Super glues offer an effective way of mending various materials, while being super easy to handle. Super glue or, by its industrial name, cyanoacrylate adhesive is a type of fast-bonding, high-strength, instant adhesive engineered to bond almost any material. Super glues are valued for their resistance to temperature and moisture and are commonly used with stone, metal, wood, plastic, glass ceramic, paper and most other common substances.
While super glue works with most common materials, avoid using it with cotton, wool, or items that will be placed in a microwave, oven, or dishwasher. Remember that super glue is generally not food safe. Loctite super glues come in a variety of specialized applicator styles meant for every application, no matter how awkward.
The applicator of Loctite Super Glue Ultra Liquid Control has a patented side-squeeze design for more precise gluing, even in tough-to-reach areas. The Longneck Bottle features a precision tip for controlled, drip-free, drop-by-drop application and an easy-open cap with a metal pin for clog-free usage.
Super glues typically come in liquid or gel forms. Liquids are best for penetrating cracks or fractures and generally dry faster than gels. Gels create a more flexible bond than liquids and their higher viscosity means less dripping, offering a more controlled application for projects requiring greater precision or vertical application, like building models or fixing delicate flatware.
Loctite offers a range of super glues in both liquids and gels, customized for every job. Super glue was invented in by Dr. Harry Coover. He was part of a wartime research team developing clear plastics for use in precision gun sights. They unintentionally discovered a chemical compound of extraordinary stickiness, but they initially saw no use for it in their research.
Only later did Coover see the potential in cyanoacrylates as a glue, and it was produced for commercial sale in by Loctite. Broadly speaking, curing is defined as the process where a chemical reaction takes place to form harder and tougher linkages in a chemical substance. For some materials, this process will only occur at specific temperatures or humidity levels. For glues, curing can be facilitated by radiation, heat, moisture or UV light.
As mentioned above, curing for cyanoacrylate glues is facilitated by the presence of moisture and occurs almost instantly at ambient temperatures. Like all other products, there are potential issues to consider when deciding if cyanoacrylate glue is the right choice for your application. One of the main problems is the possible lack of bonding occurring between the glue and a surface. This is largely due to an absence of moisture, which may occur on some surfaces. Luckily, this is a simple problem that can be solved by applying a thin layer of water on the surface to initiate curing.
However, this method may not work on all materials, as some materials, such as the heat-resistant plastics, tend to repel moisture.
Instead, epoxy resin should be used to bind these materials. This is a common problem, because the human skin is constantly respiring and generates a layer of moisture, creating conditions for the cyanoacrylate glue to cure.
This problem can be easily solved with the help of acetone, commonly known as nail polish remover. Acetone can chemically dissolve the strong bonds occurring in the cyanoacrylate glue without harming your skin. It can also be used to eliminate glue residue from any surface.
The last issue with cyanoacrylate glues stems from its chemical composition. Because they are so strong and fast-acting, cyanoacrylate glues have a short shelf-life and should only be purchased when needed. Specifically, they have an average shelf life of one year from the date of manufacturing, and one month once the glue has been opened.
By: HowStuffWorks. Super glue is made of cyanoacrylate, an acrylic resin that creates a strong bond almost instantly. The molecules of this acrylic resin react on contact with the hydroxyl ions found in water. Because some trace of water can be found on the surface of almost anything, super glue can bond immediately and tightly to almost any object.
The cyanoacrylate molecules start to link and form chains, triggered by the water. They spin around in strands that form a super-strong plastic mesh, and they only stop when the glue becomes thick and hardens, and the molecular chains can't move. The chemical process that super glue undergoes is called anionic polymerization.
This dries up the water to create the bond, and the heat this process generates can even burn your skin. If you happen to glue something other than the intended object, like your fingers for example, be careful how you unstick yourself.
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