Blending/Mixing CA glue

Derek Hartzell wrote: (clip) Does mixing hasten curing?(clip) Also, has anyone ever dyed CA glue? (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^ I have done both, and never had a problem. I buy CA glue in two grades: extra thick and extra thin. I blend to get in-between grades. If this reduces the storage life, I am not aware of it, and I am not particularly concerned, since I figure I same quite a bit by having to buy only two bottles.

To get black, I squirt small amount onto a clean flat surface and mix in a small amount of lampblack. Some people use ebony dust. I suspect that the storage life of this home brew might be limited, so I mix only what I need each time. I have also made other colors using dried poster paints, scrapings of colored chalk, or whatever else is handy.

We buy one liter boxes of industrial CA glue at work. The instructions from the mfgr. say to decant into smaller containers, but never to add fresh CA to a bottle that has been used for sometime and has begun to thicken. Moisture in the thickening adhesive will accelerate the new adhesive.

If both CAs are fresh, then I don't see a problem as long as both are the same type. There are two major types of CA, ethyl and methyl.

How do you mix? Stirring by hand, etc.

Thanks,

Derek

I find their range of glues covers almost all applications. While I always try and save money, Starbond's prices are so good it doesn't pay to get all 'stuck up' playing with the glues.

I've read many times here about the useage of C.A. adhesive as an aid to finishing wood and have become concerned about the effects of fumes that emminate from the product .

I read where crime-lab investigators called to the scene of freshly committed murder which took place inside a vehicle placed a small measure of CA within the car (exposing the interior to the fumes) The apparent reasoning behind this was, that the fumes would solidify the minute amount of moisture left in a fresh fingerprint, thereby preserving the print.

Question..........if CA fumes are able do this to a print what are the deliterious effects from repeated exposures to the mucus membrain and bodily fluids within the respiratory tract?

Pearlesence,

Works well to develop prints, too.

Hi Rob,

I think I can answer this one without any doubts... Several years ago, before I got into woodturning and while I was seriously into building RC planes, I used to use CA glue for the models. CA in and of itself didn't have much effect on me (even though I was working in an non-ventilated basement workshop) other than the effects some smokers get in the morning... (you know, coughing, wheezing, and all that gross--well, you get the picture)...

Now, here's something you definitely DON'T want to try: combining CA with baking soda. It makes for an absolutely stupendous graft--nothing short of an arc welder can pull it apart (okay, so I'm exaggerating, but it is strong)--but the fumes it puts out are EXTREMELY TOXIC!!! The evening of the day I inhaled these fumes, my (ex)wife had to take me to the emergency room because my lungs had filled up with all sorts of fluids. I was exhibiting a cross between the symptoms of bronchitis and those of pneumonia. It took about a day-and-a-half for the effects to wear off and I had to sleep sitting up. Not fun.

I guess the moral of this story is: don't inhale fumes of any sort (seen or unseen) that (may or may not) have deleterious effects. Always wear a mask and keep the clean air flowing past your face! Also, it wouldn't hurt to wear eye protection; you have no idea how many times that's saved my eyes when working with CA.

-- Ali T. Borahan AliSails - Fine Wood Artistry & Custom Woodcrafts Web URL:

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Lung butter.