“Not actually used structurally due to its brittleness (low shear strength) Use for small repairs that are not subject to much stress or movement”

* Don't get it close to your eyes while it's drying, the fumes will HURT (ask how I know). The fumes also stain white, so leave it to dry somewhere outside.

* If you get a cut, you can pinch the skin together and use CA glue on it to keep it there. I've done this many times, hopefully it's not any kind of harmful, but a paramedic friend agreed that it should be OK.

* The article is right about using a tiny amount.

* I never managed to use a tube more than 2-3 times without the glue drying up. The only packaging that keeps going is a Loctite bottle I got. It holds 25ml, but it's better than buying 3ml at a time, using 0.5 and throwing the rest away.

Looks like that's not accurate[1].

Although, to be fair, the military has been using it for would closure for quite a while.

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1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanoacrylate

You also don't really want to be using it for long-term wound care because it's barely breathable and tends to not promote the best wound healing.

I used to have the same problem, then I followed a friend's recommendation -- I keep it in the fridge inside a tiny Ziploc bag. I've never had it dry up since.

I actually keep a little bag with all my superglues in the corner of the fridge door -- regular, gel, liquid bandage, heel-seal, and nail repair. (Liquid bandage and heel-seal being designed specifically for skin.)

I am not a doctor or medical professional of any kind, but I've been advised to only do this in a small spot (like a stitch) rather than sealing the length of the cut (which can then fester).

You don’t want it in the wound. It won’t adhere well, and it will interfere with healing. Instead, I usually use a bit of sterile gauze, glue it to the skin on one side, let it set, and then pull the wound closed with it and glue it to the other side. I then bandage over to prevent dirt etc. getting in. I’ve used this on surgical wounds, too, when they weren’t closed by the hospital and I couldn’t get an appointment to have them addressed. Worked beautifully, no scar even.

Cool trick!

Being accident prone and living quite a long way from medical care teaches you a few tricks.

Mirror: https://imgur.com/sdexq42

(On the off chance that this was oblique sarcasm, please don't)

TLDR don't store your super glue near your eyedrops.

Super glue, shoe goo, and epoxy are going to give pretty good bonding for their use cases but are more toxic.

Hot glue and titebond III seem to be safe-ish(Hot glue doesn't exactly smell very healthy when you use it though!) But require technique and experience to use and know what stuff to not even try using them with.

And gorrilla tape is probably good enough half the time.

UV glue I just don't have any experience at all with, but it seems to be gaining popularity. Just don't use the nail polish and blast your hands with UV too much!

Mechanical fastening is usually least toxic and often stronger.

Paper or hemp cord willer or wrapping is often helpful.

But my favorite of all is to design things such that you're not putting lots of forces on a joint in the first place, then it's less important how you make said joint. Look at a basic ugly cinder block and scrap wood shelf. The load goes straight down compressing the blocks, gravity is doing most of the work here, so friction holds it together.

As a bonus, you can buy decent sized tubes and use them for many months. SG tubes are basically disposable once opened, since they'll be useless when they glue themselves shut or crust up.

Yes, the Shoe Goo dries up whether you put the cap back on or not! I wish they had a smaller tube version so I could more easily justify the cost. I've used Shoe Goo to repair so many things (favorite was a microwave oven handle) and never had a failure.

The key is to be prepared when using it. Wear nitrile gloves and squirt two equal size blobs next to each other. Mix thoroughly and quickly with a small, disposable stick like a matchstick or large nail. This can be used as the applicator as well. You want to mix on something non porous and disposable: I use aluminum foil for small amounts. Don't use plastic for the mixing container, as I've found it sets it faster. Don't mix more than you can use in a few minutes, because it will become unworkable quickly.

Hold or clamp for 5-10 minutes. It will hold after that, but overnight for a full cure.

You can greatly extend their lifetime by storing them in the freezer. The metal ones then die by leaking once you have used them a few times, but the plastic ones can be used for years if needed.

I figure it’s six months old when I buy so in practice that almost always means “buy a new tube” if you need a full strength joint unless you use it regularly.

Also, it’s relatively brittle, not a great choice.

We use super glue to attach the plastic tabs otherwise it will cost me 300 dollars a month.

I wonder if there are tamper evident detectors that send a signal when removed from their bracket.

The active ingredient in superglue activator sprays is water, the other stuff is expensive filler to justify their price tag. You can use a spray bottle filled with tap water instead, but the cheapest option and one that’s always on hand is just to breathe on it like you’re trying to fog up a window. Fume safety: close your eyes when doing this, and move your head away before breathing in.

If you have a gap in what you’re gluing, don’t do any of this “sprinkling bicarb soda on it” nonsense unless you only have superglue and bicarb soda. If there’s a gap or you’re trying to fill space, superglue is the wrong tool for the job, you want two-part epoxy. They put epoxy next to superglue at the hardware store for a reason, you’re supposed to buy both together so you’re ready for anything. “Superglue” might be a brand name in your area so others will have to use the term “CA glue” or their own brand name; if it has cyanoacrylate, it’s superglue. Both epoxy and superglue are waterproof once cured. While you’re in the glue aisle, grab some wood glue as well and you’re pretty much covered for all jobs. For high-volume specific applications it’s worth doing research as there may be a glue that’s better suited for that specific application - usually cheaper, comes in the amount you need, and is more convenient to apply. A common case you might run into is connecting PVC pipes, where you want “pipe cement”.

There are exceptions to the previous rule of “don’t use filler to make superglue stretch across a gap”. Bicarbonate is a great filler with superglue if you must use this method for some reason, as is thread. I’ve also been told sand works, never tried it. And for cheap cosmetic repairs in wood, mixing sawdust with superglue is a great filler for small holes like you get from nailing or drilling the wrong spot. Mix it in the hole, sawdust and superglue sets so quick you’ll probably see smoke. It won’t take a stain like the wood around it, fine woodworking has other solutions like wood putty.

As a rule, glue bonds are stronger than the materials they’re joining and the material will break before the glue joint does. If your glue joint is separating, you’re using the glue wrong, or using the wrong glue. It might also be the wrong joint for glue. Glue bonds aren’t appropriate for joints that will experience repeated flexing, they will fail pretty quickly in those situations. You want a mechanical fastener - bolt, screw, nail, dowel - to take the flexing instead. In these cases, drilling both ends of the joint and gluing in a dowel puts the glue to work in a much more favorable way. Glue and nail is a standard method in wood construction.

I'll likely be looking around for a more reasonably priced gel because of this, maybe something from McMaster-Carr.

I think it's this one I use: https://www.loctiteproducts.com/en/products/fix/super-glue/l...

I recently used the Renia ProtoColle (Germany?) as a flexible CA glue and it exceeded expectations.

Bob Smith Industries also sells different viscosities and the thinnest stuff will wick nicely into a tight joint for modelmaking or styrene.