Glue: what's CA?

Cyanoacrylate glue. Also known as super glue, krazy glue, zap, etc.

Thanks, DJ.... my education continues!

Mac

Thanks, DJ.... my education continues!

Mac >>

Be advised, though, that the CA glue that we turners use is NOT the Krazy Glue or Super Glue you find in drugstores. Those are watered-down versions and do not work very well for our purposes. Buy Hot Stuff or Starbond, which is pure CA and comes in various thicknesses: Thin, medium and thick (and a couple in between with Starbond). They also have spray-on accelerator which speeds up the curing. Care must be taken with the thicker viscosities in using the accelerator as it can cause the glue to cure too fast and it can foam up and turn white.

-Jim Gott- San Jose, CA

"Jim Gott" wrote: (clip)Care must be taken with the thicker viscosities (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^ Right, Jim. I also advise special care with the thin stuff. It can easily flow right through the joint and down between your fingers UNNOTICED. Then, when you hit it with the accelerator, everything cures, and you have a bowl attached to your hand, and your fingers attached to each other. DAMHIKT. Also, don't ask me how I know it can happen repeatedly.

2 words: "Latex gloves"

One _more_ reason for giving a quick spritz with the accelerator prior to applying the glue.

Back in my RC model-building days, having glued my fingers to each other repeatedly, I finally invested in some stuff that applied like handcream and prevented CA from bonding to my skin. Can't for the life of me recall the brand name, but it was effective. Of course I no longer have any tactile sensation below my elbows. :-)

Anyone know the name of the stuff?

Max

it must be really difficult to type with those bowls stuck to your hands.. *g*

Mac

Probably just a barrier cream. Google those two words...there are a number of them out there.

-- Chuck *#:^) chaz3913(AT)yahoo(DOT)com Anti-spam sig: please remove "NO SPAM" from e-mail address to reply. <

September 11, 2001 - Never Forget

A word of caution here........... when using an accelerant, its not an uncommon sight to see a tiny puff of smoke come from CA when spritzed, I've received several small but painfull burns to my fingers while building balsa models

Which, of course is a different case, where your fingers are deliberately involved. Still makes sense to spritz the back side of a crack to stem the flow and avoid casual finger trapping.

Now, does anyone know what it is about punky wood, especially punky knots, that causes the same rapid and odorous reaction even in the absence of the accelerant?

==========================

Probably moisture trapped in the punky area.

Ken

Interesting question: the commercial accelerants are (or at least used to be) basic organic materials. So my guess is that some of the wood decomposition products are basic enough to set off the same reaction. (I'm a chemist w/ no forestry/botany background, note that this is a guess, not a gospel)

Kip Powers Rogers, AR

"Kip055" wrote:(clip) my guess is that some of the wood decomposition

^^^^^^^^^^^^ That might be part of it, but I recall reading in some previous discussions that some vegetable fibres, like cotton, can trigger the reaction. This might also be related to why CA glue practically ERUPTS when it is flowed into a pile if sawdust or woodchips.

I once made the mistake of spreading some CA glue with the corner of a cotton rag, wrapped around my finger. The stuff cured very fast, bonding my finger to the wood, and generated enough heat to raise a blister. (There is no way to let go of CA glue that is curing.)

There is some information on Russ Fairfield's page

he states it is the cellulose that acts as an accelerator. This isthe section titled: Hardening The Wood with CA Glue

kevin

discussions

Yep, I read that, too. So why only when punky? Lignin eaten away, maybe?

I think that's the most logical, given the sawdust phenomenon. Weird stuff, that's for sure, but tough to beat for tightening up a hairline crack.

I used to use something called Git Rot to repair punky wood in boats. It wicks into the wood and sets up hard. It's a type of epoxy.