CA Glue Storage

[Rex]

Any of you wizards can give up your secret on storing CA glue without the tip of the bottle getting crusty?

Ive tried a few things. Most recently I got bottles with metal tips. I coated the ends with paste wax. That worked for a little while but eventually closed up.

Any help would be appreciated

 

[Oka]

I just usually clean the tip off with a paper towel that has a bit of acetone on it. Also I only use the CA glue in the 1oz or larger thermo-plastic bottles

Seems to always work for me

 

[Michael Mathews]

Check inside the cap of you bottle. Some of the better brands have a wire or needle inside the cap so when you replace the cap, the needle sticks down through the opening keeping it clear. Some brands have this, some don't. The one I have right now has it and it's always open! Can't remember the brand off hand. Might be Stick Fast...

 

[Jeff]

What brand of CA glue do you have? What size bottle?

I keep a few bottles of Titebond CA glue on hand but rarely use them. Just wipe off any wet glue residue with your finger or a little alcohol or acetone. The plastic caps have a small protrusion molded on the top inside that sticks in the nozzle when the cap is put back on. And the nozzle tip has always remained open without a crust.

Titebond Instant Bond Wood Adhesive, Medium 4 oz - Wood Glues - Amazon.com

Titebond Instant Bond Wood Adhesive, Medium 4 oz - Wood Glues - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

 

[Bas]

Any of you wizards can give up your secret on storing CA glue without the tip of the bottle getting crusty?

Ive tried a few things. Most recently I got bottles with metal tips. I coated the ends with paste wax. That worked for a little while but eventually closed up.

Any help would be appreciated

I struggle with this too. The bottles of CA glue at Klingspor for example are excellent value, but I usually crust up the tip/ cap before it's empty. The DAP bottle of Rapid Fuse seems to work really well in staying clean, so the design matters.

I wonder if some sort of silicone cap would work.

 

[bbrown]

Stick-Fast CA glue makes tops that work. I've used many other brands and this one holds up best. Woodcraft sells it.

 

[fulldec]

I use this stuff quite a bit and most every brand seems to get coated/clogged if you use the glue frequently. I keep the caps and screw on tops when finished with a bottle. I toss them in a glass jar of acetone, which dissolves the CA. I change out the tops with clean ones when they get too clogged.

Don

 

[mdbuntyn]

I also use Stick-Fast CA glue, but I bought mine from Klingspor's. I just wipe the tip with a shop towel when I'm done.

 

[frankc4113]

I've been storing the CA glue in a tightly sealed plastic bag and placing it in the freezer. You can use a vacuum sealer if you have one or place the CA bottle in any plastic bag. Put aluminum foil on both sides of the bag and run a hot iron over it for a few seconds and it will seal. Make sure the iron doesn't touch the plastic. I've been using the same bottle of CA glue for more than a year. Also, rather than buying "Accelerator", I put some acetone in a small spray bottle. It does the same thing with close to zero cost.

 

[Rex]

I've been storing the CA glue in a tightly sealed plastic bag and placing it in the freezer. You can use a vacuum sealer if you have one or place the CA bottle in any plastic bag. Put aluminum foil on both sides of the bag and run a hot iron over it for a few seconds and it will seal. Make sure the iron doesn't touch the plastic. I've been using the same bottle of CA glue for more than a year. Also, rather than buying "Accelerator", I put some acetone in a small spray bottle. It does the same thing with close to zero cost.

Ive never heard of acetone doing the same thing. I'll give that a shot

 

[Rex]

What brand of CA glue do you have? What size bottle?

I keep a few bottles of Titebond CA glue on hand but rarely use them. Just wipe off any wet glue residue with your finger or a little alcohol or acetone. The plastic caps have a small protrusion molded on the top inside that sticks in the nozzle when the cap is put back on. And the nozzle tip has always remained open without a crust.

Titebond Instant Bond Wood Adhesive, Medium 4 oz - Wood Glues - Amazon.com

Titebond Instant Bond Wood Adhesive, Medium 4 oz - Wood Glues - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

I've been using glue masters in the 8oz bottle. Its much more economical than getting 1oz bottles

 

[Rex]

I struggle with this too. The bottles of CA glue at Klingspor for example are excellent value, but I usually crust up the tip/ cap before it's empty. The DAP bottle of Rapid Fuse seems to work really well in staying clean, so the design matters.

I wonder if some sort of silicone cap would work.

you might be onto something with the silicone cap

 

[marinosr]

Also, rather than buying "Accelerator", I put some acetone in a small spray bottle. It does the same thing with close to zero cost.

You sure about that? Acetone diasolves cured CA glue.

I thought that acetone was just the solvent for CA accelerators, useful because it flashes off quickly and residue-free.

 

[Jeff]

I'm an organic chemist and have asked myself the following: 1) what is CA glue and how does it cure and 2) what are the various accelerators for CA glue and how/why do they "accelerate" curing? I've found that the CA cures rapidly enough within 20-30 seconds or less and don't see a need for accelerators.

1) Usually ethyl 2-cyanoacrylate and it cures by polymerizing in the presence of moisture (moisture in the wood or moisture in the air or moisture in your skin).

2) Accelerators are often low boiling solvents that flash off quickly. That condenses moisture in the air quickly (like a rapid cooling effect on your skin).

 

[LocoWoodWork]

Maybe if one only makes projects that require using the entire container of CA glue? ... Just kidding, I use the thin type and just wipe the tip off before replacing the top. It definitely crusts when I forget.

 

[Skymaster]

2p-10 ca needle in cap. also if you refrigerate extends the life

 

[sawman101]

I use both thin and medium, and have only the flexible CA';s in my shop. One of the drawbacks to CA that I learned early on, was that it has no elasticity. Therefore, a project assembled with CA may have bonding failure over a long period of time, this due to the dynamic movement of the wood and the rigidity of a CA bond. I mostly use the CA as finish for the pens I make. I learned my lesson on using it as a joint bond a long time ago when I used it to assemble a mantle clock. The clock sat on the mantle over a wood stove insert In our fireplace; we used it for supplemental heat back then. One evening my brother told me he saw the top ornamentation on the clock actually pop-off the clock. Several weeks later I decided to take the clock out to the shop and repair it. The construction of the clock was the box on box typical of many shelf clock designs. When I went to pick the clock up, it fell into almost all its original pieces. I used Titebond and Allenes Tacky Glue as joint bonding agents from then on.