Question on CA

[PJ Seiber]

Can someone tell me how long does it take CA to set up when put in a deep crack where you can't get accelerator to it?

[George Yetka]

bottle of statbond says 15-20 seconds I would allow an extra 15-20 to be safe.

[Bill Howatt]

It will vary with the moisture content of the wood but a couple of minutes should do it to be really safe. Note that this time will form the bond but the full-strength, cured bond will take about a day.
On my fingers, less than a microsecond .

[PJ Seiber]

Thanks much

[Reed Gray]

I tried using some CA to seat some 1 by 8 tpi nuts into wood for waste blocks. A day later, stuff was flying out. This was maybe 1/2 inch deep. Now I use 30 minute 2 part epoxy. I do use Bob Smith CA glue from a local hobby shop. The CA glue did honey comb as it dried. No clue as to how secure it would have been. To patch a crack, I will put some thin CA glue in first, and then chase that with medium CA glue since that will actually fill cracks. Only way thin CA glue will fill a crack is if you have a bunch of sawdust you push into the crack. The thin stuff sets up a lot quicker than the medium stuff. When the medium stuff is sealed up top, bottom, and sides, it takes a while for it to fully cure.

robo hippy

[Bill Howatt]

I love CA for filling tight cracks, filling voids with coffee grounds, powder, etc., knick-knack repairs; essentially light duty stuff. I know it is capable of strong bonds when they are well-mated, but if I do anything heavier, like the nut in a waste-block, I would be using my 5 min epoxy.

[Jeffrey J Smith]

Depends on the glue - I recently used Starbond medium black ca on a small crack in a box I’m turning. A day later uncurled ca seeped out of the crack when I spun it up to finish. I did not use the accelerator on it, but waited a little 9ver 24 hours for the cure…

[PJ Seiber]

That's been my experience. That's why I was asking.

[Bernie Kopfer]

This discussion brings up a question about the use of accelerators. Somewhere I got the understanding that when CA was sprayed with accelerant the reaction would spread through all the glue, not just the surface layer. If I’m wrong I’d really like to know.

[Tim Elett]

If I may ask, is the CA glue better than tight bond to repair cracks?

[Stan Calow]

Tim, IMO, it works better in situations where the cracks are small and narrow, and you want to work on the surface (sanding, finishing, etc.) in a few minutes, not waiting for TB to cure for a few days. CA essentially cures to solid plastic, so it fills gaps with some strencgth, unlike TB which needs some sawdust or something to provide mass. Use CA glue that is medium (gel) or thicker so it doesnt just run through. The black or brown versions of CA (Starbond) work well at matching the look of wood.

[Tim Elett]

Thanks I didn't know there was different shades of CA glue I'll have to look for it.