A Dummy Question

I've been reading these posts and on occasion I'll see Super Glue or CA mentioned and I would like to ask, what is it being used for? Are you mixing it with wood dust and filling cracks or to keep a crack from letting go?:confused:
From my past experiences with CA in a tube is that I bought it for $3.98 or what ever, used it once, put the cap back on and the next time I went to use it the whole tube would be hard..:(
I've also scraped it off of glass and couldn't figure out what I had in between my fingers that felt like a piece of steel imbedded in the skin but there was nothing to be seen until I looked with a magnifying glass and saw the tiny little almost invisible slivers.:eek:.Only way I could get them out was to scrape against the grain with an Exacto blade..:) Don't look forward to doing that anymore!!

Gene

Yes, CA and sawdust or coffee grounds fills cracks. Always use latex or nitrile gloves when handling it and after use wipe the spout clean before putting the cap back on. Also, I keep mine in the freezer most of the time when it's not in use and it lasts a long time that way.......Ron

Gene I use CA in a variety of ways. I use it on small cracks to keep them from getting bigger. I sand enough to fill the bigger cracks then soak it with CA. I use CA to soak the pith to keep it from cracking. I use CA as a finish on pens. I buy my CA in 2 oz or 4 oz bottles.

It's also used in pen making and also to solidify punky sof spots, especially woods with spalting. Wear a respirator when turning woods with CA. It'll burn your eyes like acid. BTW only dummy question around here is the one you don't ask.;):D

The one thing I learned from Wally Dickerman in the private lesson I took. Wally leaves the caps off his CA. Since I started doing that I have not had a clogged tip. The air allows the CA to return into the bottle and not get stuck in the tip. I buy 2oz CA thick, medium, and thin. Use it all the time, attaching waste blocks, cracks, pith, punky wood. I ask Wally the same way "this is a dumb question, but why no tips on your CA?" Its amazing what you learn from someone thats been turning since 1936. Only one of many lessons learned that great day, from that great turner.
Remember CA does have a shelf life. Has not been a problem yet...Good Luck..Bruce
Wallys other suggestion, make sure you have squeeze out when attaching a waste block or your not using enough glue.

I learned recently that if you don't put the cap back on your CA it won't harden in the tip. It's not the air that causes it to cure, it's the lack of air. Now, I never put the cap on my bottle once it's been opened, and I have no problems at all.

I also use the 2oz. bottles. My supplier gave me a tip on storage for longer shelf life;I put it in the refrigerater. As to sticky fingers, when I feel it on my fingers I splay my fingers wide for a few seconds. It WILL peal off in the next eight hours or so. and better those covered fingers than a trip to the ER. Also I highly reccomend wearing safety glasses. I frequently find tiny blobs of it on mine. I clean it off with acetone on a Q tip. CA is too useful a tool to give up on, and I too struggled with thos funky little tubes, etc. :eek::)
Bob

Thanks for answering so expeditiously fellas, I didn't expect so many so fast!
And to think, all those hardened tubes wouldn't have if I had left the cap off and stood them on end.. Oh well now I know!
I've got the gloves, a respirator, goggles now all I need is a place locally that has CA in bottles..

If you use it to fill cracks or to stop a small split from running , how long do you let it cure before putting a gouge to it?What consistency do you mix it to??
Thanks again! Will check back early in the AM, these old bones need their beauty rest..

Gene

Quote:

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Originally Posted by robert hainstock

Also I highly reccomend wearing safety glasses. I frequently find tiny blobs of it on mine. :eek::)
Bob

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:D I have long,curly hair, and frequently find little tiny blobs of it there.......:eek::eek:usually the blobs are found at the middle of a tangle when I'm cleaning up!!

Gene,

What is true in the arid atmosphere of Arizona does not necessarily apply in humid areas where there is a lot of moisture in the air all the time. I have to admit I haven't tried leaving the caps off, but I'm not willing to try it, as moisture helps CA glue cure faster.

I'm glad you said it. I was going to point that out also.

I absolutely love this site ! :rolleyes: ! So many guys, young and old, willing to jump in and reveal what they have learned, usually the hard way, to someone ( older than old but not as old as the WW'er who's been turning since 1936, the year of my appearance ) who needs advice and then even more benefit from a Dummy's Dumb Question!!
Thanks for all the input's fellas, :confused: I know now what I didn't know before ;) before now but do know now !!! big wide:)
Now to find that local CA supplier!

Gene

Don't forget CA accelerator. We use it because instant glue isn't instant enough for this crowd. Plus, it's the the stuff you really need to glue your fingers together really fast although I could do without the burning sensation.

Don't forget the De-Bonder....you'll need this after the above incident. Acetone works, too, but it takes a lot longer to pry your fingers off the tool or the wood.

Or you could just wear gloves like it was suggestion. Maybe I will follow this advice myself......or not.

they use it in hospital , wash cut first,grit teeth apply. makes finger slippery .

I am not sure if you are talking about the same type of CA glue as what woodworkers use. You keep mentioning the stuff in a tube, and that is a different product. Woodworker's CA glue comes in three consistencies, usually in 2 oz. or 4 oz. bottles. Though they can be allowed to air/slow cure like the stuff in tubes, they are designed to cure nearly instantly with the use of the accelerator/catalyst, which is a separate product.

Here's a link of a business that sells CA glue in bulk. I have never used them, but probably will. http://woodenwonderstx.com/WWBlue/NewGlueWS.html

Hutch

Be sure and wear a face mask and watch where you put your hands. You can end of with hands stuck to other body parts and other objects before you even know it....or so I hear:D.

I don't know! I've seen it referred to , here on the Mill, as Super Glue, CA and some long chemical oriented name..I thought SG was SG and/or CA but different consistencies...That I've seen was in a small green and white tube like a tiny tooth paste container..If it dries on glass it's transparent and when scraped off it comes loose tiny little slivers.If you have it on fingers and they contact each other you're out of play for awhile...We used it to glue some refrigerator parts together and sometimes to reattach a badge or logo plate..

One things for sure though,, if moisture will cause it to cure/harden then it will surely do it here in NJ, about 1/2mile from Atlantic and 150 yards from Navesink River which empties into NY Harbor and is a tidal river..
Gene

"Super Glue" is CA, but it's very thick (high viscosity). AFAIK they don't sell the thin stuff at Home Depot or the grocery store: the combination of watery consistency and hyperfast cure makes it a bit too twitchy for normal home repair use.

The think stuff is good for gluing on waste blocks or filling bug holes (like in ambrosia maple), the thin stuff makes a good instant-cure finish.

The medium stuff...well, I have no idea what it's good for. I think I still have the only bottle of it that I ever bought.