Home made CA accelerator

[bigone5500]

Does anyone have a good recipe? The stuff I get at the hobby shop just dries up before I can use 1/2 of it.

 

[jgonza4839]

Baking Soda sprinkled over the top. It is better if you cook with glycerin and water. Or even just water and baking soda.

 

[Marc_G]

I've heard good stuff about using spit...

 

[bigone5500]

Baking Soda sprinkled over the top. It is better if you cook with glycerin and water. Or even just water and baking soda.

Glycerin gives me heartburn...ugh...

 

[ckreef]

BSI accelerator in the small pump bottle. I have had bottles sitting around for a year or two and never experienced it drying up.

The thought has never even crossed my mind until you mentioned it.

 

[cvanc]

For small joints just breathe on it - the moisture in your breath will move things along.

 

[MG13]

I concur about just using moisture, regardless of the vehicle. I've wondered if this reduces the life of the bond, however.

 

[Rex R]

if you want it to set instantly, just touch it and whammo you're stuck to it .
rex

 

[luke strawwalker]

I concur about just using moisture, regardless of the vehicle. I've wondered if this reduces the life of the bond, however.

CA isn't really meant to be a "permanent" adhesive anyway... it gets brittle with age over time...

Later! OL JR

 

[bobkrech]

0.1%-1% N,N-Dimethyl-p-Toluidine and 0.1%-1% Hydroquinone in in Isopropyl Alcohol or 1% N,N-Dimethyl-p-Toluidine in an aerosol carrier.

Bob

 

[bigone5500]

Tsch.....I knew that...What is aerosol???

0.1%-1% N,N-Dimethyl-p-Toluidine and 0.1%-1% Hydroquinone in in Isopropyl Alcohol or 1% N,N-Dimethyl-p-Toluidine in an aerosol carrier.

Bob

 

[bobkrech]

Tsch.....I knew that...What is aerosol???

An aerosol carrier is a liquified gas under pressure. Freon (chlorofluorocarbons) used to be the standard aerosol propellant but freon breaks down at 50-100 km, making chlorine atoms which destroys the ozone layer, so it is banned universally. There are a few hydrochlorofluorocarbons propellants in limited use (hydrochlorofluorocarbons mostly decompose in the lower atmosphere below the ozone layer) but most aerosol propellants are hydrocarbons such as propane, butane, isobutane, or in higher pressure containers carbon dioxide or nitrous oxide.

Bob

 

[bigone5500]

I'm sorry Bob. That was supposed to be my attempt at being comical...

I do however ... not have any idea what that formula is you posted...

:tongue:

An aerosol carrier is a liquified gas under pressure. Freon (chlorofluorocarbons) used to be the standard aerosol propellant but freon breaks down at 50-100 km, making chlorine atoms which destroys the ozone layer, so it is banned universally. There are a few hydrochlorofluorocarbons propellants in limited use (hydrochlorofluorocarbons mostly decompose in the lower atmosphere below the ozone layer) but most aerosol propellants are hydrocarbons such as propane, butane, isobutane, or in higher pressure containers carbon dioxide or nitrous oxide.

Bob

 

[Rex R]

the fumes from household Ammonia can speed up CA.
rex

 

[dlazarus6660]

And I fly with Bob. Don't get him started on the contents of Hot Dogs!

 

[paul.nortness]

I've heard good stuff about using spit...

+1

I've used my spit in a pinch while building metal war gaming miniatures.....it does the trick when you need a quicky

 

[Scotty Dog]

+1

I've used my spit in a pinch while building metal war gaming miniatures.....it does the trick when you need a quicky

Besides the moisture,it has to do with the PH of spit.
CA glues are accelerated or retarded by
surface pH.

 

[bobkrech]

I'm sorry Bob. That was supposed to be my attempt at being comical...

I do however ... not have any idea what that formula is you posted...

:tongue:

Simply stolen from MSDS sheets found by google searching for "CA accelerator MSDS"

Bob

 

[billspad]

Simply stolen from MSDS sheets found by google searching for "CA accelerator MSDS"

Bob

This might be a little more helpful.

 

[bobkrech]

This might be a little more helpful.

View attachment 125662

The StickFast MSDS is useless. https://www.highlandwoodworking.com/msds/CA-Glue-Aerosol-Activator-msds.pdf

The solvent is acetone (60%-70%) and the propellant is LP Gas (25%-35%). The actual activator (0.1%-0.5%) is listed as proprietary. N,N-Dimethyl-p-Toluidine in that amount is a well known activator so I'll stick with Door #1.

Bob

 

[billspad]

The StickFast MSDS is useless. https://www.highlandwoodworking.com/msds/CA-Glue-Aerosol-Activator-msds.pdf

The solvent is acetone (60%-70%) and the propellant is LP Gas (25%-35%). The actual activator (0.1%-0.5%) is listed as proprietary. N,N-Dimethyl-p-Toluidine in that amount is a well known activator so I'll stick with Door #1.

Bob

For the purposes of trying to find a CA accelerator that won't dry up, an MSDS is useless. For our purposes what's in the can doesn't really matter.

