I Hate CA Glue

[Mike Griffin]

I hate what CA does to my hands, I hate what it does go my eyes and I hate what it does to my nose.  Now, with that being said, sometimes I have to use CA for certain applications, especially thin CA.

Has anyone come up with a good way to store thin CA?  I use the bulb applicators to apply it but eventually it gets to the point where I have to use a pair of pliars to get the screw top off the bottle.  I soak the nozzles in a jar of acetone to clean them but I hate the nasty mess the glue makes on the threads of the bottle and it gets difficult to even get the top back on because of the residue on the threads.

Anyone come up with a better way?

Thank you
Mike

[Richard Logston]

I don't use it anymore due to the same issues. Have resorted to wood glue for all my building now. I still use ca for quick field repairs tho. I think it has health issues over time. My thoughts. Richard

[Tim Wescott]

Have you tried odorless CA?  It seems to bug me much less.

[Fredvon4]

Mike I use the thin a lot for simple pinning and find that if I put on a long thin extended applicator from the get go I have better control and less on my fingers

I  put about an inch of masking tape on the tip after purging the glue out of the tip...shake, tap, squeeze and a 1/2oz bottle can sit on my building board a long while between uses

buying the bigger bottles (yes a bit cheaper) is a crap shoot cuz you never know the time on shelf before bought. I know the BSI stuff is only a shelf life of 12 months

Freezing CA works but NOT epoxy for extending life in the bottle

CA can be stored in air tight container with desiccant packs to keep moisture (activating agent) for a bit longer shelf life

I am not overly sensitive but occasionally get teary eyed and just live with it.... on other forums I have seen down draft sanding tables that have the added benefit of drawing the CA fumes back and away from your face 

[Gerald Arana]

I hate what CA does to my hands, I hate what it does go my eyes and I hate what it does go my nose.  Now, with that being said, sometimes I have to use CA for certain applications, especially thin CA.

Has anyone come up with a good way to store thin CA?  I use the bulb applicators to apply it but eventually it gets to the point where I have to use a pair of pliars to get the screw top off the bottle.  I soak the nozzles in a jar of acetone to clean them but I hate the nasty mess the glue makes on the threads of the bottle and it gets difficult to even get the top back on because of the residue on the threads.

Anyone come up with a better way?

Thank you
Mike

Mike, I'm with you. Phhhtttttt! to CA. The only time I use it is when I absolutely have to. Otherwise I use carpenters glue. Or epoxy.

Jerry

[Avaiojet]

I keep a fast fan on, so I experience none of those issues.

Charles

[Target]

The Mercury brand CA bottles are better than all the rest, IMO, and the glue itself is also very good.
That is the only brand that I buy now.
http://www.mercuryadhesives.com/

[Phil Krankowski]

I keep a fast fan on, so I experience none of those issues.

Charles

This really helps.  There are also carbon filters that can be attached to a box fan to help prevent the fumes from simply recirculating... roll your own mounting though.  (no I haven't yet added a filter, and I use a 6 inch desk fan.)

Phil

[BillLee]

CA will store indefinitely in the freezer. It freezes at about 5 degrees below zero, most home freezers stay at or above zero.

Keep a bottle of acetone around. I use a pint bottle with a large opening. When a top gets cruddy, I throw it in the bottle and fish out one that has been in there a while. You always have a clean one.

Put the lids in there as well.

And the empty bottles, too.

Empty CA bottles are available, just don't ask me where!

[Dane Martin]

Here's the empty ones. I've always had trouble explaining what they are to hobby shop employees for some reason. Hobby town USA carries them. This is an Amain hobbies link, but at least it'll give you the bsi part number.

http://www.amainhobbies.com/rc-cars-trucks/bob-smith-industries-empty-glue-bottle-2oz-bsi103b/p219430?gclid=CO_qpdTV8ssCFRSPfgod9SMI4A

And i buy thin by the 8oz bottle and just refill as necessary during my latest build. You kinda know how much you need, so just fill the bottle accordingly. Much less waste that way.

http://www.amainhobbies.com/rc-cars-trucks/bob-smith-industries-instacure-super-thin-ca-refill-8oz-bsi104/p37054?gclid=CJyfnLbW8ssCFceBfgodriAMrQ

Look up Bob Smith industries for listings of ca applicators and bottle accessories. Makes life so much easier when dealing with CA.

[Jim Carter]

The Mercury brand CA bottles are better than all the rest, IMO, and the glue itself is also very good.
That is the only brand that I buy now.
http://www.mercuryadhesives.com/

Chris, I have to agree with you  !  Once I was introduced to the brand, it is the only brand I use.  I store any unopened bottles in the freezer and I haven't had a problem.  I also use their MH-16 accelerator as needed and again, I've not been disappointed.  However, as with any CA, be sure to have adequate ventilation.  I run my little floor fan with the door or window open, as necessary.

[wwwarbird]

 I've always had my best luck with Carl Goldberg CA. For some reason over the past year it's not found in most LHS's anymore, but it is still available through Tower.

 Where can the Mercury brand be easily purchased?

[Mike Griffin]

I found Mercury on Amazon. Mir is not prime but they have it.

