Hi all,
I normally use good old Titebond II for my projects, but recently purchased some Titebond CA glue and accelerator because it seemed like the instant bond would make certain projects easier (e.g., trim carpentry).
I tried using it tonight and am very disappointed. In most of my attempts, I cannot get the glue to hold whatsoever. In the joints that do seem to hold, I am unsure of just how much bond strength there is. This definitely goes against my past experiences with dollar store "crazy glue."
My first thought is that the glue that I purchased (online) was expired. The date code on the bottom indicates a 2016 production, which seems very old.
However, I found this information straight from Titebond regarding their CA glues' shelf life:
https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/w...life-ca-glues/
My particular bottle of Titebond (thick) is definitely still liquid, so according to Titebond, it should still work correctly.Here’s the short answer: If the CA glue is still liquid, then it’s still active and able to cure.
HOWEVER, there is a plethora of forum posts here and elsewhere that suggest that the shelf life of CA glues is only months, or 1-2 years at most. Wikipedia cites several sources claiming that CA glue has a very short shelf life:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanoacrylate#Shelf_life
So what's the deal with CA glue and shelf life - and why does there seem to be so much disagreement about it?