Are all CA's created equal?

I know SuperJet causes me an allergic reaction; others do not.

Well it is probably my imagination but I like the Zap products the best. Having said that I usually use the generic local hobby shop branded products because they are readily available. All of them are capable of sticking my fingers to themselves or to the wood while leaving the intended joint in its original unglued condition. regards, Charlie

Sounds like you've been reading the R/C Report editorials! ;-)

I'd agree Zap seems to be the best.

NO, they are not! It's a matter of 'purity'. The cheaper CA's are of far less quality than others. The little tubes you buy at hardware stores is crap! I don't want to do a commercial of any kind, but I have had the best consistent results with ZAP, while the worst consistent results with the "B.S." brand. Strangely enough, the little individual tubes of CA that come in a pack of 4 or 5 from Radio Shack is pretty good stuff. I carry it in my flight box because you can open a little tube, use what you need and toss the rest.

"Jim Slaughter" wrote

Yes, and no. Cheap CA doesn't work as well, because it is less pure. The more pure it is, the more likely it is to behave with ALL of the innate characteristics of the chemical. Good fresh CA also has not sat around and absorbed some measure of moisture.

Agreed. Most are.

I have also have had good results with Loctite, in what I recall was the 1/2 ounce size bottle. In all honesty, I could not tell much difference between it, and other good brands. I got mine, from of all places, Wall-Mart.

I have had good luck with the stuff from Tower Hobby. Tried ZAP, and it worked good too. I agree that a better quality glue might provide a better or stronger joint, but they may all form a joint that is stronger than the material itself. Imagine a wing joined with "carbide glue", like on your saw blade. Excess "G's" on the plane will cause wing failure, but not joint failure. It may be that even a poor CA glue will form a joint stronger than balsa or plywood, in effect, just like that imaginary carbide glue.

As to the small tubes of superglue from the grocery, they may not be the best stuff, but they are intended ( by ME anyway ) for a quick repair at the field. I usually fine that a repair that goes beyond what the small tube can handle involves more tools than I have at the field!

Hope this helps...

Morgans wrote:

Thanks for all the replies. Great food for thought!

Regards, Terry

I used the Tower Hobbies CA for a while, but found that ZAP was superior (the Tower CA would work fine at first but "go bad" after a while and glue my fingertips but not the balsa....).

Good flying, desmobob

"Gig" wrote

If you have a small dorm sized refrigerator, put a nite lite sized bulb in it, in such a way that you are not breaking the door seal. That usually involves drilling a small hole in it. Keep the bulb burning, and keep your CA inside of the 'fridge.

Keeping a little heat inside it keeps it nice and dry inside, and that keeps the CA longer. Of course, you have to keep a good lid on it, also. The dry trick is something I use to keep welding rods dry, which is important for them, too.

Another container would work also, but it does need to be moisture tight, and large enough that it does not get too warm inside.

Personally I like the stuff from Paleobond much better then any of the hobby shop brands. The stuff they sell for stabalizing fossils is as thin as any CA I have ever seen, stores very well, wicks like crazy and will glue your fingers together in an instant. They must sell good stuff to use on fossils as fossils are a lot more precious then a model airplane. CA is probably 90% of their business. So you are not getting stuff that has been on the shelf improperly stored for two years when you buy it. Hardware store and hobby shop stuff range from great to crap regardless of brand. I suppose this is due to unknown storage time and conditions.

From bm459:

I beg your pardon!! :-)

Bill(oc)

Believe it or not, I like Loctite super glue. The bottle cap is unique in that it has a small metal rod molded into the cap which keeps the end open every time you close the bottle. It will work with "Z" ends, etc. if you ream the bottle end of them with a 11/64" drill bit. I used to have to keep a bottle of acetone and extra bottle screw top on hand to keep my glues flowing when I needed it. As an aside, some plastic tops will split if you leave them in acetone much more than 24 hours. The Loctite stuff sells for about $5.50 per bottle at Home Depot or Lowes.

Wow! I think I will go out and buy some. Uhhhh. Where do you buy your fossil supplies. There used to be a hobby store here that sold some fossil's, but they were really some very old kits nobody wanted. Some fossils hang around the club on any given Friday also.

Just found their site. Wondering if their "Jurrasic Gel" is any good? Don't want to turn my models into a T-Rex or Raptor.

I have had very good experience with Balsa USA ca. I have used severa

types (Pacer, Jet, etc ) and have the best luvk with the balsa US stuff

-- JLLayto

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