Hello all. I’m sure this has been addressed ad nauseum but I’m new here and can’t seem to find it. What do you use as superglue applicators. I am really struggling with it. I haven’t used it too much but with PE becoming more and more of a thing, I’m gonna need to.
Thanks in advance for your advice!
I use 34 gauge wire, cut to @ 1 1/2" long. I’ll put a slight bend at one end, @ 1/16" of an inch so it resembles a hockey stick. I then pour some liquid CA in a small ink cup and dip the end of the wire into the CA, just enough to get a small drop onto the end. I then drag the wire along the edge where the PE and plastic/resin meet and let the CA flow along the seam, works great. When the end of the wire applicator gets a dry ball of CA on it, I just clip it off, make a new bend and, it’s ready to go again.
Steve
That’s a good technique, I do something similar but don’t clip the end - I just scrape clean with an old blade. As I’m so unlikely to throw anything away that may have some use, in my mind I keep seeing myself trying to use a tiny little sliver of wire and thinking “I’ve cut it three times and the damned thing is still too short!!” 
I’ve been using these for the longest time. There are other tips out there just like this one, where you can get even more precise in the application of your superglue. Hope this helps.
You can easily “flame off” the dried up superglue with a lighter. That way your wire won’t keep getting shorter.
Bob
I’ve found Plastic Disposable Pipettes 0.5ml work well. There is also a method of using a sewing needle, grind or cut the top part of the loop off; “Flame off” to clean it.
@Cbowling I use the same tips and also have others at varying lengths. These work great.
I have a giant spool of wire so …
Steve
These look perfect. I tried to melt down a sprue to do something similar but it kept breaking off.
Thank you. Good stuff.
I usually use tooth picks
OK, so I take a wire from an automotive battery cable - copper, a little thicker than 0,5mm - and I make a little loop in the end of that wire - maybe 1mm diameter, maybe a little less. Works like a charm and costs almost nothing.
I use a toothpick a lot of the time, especially with gap-filling CA. I also bought a batch of “The Glue Looper” which I use occasionally, especially on the (thankfully) rare times I need to use thin CA.
But Pawel, is it not hard to start you car without the battery cable?---- p.s. Good idea really.
That’s so nice of you to ask… Many Germans would just KNOW I didn’t take that cable from MY car, if you catch my drift…
Now I used to work in wiring harness industry, so we were surrounded with scrap pieces of different cables. If you can get a 10cm piece of nicely cut 10mm2 copper cable, you have hundreds of wires in a handy dispenser!
Have a ncie day!
Paweł
Same, put some PA on a piece of masking tape stuck to my cutting Matt and apply it with a tooth pick.
I watched a YouTube video (5+ years ago) where a guy melts and stretches plastic cotton-buds (Q-tips) to make glue tips It took some practice, but I got it to work really well.
Since then I’ve switched from BSI superglue to Starbond and the bottles come with micro tips.
Sadly the DIY q-tips ones are too small, so when I run out, I have to buy the ZAP ones (or similar). Buying those those just sticks in my cheapskate craw. 
Anyone ever try a larger gauge hypodermic needle for extra thin CA?
I have a big stack of blank CDs (remember when he used those for about 15 mintues?) for putting glue on.
The containers that contact lenses come in also make great little CA wells.
I’ve found a great little idea for CA glue application. I use sewing needles, the loop end and find the assorted sizes in a small kit is just what the doctor ordered when precision is required. The different size needles in the kits easily vary the amount of applied glue. Works great for me so far without making a mess. Also they’re easy to clean dried glue off of. I just scrape them with the back edge of a hobby knife blade. Hope I helped ya.
CDs were great! I had a diskman that would skip if the breeze blew, I had a six disk cd changer under the seat of my truck and I had huge cd organizer binders that were not lite. I’d spend hours browsing the cd selection at the music shop, tower records was one but I can’t remember the other shop. Good times.