Mike

[Bob Reeves]

I started using pipettes for CA a few years ago, bought a box of 500 off ebay for almost nothing, 100 for $1.18 here..
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/400685905676

I quit using the bottle applicators, just open the top, suck up what you need and close the bottle. No CA in threads and the CA in the pipette will last for several days even if you just need a little.

[Chris McMillin]

Good idea.
Chris...

[Will Hinton]

I do like Bob does with the pipettes.  I've used nothing but BSI since around 2003 in my guitar shop and I use a LOT of it in all viscosities.  I buy it at the Toledo Show in 1/2 oz bottles because I'm always forgetting to put the cap back on and the thin becomes medium and....you get the idea.
But, I would hate to try and do the finish repairs on quality instruments without it and it's worth whatever misery it causes.

[Mike Griffin]

I want to thank everyone for their input on the thread.  I have used pipettes for years also.  It was not so much applying the stuff, it was keeping the threads on the plastic bottle it comes in , clean.  I never cut the tip off the nozzle of the plastic bottle.  I unscrew the top, suck up what I need into the pipette and then screw the top back on.  Somehow, over time, the glue still gets on the threads and the build up of the dried glue makes it difficult to screw the top back on and I literally have to use pliars to open it after it sits for a while.  It welds the top on.

I think what I was looking for was a vessel to transfer the glue into out of the original bottle and eliminate the build up problem on the threads.  Really not that big of a deal because I use very little CA anymore.  95% of my usage is white Elmers and the balance is West Systems Epoxy.

Thank you all for the ideas and suggestions.

Mike

[Target]

I bought 1,000 plastic cone shaped pipettes on Ebay a while back. They are a straight taper affair, and I just trim off about 1/8" for a snug fit to the Mercury CA bottle tip.
I think they cost me about $10 shipped.
SO WORTH IT!
I also use them with small syringes I have that are "tipless" that I got from somewhere over the year. Pin point accuracy with Epoxy application. So many uses for these little pipettes...
But I still SWEAR by the Mercury brand of CA. The bottles are WAY better than the normal snap on caps, and they have the anti plug pin in the cap.

R,
Chris

[Larry Renger]

I hate CA. It sticks parts to me and not to each other. I just don't have the knack to use it. Lee Renaud built his planes almost exclusively with CA and his planes were complex and beautifully built. I should have taken lessons while I had the chance! 

[Tony Drago]

On the pipettes. What thickness. There's a ton an Ebay. but they vary on thickness. The price is right even with shipping coming from China.

[Curt D Contrata]

Not sure what you guys are doing, but I have never had any of these described problems. I use only thin CA, with perfectly fitting parts. Assemble, then let the CA wick its way through the joint. I have never purchased thick CA, nor have I ever purchased tips or accelerator (smells too much like bug spray).

I only buy thin Zap, in small bottles, use the long tip that comes with it, and never put a cap over it. When on the bench, it lives in a small glass jar from artichoke hearts with no lid (so it cannot fall over).

I use several glues, thin CA is just another handy tool.

Curt

[RandySmith]

Mike

Just buy the  foam friendly CA  or oderless, no problems then, use baking soda if you have to make it cure instantly on less than good joint

Randy

[Geoff Goodworth]

Try Deluxe Materials Superphatic. It is thin and wicks like CA. It does not, however, go off instantly. It has no odour and cleans up with water.

[phil c]

This really helps.  There are also carbon filters that can be attached to a box fan to help prevent the fumes from simply recirculating... roll your own mounting though.  (no I haven't yet added a filter, and I use a 6 inch desk fan.)

Phil

A couple strips of half inch aluminum channel for a big box or hardware store and 4 sheetmetal screws will do it in most instances on a cheap box fan.


As far as keeping the bottles and tips clean a tight sealing jar with acetone works well.  Keep three or four caps and bottle tops in there.  As soon as the current tops show any build up replace them with a fresh set.  The long drip tube is also a good idea if you want to spend the money for teflon capillary tube.

[Serge_Krauss]

I use pipettes, drawing the CA up from the bottles as several of you do. However, I use a pair of long-nosed pliers to stretch the thin length until it begins a new length of VERY thin tubing at the end. This is easy. If you haven't tried this, just pull fairly hard and it works without any real finess needed. I keep all my CA in the refrigerator door. While I have the same problem of threads getting filled in the caps, it takes longer to occur, and the pipette bulbs with CA last longer. If they close, I just snip off the end of the long-ish thin section, and it's open again. The tiny diameter works fine for thin CA, allowing more accurate work, using less CA for a given job.

Yesterday, for my first time ever, I had to throw out two partially used bottles. They were years old though.

[andy borgogna]

Mike
I buy CA, both thin and think by the pint.  That's enough to get me through a year of building.  At the hobby shop we sell small bottles and replacement tips for CA glue, I go through several a year.  The secret, and it's no secret to keeping CA fresh indefinitely is to keep it tightly sealed and in the back of the fridge.  I have using this process for several years and never had to throw any out and never had it thicken up over time. 

By the way Mike how are things going in the "Big Easy", haven't talked to you in a while.  Lately I have been doing some C/L flying along with the R/C stuff.  VSC was was kick in the rear last month.  I am happy to finish near the bottom and my R/C club has me fly demos at their contest and city events.  Go figure, I get a ovation for flying a last place pattern.  What's really strange is when someone comes up to be and tells me this was the first time they ever saw a control line plane fly.  It's all fun!