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Cyano Glue

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2019 10:39 am
by Hugeprong
Over the years I have tried a range of Cyano glues of varying expense, size and viscosity. However I always seem to end up feeling I have wasted at least half the bottle/tube - or more - when I have to throw them away! I imagine that most F1M readers will use CA glue fairly frequently and so I just thought I would ask fellow modellers for their tips as to;

Which brand works best, and for longest?
Does one brand work better on plastic than others?
Does another work best for White Metal and/or Resin?
How can I stop the spout of a CA glue bottle/tube from gradually (or in some cases, quickly) clogging up?
Which brand is best for NOT fogging clear pieces? Which brand is best for filling gaps?
Does anyone recommend accelerator fluids - and if so which ones?

I would really welcome any comments/observations/advice on this (as yet another clogged bottle of Zap Yellow CA is despatched into my bin...!)

With many thanks

HUGO

Re: Cyano Glue

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2019 11:40 am
by flashman
Hugeprong wrote: How can I stop the spout of a CA glue bottle/tube from gradually (or in some cases, quickly) clogging up?
I often go weeks or months between modeling sessions, and I have been able to make a bottle of the CA glue I use last for a year or more without clogging. Here's what i do:

1. I only have the bottle's cap off long enough to dispense a 1/4 inch (5mm) diameter blob of CA onto a palette (I use a small unopened zip bag as my palette, a box of them only costs a few dollars and lasts me for months).
2. Before re-capping the bottle, immediately hold the CA bottle upright, and squeeze the sides of the bottle until no liquid CA remains anywhere in the spout. This is the critical part!
3. Once the spout is cleared, put the bottle's cap back on snugly. Moisture in the air is what causes CA to start hardening, so don't leave the cap off any longer than necessary to dispense and then clear the spout.
4. I then pick up drops from the blob I put on the palette, using my CA applicator (I use a sewing pin with a slight bend near the tip) to apply it where needed on the model.
5. Dispense more onto the palette as needed.

This is the brand/bottle of CA I usually use: https://www.amazon.com/Loctite-Liquid-1 ... B0002YXG78, although I think my process will work for pretty much any brand. Of course this works best with thin types of CA, as the thicker types tend to be more difficult to clear from the spout. The important thing is to make sure you clear ALL of the liquid from the spout before putting the cap on the spout.

Cameron

Re: Cyano Glue

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2019 1:30 pm
by stubeck
Great tips!

Re: Cyano Glue

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2019 4:52 pm
by lupisenna
It is really good tips!
I prefer loctite, also and what I do to more lifetime to CA glue is to put inside the refrigerator (a good place is the highest point of the refrigerator door out of reach of children.

Sérgio

Re: Cyano Glue

Posted: Tue Sep 10, 2019 8:38 am
by Hugeprong
Thank you so much Flashman! It sounds as if you dont bother with Accelerator fluid. (I am not sure what the point of it is as CA glue cures pretty quickly anyway.)

Cheers, Hugo

PS Have you read any of the Flashman books?! Very funny and strangely informative if you like History.

Re: Cyano Glue

Posted: Tue Sep 10, 2019 10:12 am
by flashman
Hugeprong wrote:Thank you so much Flashman! It sounds as if you dont bother with Accelerator fluid. (I am not sure what the point of it is as CA glue cures pretty quickly anyway.)

Cheers, Hugo

PS Have you read any of the Flashman books?! Very funny and strangely informative if you like History.
Actually, I pretty much always use accelerator anytime I use CA! :wink: I love that it instantly cures the glue joint, so I can immediately move onto the next task. CA+accelerator is only just behind liquid styrene cement as my most used modeling glue (with 5-minute epoxy in 3rd place). I also use CA+accelerator as my primary filler for small areas because I can start sanding within seconds, and its surface sands and polishes similar to the surrounding styrene plastic, as long as you sand it right away. For anyone that is not familiar with using CA+accelerator as a spot filler, always sand it as soon as it is set (usually within a minute or so), because the longer to sets, the harder the accelerated CA continues to get and harder to sand. Absolutely do not wait more than 20-30 minutes, by that time it's starting to get hard as rock, and trying to sand it damages the surrounding plastic before removing the CA. It only takes once to learn that lesson!

PS, I was not familiar with the Flashman books until your mention. I googled it, and they look fun, so I may have to try reading one. My "flashman" nickname is actually based on a nickname my boss at my first job gave me many years ago, a slightly amusing story I won't bore you with... :roll:

Hope I've been a help with your CA questions.

Cameron

Re: Cyano Glue

Posted: Wed Sep 11, 2019 1:25 pm
by Joaquin
flashman wrote:
Hugeprong wrote: How can I stop the spout of a CA glue bottle/tube from gradually (or in some cases, quickly) clogging up?
2. Before re-capping the bottle, immediately hold the CA bottle upright, and squeeze the sides of the bottle until no liquid CA remains anywhere in the spout. This is the critical part!
3. Once the spout is cleared, put the bottle's cap back on snugly. Moisture in the air is what causes CA to start hardening, so don't leave the cap off any longer than necessary to dispense and then clear the spout.
I don't understand what you mean. In my mind, if I squeeze the sides of the bottle, the volume decreases so the CA will go up, filling the spoud. I mean, something what we do to get some toothpaste from the tube

Re: Cyano Glue

Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2019 12:07 am
by flashman
Joaquin wrote: I don't understand what you mean. In my mind, if I squeeze the sides of the bottle, the volume decreases so the CA will go up, filling the spoud. I mean, something what we do to get some toothpaste from the tube
I know it seems counter-intuitive, I will try to explain more clearly.

You are correct that squeezing the large sides of the CA bottle does decrease the inside volume of the bottle, causing the CA to go up into the spout. Exactly the opposite of what you want when trying to clear the spout! :(

Instead, squeeze the narrow sides of the tube. This slightly spreads the large sides of the bottle apart , increasing the internal volume of the bottle, and causing any liquid in the spout to be sucked down into the bottle, clearing the spout.

Basically, squeezing the large sides forces the liquid CA up into the spout, while squeezing the narrow sides sucks the liquid back down into the bottle and out of the spout. Try both ways, and you will see what I mean. Once you get used to it, you can quickly clear any liquid CA out of the spout, so there is nothing to cause a clog. It works on any flexible, uneven-sided tube, such as a toothpaste/glue/caulk tubes, wood glue bottle, etc! :wink:

Cameron