Interesting info on cyanoacrylate glues

oldbrownhat

oldbrownhat

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Just read this on one of our local tool stores' website. Who knew CA glues started with a failed experiment for gun sights?
"Remember the commercial about the guy suspended from a steel girder by his hard hat held on only by Super Glue? Or was it Krazy Glue®? There was another with a car that was hung from a junkyard crane secured only by this fabulous new adhesive? As with many things, cyanoacrylates were discovered accidentally.

The year was 1942 and Dr Harry Coover and Fred Joyner of Kodak Laboratories were doing research to develop a transparent plastic suitable for gun sights. Those experiments failed but a new product that could quickly bond together many different materials with great strength. Kodak continued to develop this new adhesive into a product which became known as Eastman 910.

In the 60’s, Eastman Kodak began selling their formulation to The Loctite Corporation who developed their own branding and distributed it under the name Locktite Quick Set 404. In 1971 Loctite implemented its own manufacturing and introduced its own product under the name ‘Super Bonder’. By the late 70’s their market share is believed to have exceeded Kodak’s. Those TV commercials brought Cyanoacrylates or ‘CAs’ to the forefront and the attention of hobbyists and homeowners alike..."
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s&wchad said:
You can also use it to close a laceration. Don't ask me how I know! :o

Not much that can't be fixed with duck tape, super glue, J-B Weld or a hammer!
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My Granddaughter just had open heart surgery (age 32) and she was shocked when they used superglued to close.

Now, she is happy they did, there is almost no scar.

She thinks she can break out the 2 piece swim suit this summer.
 
IMHO the ONLY "Super glue " or "Crazy glue" worth buying is the Locktite brand Industrial strength (at Home Depot). It comes in a descent size bottle, lasts for many years, never clogs up and I find it works incredibly well!! I have not seen it fail in over a decade of use and it is not expensive either. It is not a true gel and not a thin liquid either - but somewheres in between. If you want something that really works well - try some.

Oh and BTW, it really is impossible to get off your fingers - it has to wear off and actually glues them together to the point that it's a job to peel off. Just be careful when using it.
 
chief38 said:
IMHO the ONLY "Super glue " or "Crazy glue" worth buying is the Locktite brand Industrial strength (at Home Depot)....
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Loctite (parent company Henkel) makes a number of CA glues, differing in viscosity and setup time and formulated for different substrates. HD only carries a few of them. The link above is to the Henkel page, which lists 55 products.

One is "Black Max" (also avail. from Brownells), a rubberized glue which is tough and flexible. I've used the BSI (Bob Smith Industries) version to glue rubber to metal.

As to getting it on your fingers...
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I don't know about the other glues above but nail polish remover will remove Krazy-Glue. Also, Krazy-Glue works great on cuts and split fingers in the wintertime, as stated above. Put some cheap masking tape over it till it dries to keep the cut sealed for a minute till it dries.
 
Acetone will dissolve super glue if you get your fingers stuck together. I keep a supply of the smaller tubes found at Dollar Tree, etc. mainly because I seldom need more than a few drops, then I can throw the rest away instead of using a larger tube and wasting most of it. Versatile stuff.
 
DWalt said:
Acetone will dissolve super glue if you get your fingers stuck together. I keep a supply of the smaller tubes found at Dollar Tree, etc. mainly because I seldom need more than a few drops, then I can throw the rest away instead of using a larger tube and wasting most of it. Versatile stuff.
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That's the problem with a lot of these specialty compounds fir those of us not running a production facility. I bought the smallest bottle I could get of a Loctite threadlocker designed for large fasteners for 30mm shaft nuts on my old Yanmar tractor. Used it once and it worked. But it cost about $30. Haven't needed it since and it's probably long past its useful life.
 
I use it when I break a fingernail, cut Myself, or actually need to stick somethings together. Hip replacement had deep stitches, medium deep stitches and shallow stitches. Top stitching was done with super glue. Barely noticeable scar. Used a lot in the surgical rooms today and the ER's also.
 
chief38 said:
IMHO the ONLY "Super glue " or "Crazy glue" worth buying is the Locktite brand Industrial strength (at Home Depot).
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For general use, that's what I use, but there are hobby-grade CA's that are much better. They come in everything from a very thin liquid that will wick into joints and cure within a second or two to medium thickness like maple syrup to thick gels more like molasses, and the cure times vary from a few seconds to almost a minute to allow for clamping or repositioning of the parts. Hobby shops have wide selections for specific purposes. CA is moisture sensitive, keeping the bottle capped is important. Keeping CA in the freezer also extends the lifespan of the product.

Medical grade CA (cyanoacrylate) glues started becoming popular about ten years ago and do a great job of skin closure. No stitch marks to add to a scar. The glue comes off as the skin naturally replaces itself. We used it extensively in our O.R.
 
Golddollar said:
Don't forget WD-40!
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:eek: I've been trying to forget WD-40 for about 25 years, ever since a tympani player used it to lubricate a squeaky pedal during a recording session. The stuff reeks and isn't really a lubricant, having been developed for water displacement, hence the initials. Unfortunately(?) it works well enough that a lot of people reach for it first, instead of say, 3-in-1. Maybe it softens CA glue, though... :)
 
I was always bummed that after one use, the tube would harden or the cap would be stuck on the Super Glue tube.

Found out if you put the tube in a little zip lock bag and store it in the fridge, it lasts a long time. Been using the same tube over a year now.
 
An old super glue hack that I use a lot is to add baking soda onto the surface immediately after sticking the 2 pieces back together. It dries the super glue instantly and it gets harder than woodpecker lips. If I have to build up a surface I use multiply layers of superglue and baking soda. Just built a "trigger" for a propane torch for easier cold weather use. You have to use a hammer and chisel to break it apart. I carry, in the glove box of all my vehicles and ATV's, a small tube of superglue and a small baggie of baking soda for those away from home repairs.
 
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