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Gahh! I got half way through the video and had to pause it for a few and didn't know about the hour timeline for the giveaway. Guess there's next week. Love the history section
@@oleksiystadnik That is unfortunate and prob a RUclips mistake. I`m sure that you can turn on notifications on almost any other video of the Wood Whisperer and then it will work for all future releases. Good luck
My tip for using CA glue is to put it in a needle bottle. Have a second needle bottle with acetone in it. Once you use the ca glue switch the bottle caps and clean out the needle used for the glue with the acetone. 100% glue control.
The acetone is key to having a good CA glue system. 1) The glue, 2) the acetone solvent, and 3) the accelerator. This is a good vid, BUT he didn’t mention that the glue works better on skin than just about anything else, so having solvent at hand is critical for those moments when we inadvertently touch some uncured glue and our fingers get glued together or to the workpiece or the glue bottle - this is inevitable if you work with CA.
Beyond your ideas, I’ve found that CA glue is great for holding pieces together while I’m waiting for the wood glue to set. Especially on large projects where I don’t have a clamp large enough to hold stuff together, I’ll apply my wood glue like normal, but leave a few gaps. Then I put CA glue in those gaps and activator on the receiving face to lock it in. Voila! That’s what I call a chemical clamp!
If you make router templates from thin MDF, you can really strengthen the edges of the MDF by painting on water-thin CA with a little foam brush. The templates will last for years with very little wear.
I’ve very recently been acquiring tools and binging videos to get into woodworking and keep hearing people mention “CA” glue but nobody says what it is so this was helpful enough to get a little food for the algorithm. Several of yours are very helpful so thanks!
I saw on another RUclips video that you can store CA containers in a canning jar with desiccant (like Damp Rid). That works like a charm and preserves the super glue perfectly because it dries the atmosphere inside the jar. I was able to use the entire container of CA the last time I bought it.
Using CA glue to "harden" materials -- actually this is very common with luthiers. The industry standard method of finishing fretboards for "fretless basses" (where the fingerboard has no frets and the strings just get pushed directly to the fingerboard) is to apply multiple coats of CA glue to the rosewood, ebony, or other fretboard - and then polish it to a glossy finish. Works like a champ. Another common use is to reinforce screw holes in things like countersunk screw holes and the edges of potentiometer holes in thin or hollowbody guitar tops.
Great video ! I am a former Loctite engineer. You can fill cracks/holes by pushing the powder wood dust into the crack and them run low viscosity (thin) ca into it Mixing has to happen quick as a fast ca starts to cure immediately you mix in the dust It just gives you more time……..and less glue! ….At the end of the day it’s what works for you……….Love the phrase “creative problem solver” ……..it’s what I used to do! Regarding activators ……..we used to say …..”just needs a sniff” ! Again ……great video!
I use CA glue and activator on outside miters for baseboards and crown molding. Keeps the joint neat and tight until I can get nails into the wall. I've also used it to join long pieces of crown molding together using a scarf joint.
Very good tutorial. I use CA extensively in my luthier studio and wood shop. I find that it can have up to 5 yrs shelf life if stored in a close to freezing refrigerator. I do allot of fret replacement work and CA is the key to doing a good job as the fret barbs almost always pull up small chips from the fret slot edges. I liked your miter trick and the CA with tape for temporary alternatives to clamping. Thanks!
I really like the little 5 or 10 packs at the supermarket, usually one is just enough for what I'm doing and no need to worry about it drying up. Some great tips!
Years ago I used to work in a grocery store meat dept as a meat cutter. Every once and a while I’d get a cut in which I’d use superglue to “stitch” it shut. Works great! Great video! Thanks for sharing!
Also a good thing to keep in mind when using any CA glue is that the faster curing, thinner stuff tends to be more brittle than the slower curing thicker stuff. This may not ever be an issue in woodworking, but if you use it for other applications, it's a good thing to be aware of.
Great point. Also, the thin easily soaks into wood pores, so some woods kill the mileage if one is using the thin glue, and that gets expensive in a hurry. That situation is where a thicker version will go further. This is a good reason why normal wood glue is often the right choice.
Good presentation on the glue. I keep mine in the kitchen fridge and it's lasted for a couple of years so far. The blue tape and glue trick was an eye opener and something that I will keep in mind for future use. Thanks
I use the thin CA whenever I am tapping threads directly into wood. A couple of drops will stiffen the fibers in the hole making the threads a bit stronger. Also, wood turners use CA to reinforce spalted woods before or while turning. Like you, I don’t depend on CA for standard joinery.
