Glue Problems with CA

thunderbearr · Post by **thunderbearr** » Fri Jul 01, 2005 7:32 am

Up until recently, I've never had an issue using CA (ZapAGap, WalMart brand 'super glue', etc).

The past two evenings, I've noticed the glue tends to turn into a rubbery, cloudy mess.

I work in an air-conditioned environment, so I'm not sure what the cause is. At first I thought it was a particular brand, but this has happened with two other types I've tried.

Any ideas?

Rob

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Fri Jul 01, 2005 9:13 am

Could it be humidity? CA is hydrophilic and cures with moisture (or is it the other way around?). I take it you're not hitting it with ZipKicker or some other form of accelerant?

big-dog · Post by **big-dog** » Fri Jul 01, 2005 10:04 am

Also, how old is the glue? CA turns bad in the tube once opened. I ALWAYS get new glue for every project. Except the Star Destroyer I got at a flea market it.

Kekker · Post by **Kekker** » Fri Jul 01, 2005 1:18 pm

Yep - the problem is freshness. Opened CA tends to slowly grab on to anything atmospheric and start setting. I get around this by having staged bottles. A nice fresh thin, an fairly fresh thick, and the old bottle of thick. The old bottle of thick gets like you said - very rubbery - but is's great for filling big gaps and so on, and you don't have to spring for a seperate bottle of gap-filling. It seems to me that the thicker the CA, the faster it goes south on you. The old thick eventually gets too thick to use, and then it gets tossed. Then the newer thick moves down in the rotation (by this time it has usually thickened some), and a new thick is purchased.

The thin doesn't get as bad, but if it does, it goes into the newer thick bottle, where it works out just fine.

What are you using to seal the bottles? The loose caps that come with most bottles let way too much air and humidity in. I seal the hole by jamming a piece of pointed sprue in. Or for the ones I have a fine applicator tip on, a piece of wire. This has the advantages of both keeping out as much air & humidiity as possible, and clearing out the big hunk of snot that can form at the opening.

Kev

Go Flight · Post by **Go Flight** » Fri Jul 01, 2005 3:12 pm

I just noticed that on the Testors Workshop page there is a 2 part video demo on glues for anyone interested - http://www.scaleworkshop.com/workshop.htm

Scroll down to demos 27 & 28 (or was it 28-29?) anyway, it's pretty good. Sure the're using Testors brand but you can always use the techniques for other brands.

thunderbearr · Post by **thunderbearr** » Sat Jul 02, 2005 2:22 pm

Hmm... I stopped capping my CA years ago. Kept gluing the cap to the bottle and it made the glue set up.

It's possible it's a humidity issue, but the AC should be taking care of any humidity.

I'll keep working on it.

Thanks so far.

Mr. Badwrench · Post by **Mr. Badwrench** » Sat Jul 02, 2005 6:49 pm

I think it's a shelf life issue too. I usually buy the smallest bottles of CA I can find, 1/2 oz, but still I rarely use up a whole bottle before it goes south. Keeping it capped or leaving the cap off doesn't seem to make much of a difference. Eventually it turns to jelly and loses its adhesive properties.

SoundEffect · Post by **SoundEffect** » Sat Jul 02, 2005 8:29 pm

It sometimes depends on whether you use an accelerator or not. I've had the superglue dry up or just go rubbery if I left the accelerator too close to open CA or touched the CA bottle with an area that had accelerator on it.

You can usually tell if it's from accelerator if you see a white crusty powder near the top of the CA cap.

thunderbearr · Post by **thunderbearr** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 4:12 pm

I don't see the need for accelerator. I mean, come on! It's super glue! It sets up in less than a minute, for crying out loud.

Although it is fun to play with.

Used to pour kicker into a soda bottle lid, then drop two or three drops of medium CA into it.

Wow, miniature explosion, and you get a neat styrofoam wad.

WARNING DO NOT TRY THIS, EVER!

(There, now parent's can't sue me)

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 4:28 pm

Heh, for some of us a minute is about 55 seconds too much. And if you're using gap filling CA the wait is even longer.

Neb · Post by **Neb** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 12:41 am

Ahhhhh, yes.......

apply thick super glue to large seam, add accelerant with tweezers, wait about 3 seconds (with eyes closed while CA gasses off), and sand immediately .

I love it.......

Lt. Z0mBe · Post by **Lt. Z0mBe** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 11:18 am

I've had a bottle of Loctite for 3 years. The kind with the no-clog nozzle is what I'm referring to. At any rate, it still works fine for me, though it is a little yellow now.

The thing I ALWAYS do every time I close it is squeeze the bottle such it is drawing air in when I cap it. This helps keep CA gunk from building up around the...ahem..."no clog" tip.

Kenny

octagon · Post by **octagon** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 9:37 pm

I am in quite a bit of problem both with the glue and the construction at the moment

My scratchbuild is glue on the surface half way just to find that the internal ribs shapes are forcing the surface styrene to twist in different directions.

Help please

Mr. Badwrench · Post by **Mr. Badwrench** » Fri Aug 19, 2005 3:45 am

Maybe the styrene you are using is too thin. That is the only thing I can think of.

octagon · Post by **octagon** » Fri Aug 19, 2005 4:32 am

I have been thinking over it for the last 2 nights now. I think its because the shape of the internal ribs were wrong in the first place. It didnt cater for the shape required on the surface. I gamble and took some risks. I think I have to tear it open and rip out those ribs.

I dont know how to describe it either. Thats upsetting too!

Thanks Mr Badwrench.

seeker · Post by **seeker** » Fri Aug 19, 2005 7:56 am

octagon wrote:I have been thinking over it for the last 2 nights now. I think its because the shape of the internal ribs were wrong in the first place. It didnt cater for the shape required on the surface. I gamble and took some risks. I think I have to tear it open and rip out those ribs. :(

I dont know how to describe it either. Thats upsetting too!

Thanks Mr Badwrench.

I've seen the same thing myself. Best advice I have is to balance your planking. Instead of starting at one side and going around in a circle, add planking like you tighten lugnuts on a wheel: Add a piece, then turn the model and add another piece on the other side, and so on. This way you don't accumulate tension on one side and warp the ribs and spine.

octagon · Post by **octagon** » Fri Aug 19, 2005 8:05 pm

Seeker, Thanks for your advice. I will integrate it.

I am going to cut the ribs in half later, adjust till it allow the last surface of this six sided engine could close, then glue the two halves of the ribs back with an additional piece to cover the gap which I failed to cater before.

The ribs were only 4 sided. I was pretty lost on how to construct all six sides as I couldnt derive the angle required on the remaining 2 sides. On top of that, due to the sloping shape, some ribs have to start small, some bigger ones in the middle, then slightly smaller again at the end.

For the rib, I am using 1.0
Some nights I look at it and am totally brain dead.
Will spend some hours into it later today.