Getting back to the original post, why is the accelerator drying up so fast? I've had a small pump spray bottle of it on my bench for years and it may have evaporated some but not a lot. On the other hand, I don't think I've ever gotten to use an entire bottle of CA before it turned to goo.

 

[Gus]

Building competition rockets I use a LOT of CA, both Gel and liquid. My daughter and I use so much accelerator that I buy it in the large 8 ounce bottles and refill the small spray bottles. The only time I've had a bottle dry out is when the bottle had a leak, allowing air to get in. The commercial accelerator is pretty volatile and dries quickly in air. But like Bill and others, I have rarely had a problem with it drying out in the spray bottles.

Another CA hint: lots of folks like the hobby bottles but my daughter and I much prefer the little tubes. Dollar Tree sells both Gel and Liquid 3 packs of Original Super Glue brand for $1. Great, very high quality glue (same company makes the LocTite and medical brands, which I am convinced are all the same) at a ridiculously low price. And with the little tubes, at 33 cents each, you don't have to worry about them drying out. We just toss the partially used ones at the end of each project.

For those of you who have never used CA Gel, great stuff and at Dollar Tree it is just a fraction of the price of what you will find at WalMart or other retailers. Gel is especially useful, with accelerator, for gap-filling applications. My daughter actually makes small sculptures out of CA Gel, almost 3D printer-like by adding dots of gel, spray accelerator, add dots of gel, etc. Very useful stuff and I'm always surprised at how few rocketeers I know seem to know about it.

My only caution, both for Gel and liquid, is to not buy more than you think you will use in a year or so. I have had unused tubes go bad if they sit for a long time (the stuff I had go bad was probably 2 or 3 years old, I never rotated my stock so the older stuff just sat at the bottom of my glue box for a LONG time).

Steve

 

[BEAR]

I keep my CA's in the refrigerator to make it last longer, inside a ziploc bag. I have a bottle of accelerator that is five years old that I still use. Only issue I have with accelerator is when I use gap filling gel on a fillet and spray accelerator on it, the gel then boils, leaving bubbles in the surface and then I have to sand them out if I am looking for a finish. In those regards, just take your time and let it dry out. Even if it takes an hour or more.

 

[rrlc]

I agree with Gus as far as using the small tubes of CA from the dollar store. I get mine at Family Dollar. I work in the dental industry and use CA on a daily basis in the lab.

I buy accelerator in bulk (half a gallon at a time) and pour small amouts into a small bottle to use. As long as you keep the lid closed, it wont evaporate.

I know nothing about a home-made recipe for accelerator though.

 

[billspad]

When I was in school 40 years ago we used Eastman 910 for strain gauges. It was one of the original if not the original CA's and I was told that it was very expensive and we kept it in the refrigerator. A few years ago, when I got tired of it turning to goo I bought a small dorm size refrigerator. I didn't see a big increase in shelf life. It did keep the soda cold until the thermostat failed and it froze a couple of cans that exploded and made I giant mess. I threw it out and now I buy either small bottles or those little tubes. I was told that there are different grades of CA and that the cheap stuff isn't as good but since everything I build ends up with epoxy fillets it really doesn't matter to me.

 

[Scotty Dog]

I was told that there are different grades of CA and that the cheap stuff isn't as good but since everything I build ends up with epoxy fillets it really doesn't matter to me.

Pretty much how I look at it.
I use CA to tack,position fins,lugs,whatever for a quick hitch.
But I allways back it up with some glue or epoxy.
I do fly LPR and MPR so Im not to concerned anywhoo on something being ripped off from supersonic speeds.
I also started buying the cheap small 4 packs at WW.
Big "D" turned me on to it at a CMASS launch.
Works as good as the outrages priced BS I was buying at my LHS.
And as someone said above..ya dont have to worry about it going bad and I like that it doesnt TIP OVER and spill 1/2 oz of CA all over your work bench.
Why they make a bottle of CA that barely stands uprite on its own is beyond me.
BS,Gold and the other one all have the same tiny ass bottomed bottles that are allways tipping over.
Now back to the subject, I havent used the accelator. I either breath on it or take it out in the nice DAMP NEW ENGLAND AIR and it sets up.
I can only guess that air is getting in the bottle to set /dry it up.
I will add,I also havent used alot of the gap filling or gel type,which Im sure the accelerator would come in handy.

 

[Fuddrucker]

Straight Acetone in a spray bottle will work. It is not as fast as "accelerator" but accelerators are mostly acetone anyway. if an accelerator normally takes 5-10 seconds, straight acetone takes about 20 seconds to "activate". Also, because I am cheap, I will buy a large bottle of accelerator, pour it into my small spray bottle until half full and then dilute it with 50% acetone so it is a 50-50 mix. I like to do this to save $$$$ on the accelerator, AND, to slow the drying process by about 5 seconds to give me some more working time to postition whatever I am trying to glue, ect.
Pretty strange how I will try to make a $12.00 bottle of accelerator last twice as long because I feel it is so expensive, but have no second thoughts or anything when spending $50.00 on a motor that burns for 1.5 seconds?!?!?!?

...Fudd