I use CA during woodturning especially for spalted wood or some that just needs to be "hardened" to make it turn better. I purchased any number of different brands, but when attending the 2016 SWAT (Southwest Association of Woodturners) and purchased Starbond CA. Now it's the only one I will use. Good price, great size and adding new product yearly ... just recently that dark brown in medium or thick for extra "filling" power. Makes a good bit of difference when I need it AND, yes, kept in the little fridge in the shop.
Nice job showing the use cases for each type of glue, and a mix of multiple viscosities. I didn't know about the softer wood for miters trick, I'll be using that one for sure! And thanks for the history and the science lesson Marc!
I really like CA glue for putting together jigs and other shop projects. I can slap together something like a sandpaper organizer with CA and some MDF and quickly put it to use without the time it takes for regular glue to cure. maybe not as durable, but it's it's fine for the shop. I find CA is also good for adding hardness to high-use areas on jigs, such as a plywood edge of a shooting board, or fragile corners. One more tip - when using the CA/sawdust trick to fill tear-out or other flaws, be sure to test on scrap pieces, and go all the way to finish your planned finish. I've actually changed my approach when the CA trick looked worse after finish was applied.
I’ve been using CA for my racing RC cars. Stuff is using mostly for glueing tires to the wheels or wings back together, anything like like. Great tool to keep around in varying thicknesses.
Super glue is now used for holding synthetic horseshoes to a hoof for 8 weeks. Tabs are heat welded to rim of shoe then rubber fingers come up along outer hoof wall which are glued to hoof wall. This is so we do not need nails. We heat treat the outer hoof wall with a torch to take out some moisture before glueing. I assume this allows glue to penetrate a bit more.
Shop tip: combine CA glue and baking soda. There is an instant reaction and you have a very strong piece of "plastic" that adheres to whatever you had it on. The reaction is so fast the CA glue won't seep far at all into the baking soda. But you can build up in layers.
In response to the request for information about other products, GluBoost is a CA product I use to fill finish imperfections. It's claim to fame is that its activator cures clear rather than cloudy or crackled. They also feature compatible dyes to enable close matches. It seems to be popular in the guitar finish repair field.
I love CA glue for my woodturning. I tend to use the thin because I get deeper penetration into the wood grain. but it is messy so I take my time and use the layering technique.
One tip I rarely see mentioned in woodworking circles despite being used frequently elsewhere is using baking soda as the activator. It actually creates a stronger glue than if you just used CA alone. Plus, it isn't messy and won't stain wood with oil like the activator does. Oh, and it's dirt cheap. As for using CA glue for medical reasons...ONLY do that in emergencies (e.g., bleeding out). CA glue is so brittle that your skin cannot move under it. The chemical reaction of the glue curing also burns the skin. I (stupidly) tried using this stuff to seal a hole in my abdomen that had a drain going to it a week before (drain for cholecystectomy). I was going on vacation and wanted the hole to heal up before we got there so I could swim in the ocean. It *did* heal in time, but the CA glue was VERY painful! And it was an absolute nightmare to remove... very painful to get it off. Don't do what I did! They make a medical version of this stuff that's flexible and doesn't burn!
Marc, thanks for the great history lesson and all the facts and uses for CA glue. Best explanations I’ve seen yet and with great humor. Keep up the great work.
After telling us all on woodtalk recently that there is no use for CA glue in the workshop it’s nice to see you converted, well presented Marc, well done
@@woodwhisperer Earlier this year, can’t remember the ep sorry lol. I thought at the time how great I find it. One bit you missed is using it for awkward glue ups. You can use the normal titebond or such and a few dabs of CA will hold a tricky shaped moulding in place until the regular glue dries, exceptionally handy at times. Anyway, been a guild member for since the rocking chair came out, have heard all of the wood talks from the beginning as well as watched all of your videos from the beginning and you and your ratbag mates have made me the quality woodworker that I’ve now become and for that I am ever in your debt Marc. Without your inspiration, wisdom, guidance and silliness I’d still be just thinking about woodworking instead of enjoying the creations I’ve made for myself and others and the pleasure it’s given me. Oh, and not to forget vicariously living through the birth of all of your children and Cremona’s has been an excellent treat on top, thank you Marc, for everything, thank you 😎👍
For filling crack, I prefer to use a lighter wood dust because the glue will naturally get darker from the glue and the lighter colour will make it blend better
Worth mentioning, related to this, CA accelerator/kicker/activator (which is also expensive) can be dissolved in the same carrier solvent (consult the MSDS of your brand - it's usually isopropanol or heptane) by as much as 10:1 to make a large batch. Sadly the active ingredients in production-grade activators are expensive and not readily available to the public, so this is the next best thing.
