ca glues

Tools, Techniques, and Reference Materials Tools
1

Looking for some advice in keeping ca glue usable. It doesnt seem to matter what brand, viscosity or “tube” style I use, well before its empty its so gummed up it becomes impossible to use. Also any tips in not getting super thin glue all over the place?

Thanks

2

You can try refrigerating the CA glue. Or resign yourself, like I did, to buying a new bottle every couple of months. CA has a short life span once the bottle is opened.

As for the super thin glues, a good brush and being super careful is the only advice I can give you!

3

Mine lasts years.

I keep it, once opened, in an airtight glass jar that also contains a vial of dessicant and a moisture indicator strip. When the relative humidity in the jar reaches 30%, I recharge or change the dessicant. CA glues are moisture activated. Remove moisture=increased shelf life.

Before opening, I keep it in the refrigerator.

4

There is a new brand of CA, Mercury, that claims to have an extended shelf life backed by a replacement guarantee. I can’t speak from experience since I just received my first batch of the stuff, but it does sound promising. As for the old stand-by brands, refrigerator or freezer works to store unopened bottles, but once opened that’s a No-No since moisture (in this case, condensation) will accelerate the hardening process. But, an unopened bottle will last for several years in cold storage, based on my personal experience. And if you use the odorless (aka foam safe) CA, expect a much shorter shelf life and slower set-up time than regular CA.

5

Hi Triarius,

Where do you get your dessicant and moisture indicator strips from? I haven’t seen this available at my local hardware store. Thanks in advance for any pointers.

Cheers, Rick

6

Hi Intruder38,

Is this brand of CA available from any of the online modeling stores? Thanks in advance for any pointers on where to find this.

Cheers, Rick

7

I got mine from Horizon Hobby (horizonrc.com). I did a Google search and, if I remember (not my strongest suit) correctly, I knew them best from past experience and they also had the best price. By the way, Mercury also comes with a neat “clog-proof” tip that none of the other brands have … yet. If that source doesn’t work for you, let me know and I’ll dig up my other sources. Good luck.

8

Drierite

9

Thanks! I didn’t know Drierite was available to the general public. Know it well from when I actually spent time in the lab. Thanks for the link.

Cheers, Rick

10

Thanks Triarius. Excellent advice. I’ll implement this technique.

11

Thanks Intruder38. I’ll check this stuff out. In the mean time I’ll try Triarius’ method.

12

Minimizing the air exchange helps prevent the CA from hardening in the bottle. I rarely buy large bottles because I use so little CA in my builds. Routinely my bottles will last about a year or more. In my experience I found that by using the Teflon tubing inserted into the bottle very little air exchange occurs and it provides a controlled applicator as well.

When the end of the tubing gets clogged you can either pinch it clear or in most cases I just trim it with my knife or nippers…once the tube gets too short I replace it. When I install the tubing into the tip, I open up the tip just enough for the tubing to slip in. I insert about an inch of tubing into the tip. I then use some CA to seal the connection on the outside to hold it in place. Been using this method for years.

13

I used to be very anal about saving CA back in the 80’s. I did much as Gerald does with the tubing (though then I didn’t realized why it helped until now!), but I added a small piece of transparent tape over the end of the tubing, tight, but folded over just enough to be easily removed. Then I stuck the bottle in the fridge…which I learned from an FSM mag article.