"Thinning super glue?" Topic

My superglue has started to get very thick and I can barely wipe it off the brush now. Any ideas on thinning it to make it useable again?

Or is mixing it with new super glue the best option?

Cheers
Kieran

I just get a new tube. Mixing with new glue would likely make the new glue less effective than it would be alone.

Normally once the chemical process starts, you can't really go through and reverse it (easily). For the couple bucks it isn't worth my hassle.

You might be able to use a debonder as a solvent, but I am not sure what the child compound is. I do not believe that debonder reverts to CA, rather to an inert chemical.

When this happens to mine I get a cheap very watery Superglue (from Poundland – UK) and mix the two to the desired consistency.

Also a top tip for the future is to keep Superglue, in a plastic bag, in the fridge as it stops it thickening.

It's getting thick because it's polymerizing. That's irreversible.
Superglue does not come with any "thinners".

Throw it away and get a new bottle. IT's no good any more.

Debonder is NOT a "thinner". It is an entirely different chemical to dissolve already polymerized cyanoacrylate.

Throw the darn bottle away and get cheap stuff at a department store. Don't waste your money on "Hobby" superglue like GW makes. All it is, is the same stuff marketed in a larger more expensive bottle that will go bad quickly.

Here in the States, I can get 3 tubes for a dollar at Dollar stores. They go a long way, and you do not feel so bad throwng them away when they go irrecersibly bad.

John is right again :-)

Only get larger bottles when you are doing a gluing frenzy and have lots to glue on the same day. I used to build remote control aircraft and the larger bottles always harden due to chemical reaction.

If you can wait a few more minutes over the drying time of superglue, I would get epoxy. The negative with epoxy other than it's distinctive smell is that you will have to find a way to hold the object while it cures. I know they have 5 minute epoxies and they may even have some that cure in two.

Debonder is NOT a "thinner". It is an entirely different chemical to dissolve already polymerized cyanoacrylate.

Was pretty sure, just never bothered to actually follow the chemistry to see what the resultant chemicals were.

I know they have 5 minute epoxies and they may even have some that cure in two.

Haven't done it myself – but a friend has started to use UV cure epoxy. Stays liquid until hit with strong UV light (weak will start to cook it off…but strong will cause it to harden in seconds). He assembles in a windowless room, and has a UV bulb that he turns on when he is happy. Works well enough…though I am not sure if it is readily available (he get's his from his work…fiber optics networking).

Buy new, ya cheapskate! :)

At WalMart,I can get 4 tubes for a dollar-I am an even bigger cheapskate.

BTW, storing glue in the fridge is what we did at our factory. However, it was a dedicated fridge, with dire penalties for anyone dumb enough to put their lunch or coke cans in there! Probably not necessary, but having threatening signs is good for morale, and OSHA.
Our industrial applicators also allowed no atmospheric contamination.

UV? How does he shield his eyes? That's dangerous.
I would not recommend that to the casual hobbyist.

UV? How does he shield his eyes? That's dangerous.

Uses one of those things the women-folk use at the nail salons (not sure how he scrounged that). Apparently a lot of the fake nails are held on with UV cured epoxy as well.

Cheers all for the replies. I thought I would have to biff it but you never know.

Kieran

Want to get something unglued? Nail polish remover is the ultimate solvent. My wife showed me that.

I think with a large batch of it you could dissolve a corpse.