A variation on the sawdust and CA trick (I do this with wood turning, but it should apply to flatwork just as well): You can pack the sanding dust into the crack dry (dental picks can help with this) and then carefully flood the crack with thin CA. The CA will wick into the dry sanding dusk and sometimes you can get the fill a bit deeper this way. Still not good enough to be a structural fix, of course.
To help me remember how old my CA glue is I write the month and year on the bottle when I buy it. I buy the smallest bottle I can because like you I don't use it often but it's a lifesaver when it solves a problem. I also use the thin formula of small box joints. They don't get much strength from the glue anyway and the CA is so much easier than messing with regular glue on 1/8" box joints.
Very informative video and I learned quite a bit but the item that captured my attention was the Dragon Priest mask on the wall by the bandsaw. Big Skyrim fan and player here.
Dang it! The video was 22 minutes long; and I went to sign up for a chance at the Free Guild Project; but I was too late. I think I would have made it if I had signed up before watching the video! At the end of video, (22:06) should "A QUICK HEAD'S UP!" be "A QUICK HEADS UP!?" (no apostrophe). I love the videos and especially the weekly format. I'm interested in perfecting CA glue finishing techniques. Yep, there are a ton of videos out there; but the reason I come to The Wood Whisperer and others is because you've built up name recognition; and I know I will be receiving trustworthy techniques.
Well-presented video! Thanks. I use PVA glue for just about all my woodworking needs. Takes longer to dry but works well. At some point I must try some CA glue.
i use an air tight container with large silica gel packets to keep the water out. so far it had worked great. if i know it will sit in storage for a long time i also fill the container with a gas heaver than air
I suggest that when it comes to cracks, splits or other voids in the wood, especially where it will be seen, don't do the filling until after the finishing is complete. At this point, you can take almost any brand of non-solvant based filler and mix in some pigment to obtain the proper color according to the color of the finished piece. If you want it harder, you could spread some CA glue over it followed by light sanding.
You can use blue painters tape on both pieces of wood and then use CA glue between the tape. This way you don't have glue in the wood fibers messing with stain. Also, use the CA glue to hold the joint together before final assembly, for example, trim work. This ensures a fine joint. Then brad in place. I do this for baseboards, crown, wainscoting and 1/4 round around cabinets.
If you have as many species as I do, pick a sawdust a little lighter colored than the wood you need to fill so when it darkens from the CA it will match closer.
Since this is 12/26/22 and you posted this video on 7/23/21 you may never see this comment but I am posting so others might see. First this is a well done deep dive into CA Glue, thank you! My comment, at about 12:40 into video you do your corner miter clamping demo that ends up leaving a bit of a gap on the inside of joint and you explain it away stating it was a bit of a sloppy joint. But at 11:10 in video the free standing joint is nice, no gaps. Please don't think this is a got-ya post but intended to be informative. So, when you clamp a fairly large miter, like you are doing, you need to assure the clamping pressure is applied to the center of the joint so pressure is applied evenly. If you study the situation you can see that your clamp was a lot closer to the outside of joint and that caused the inside of the joint to open a wee bit. Another approach might be to use larger clamping blocks and apply 2 or more clamps. Again, not a got-ya but a heads up to all.
Very nice video, and thanks for the giveaway. I have not done this myself, but I have seen others do this. They put wood glue on, then dots of CA glue, and then connect the boards. The CA glue is used as a clamp holding the joint together.
Great information. I go though chunks of time where I use CA all the time but then there are periods where I don't. This is why I try and buy the smaller bottles so I'm not holding on to half full bottles with the chance of them going bad.
20:50 "... better, yet, in a freezing environment..." here's what Titebond says in their application guidelines for Instant Bond: "Store in a cool, dry place. ... KEEP FROM FREEZING." Besides that: Awesome video! Keep going!
Storage tip: Take "weather tight box" (I use old used jar for pickles) fill the jar/box to around 50% with salt & rice (silica gel would probably work to) and on top of the rice/salt store the CA bootles, and close the lid.
I use those kitchen storage containers for flour and sugar that have a rubber or silicone gasket. Then I collect all of those silica gel packets that come with most everything Amazon delivers and I keep them in the containers with the glue bottles.
Well darn it. I was away picking up pieces of furniture for flipping and missed the hour time limit! Ah well. Better luck next time. On a serious note though, this video was so helpful. Thank you so much for taking the time out and explaining the differences and uses of each type of glue. Absolutely perfect for a beginner like me. Thanks
I am surprised you did not mention the baking soda trick. if you have a small hole fill it with baking soda and put a drop of thin CA glue, it instantly forms a rock hard fill. This is fine for projects where looks don’t matter or you plan on painting it. I use a single edge razor blade to smooth the baking so it is even with the surface. It works well.
