase can be...i don't buy more than i expect to use in 3 or 4 months (way more conservative than i need to be, 12 months should be fine).
earl

[John K Jordan]

can anyone recommend a good or favourite kind ?
thanks in advance

My favorites are Mercury (expensive but a lifetime no-questions-asked warranty if it goes bad) and the thin Hotstuff. I use other types as well, including Stickfast.

BTW, I keep all unopened bottles in the fridge or freezer and opened bottles in a sealed container with desiccant beads to keep the air inside very dry. Moisture entering the glue bottles through the plastic can cause it to set up. This storage method makes the glue last "forever".

This is my first container but since then I've switched to a larger one. The indicator desiccant beads turn pink when they need to be recharged.

CA_glue_storage_IMG_5481.jpg

JKJ

[Earl McLain]

Not to hijack, but a few questions aimed at Mr. Jordan which may be helpful to others...
1. do you recall where you got the desiccant beads, and perhaps the brand if it makes a difference?
2. does Mercury make a CA with a real thin viscosity--like water? When i hit voids deep in a pen blank, i add powdered stone or metal (turquoise, lapis, copper, aluminum--depending on what i'm doing) and super thin CA carries it deeper than i could force it. The BSI has done me well, but it's the only thing i buy from this particular vendor.
Thanks!!
earl

[John K Jordan]

Not to hijack, but a few questions aimed at Mr. Jordan which may be helpful to others...
1. do you recall where you got the desiccant beads, and perhaps the brand if it makes a difference?
2. does Mercury make a CA with a real thin viscosity--like water? When i hit voids deep in a pen blank, i add powdered stone or metal (turquoise, lapis, copper, aluminum--depending on what i'm doing) and super thin CA carries it deeper than i could force it. The BSI has done me well, but it's the only thing i buy from this particular vendor.
Thanks!!
earl

I think the Mercury thin CA is as thin as the others I use, at least I haven't noticed the difference. When I use a LOT of thin, such as when I stabilized a punky bowl with two bottles of CA, I used a cheaper brand! Note that it may be the same CA as sold by some others, I don't know. Someone in the industry once told me there were only three manufacturers of CA glue in the US. But one big difference between the Mercury and all others I've tried is the bottle - the Mercury bottle is much thicker plastic which they claim is better than keeping moisture out. They also use a stainless steel pin in the cap which works very well to keep the tip from clogging. I THINK I called Mercury Adhesives and bought directly from them but it was 4-5 years ago and I'm not sure. (I'm still using what I bought then.)

http://www.mercuryadhesives.com/
http://www.mercuryadhesives.com/inde...y/general/faq/

Maybe call them with the viscosity question. Perhaps they will send you a little sample, you can test, and report to the masses!


I don't think the type of desiccant makes a difference. I bought several quarts of this in 2013 (hmm, I must have been using it longer than I thought!):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000OUXA2Q

HOWEVER, it was $15 a quart the last time I bought it! I think I would shop around, maybe at industrial suppliers. Even Amazon has it cheaper than that one, especially if bought in quantity, for example: https://www.amazon.com/Gallon-Premiu.../dp/B013L2Z2MY

The deep blue beads turn purple then pink as they absorb moisture. The white/clear non-indicating desiccant will also work except you can't tell when it needs to be "recharged" (dried). But there is a an easy way to use it if you have even a little of the indicator beads: just mix a few blue beads in and watch those for color change.

I dry the desiccant for reuse in a little toaster oven I keep in the shop. I have some small aluminum containers about 3x4" and I can fit 6 of those in my little oven. I turn it on the Warm setting and heat until the beads turn from pink back to blue. I store the dried beads in a canning jar with a good seal on the lid. I use the same desiccant in an compressed airline dryer so I keep extra on hand. (Compressed air for a plasma cutter has to be very dry!)

BTW, the story of how and when I set this up in my shop might be a bit humorous. I thought of the idea a bunch of years ago and suggested it to a friend. He implemented it right away but I immediately forgot all about it. I was reminded years later when he thanked me for the idea and said how well it has worked for him.

JKJ

[Andrew Joiner]

I use the cheapest generic brand from Walmart. My tests prove its strong enough for my needs. However this test is more detailed and he tested many brands-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vR15u0vmms

Interesting the low cost brand comes out on top in 2 out 3 of his tests.

[Lucas Hurt]

I've had some experience with cured CA glue itself deteriorating over time. For me, over a period of years, it turned yellow-brown and got very brittle. Any idea if this is a universal trait of CA or if my cases were outliers?

Also thanks for the storage solution Jordan. I wasn't clear on the reason why my CA bottles only last so long. I store open bottles in the fridge which helps but still isn't perfect.

[John K Jordan]

I store open bottles in the fridge which helps but still isn't perfect.

I read that bottles stored in the fridge should be warmed to room temperature before opening, otherwise warmer moisture-laden air may enter to bottle and condense on the inside and add to the degrading.

I don't have experience with cured glue turning brittle. Was it thick, gap-filling glue? I did read that some people quit using CA as a finish on pens due to it cracking or chipping eventually. Any I use on the surface of wood is the thin type which soaks into the wood and I sand it after it cures. In general I don't use accelerator since I don't like what it does to the glue.

JKJ

[Earl McLain]

@ John Jordan--thanks so much for your time & insight!!

@ John Christian (OP)--my apologies for the highjack!! I don't think there is a single "best", but i do believe there are some really good choices...including generic if the situation calls for it.
earl