Well Actually - Super Glue

There is a lot of super glue misinformation out there. I'm no expert, but here is what I have to offer.

Super Glue and Krazy Glue are brand names for cyanoacrylate glue. It is wonderful but can be infuriating. It works on just about any kind of surface and does create a very strong bond – well, strong depending on which way it has force applied. If you pull the two parts directly apart, super glue is incredibly strong. If you twist the joint or sheer it with sideways force, superglue bonds often fail. This is why it is important to pin many superglue joints. The tried and true method involves a pin vice and a paper clip. I’m sure there are Youtube videos. I use the smaller standard paper clips and a .8mm to 1mm drill bits. Superglue cures in a chemical reaction with moisture in the air, and indeed cures faster when it touches a moist surface such as your skin. It also works great under water. Because it reacts to moisture, ALL SUPER GLUE HAS A LIMITED SHELF LIFE and once you open a bottle it will steadily lose effectiveness. For this reason I buy the smallest bottles available, buy several at a time and toss old bottles when they stop working. People have strong opinions about super glue brands but I honestly don’t think it matters much. It all works great when you first open it and gets steadily worse over time. I think people tend to think the last brand they bought is the best because it is the one that still works. I’ve been using Bob Smith (BSI) brand lately, but drug store Krazy Glue does the same thing. It comes in various thicknesses/viscosities The thinner the glue, the stronger the bond will be – but the really thin stuff is harder to work with. I generally put some super glue on a palette of some sort and use the end of a paper clip to apply it. Super glue accelerator works, but every time I use it I feel weird and icky. I’m not particularly sensitive to solvents or other chemicals but this stuff really messes me up. Fun fact: Super glue was NOT invented for first aid use, but it certainly has been used for medical and veterinary applications - great for guitar players’ finger tips.