I sometimes use Titebond gel when I can't use brad nails. I glue up a board with wood glue like normal but I leave a couple of spots open and put CA there with activator on the other piece. Now the two boards won't shift when applying the clamps.
What's that little metal Hoochie bob that you used to pry the two pieces apart that were glued using the blue tape trick? Looks a little thinner than a putty knife.
I saw a video from Make Something where Dave Picciuto filled a crack by dripping ca glue into it and just sanding over it, instead of making a paste. Seemed to work just as well! Great video BTW, lots of things this woodworking noob didn't know about before!
One thing I do, is store my CA glue bottles in a mason jar in a mini fridge in the shop with desiccant pellets in the bottom. I'm not sure how long the glue lasts in this scenario. I've never had any solidify, so I think we're going on 2 years plus now.
Great video but you are two days late. I just bought some on Wednesday. But I did buy Titebond medium. Two quick comments, the shear strength is poor so if you glue your fingers together, try to slide them apart. The frame clamp idea is great, but make sure the blocks are located at the mid-point of the miter. Yours were too close to the end which is why you had a little gap on the inside. The blue tape trick is also very useful. Can also be used to make a temporary drawer handle as you try to get that perfect piston fit.
CA glue is even better than a band-aid at protecting a small finger cut. After stopping any bleeding and cleaning you just let it dry on the wound and it’s perfect
I stumbled upon you today and I'm glad I did! I need to know what type of glue to hold two thin pieces of wood up while I'm waiting for my glue that I use for stability long-term to dry. I'm making flowers with very thin pieces of branch and because there are 3D I need to hold them up while the wood glue dries and I don't know what to hold them up with.
Purchased ca glue at a discount store, went home and it was solid, guess it was already on the shelf for a good couple years. Love the glue but buy the light for cost
Another way to have the glue last longer you can keep the glue bottle in a jar of uncooked rice. I use a mason jar a bit bigger than the glue bottle. The rice acts as a desiccant and keeps the glue "fresh" a lot longer. I've had open bottles stored this way stay usable for a long time and I find it handier than the freezer.
Great video, very informational, I even learned something, LOL I was thinking that maybe you could do something along the same lines with the topic of wood fillers/putty. Thank You
A medium ca glue is great when you tie flies for fly fishing. I use it on the regular. You can also use it to repair your favorite hard plastic fishing lure too!
When using the CA glue on the miters (to attach the wood pieces for clamping) why not use blue tape to avoid the glue directly touching the wood? Wouldn't that strong enough while avoiding the need to sand later?
Thanks....very good. I use it often employing some of the uses you have taught but I always end up having it harden in the bottle. I wish there were some very small containers to buy perhaps even a dozen at a time. perhaps they are out there but I haven't seen.
I laughed and I learned and I even laughed hard enough to shoot my milk out of my nose waiting to see if the (dirty) dad joke was going to develop. 😆😂🤣.....once again I say, your sense of humor is on par with my own (and so many of us here now)...thanks and please keep the great entertaining videos flowing. 😋
Thanks for the very informative video, love the practical examples. I have a question though ... I am in the process of re-gluing a bridge to an acoustic guitar top. The guitar top has some lightly lifted wood grain that was left from the removal of the bridge. So now my dilemma is if to use CA glue to let is seep between the cracks (seems very effective and practical), make paste with wood dust to fill any deep spots and then sand it down and use Tightbond Classic wood glue to glue the bridge to the top ... or ... just use Titebond Classic for the paste, for gluing under wood grain/fiber using a small painters brush and then to glue the whole bridge to the top?
On your comment about CA being used as a finish, I have a question for you or anyone else that might know. CA absorbs into the wood pores and solidifies making the wood very hard, you demonstrated this with end grain at 3:35. I was wondering how a similar technique can be used to create a very hard finish on larger pieces made from soft woods like pine, redwood etc. where the finish hardens inside the wood like CA glue, instead of building a hard film over the surface like varnish and poly. I've seen pine surfaces that have been hardened this way but have never been able to replicate it myself. Obviously commercially this isn't done with CA glue so I'm curious how this is achieved?
The first layer will go deep in the wood. With the second coat, you will start to build up because the wood is seal. You can put multiple layer very fast because of the cure time. If you want a smooth finish, you can sand it at the end with 400. You can continue to sand with higher grain (800, 1000, 1200, 1500 and you finish with 2000) and even polish it. It become like glass. You can find video on youtube about finishing electric guitar with CA glue.
I use CA glue only rarely, when tacking small pieces of trim together while waiting for the real wood glue to set. But--my most common usage is for gluing my fingernail back together when I split it after being careless. I use a couple of coats and sand it smooth. Lasts a long time. Works like a charm, as long as I don't get it under my fingernail.
*Attention NOTIFICATION CREW!* If you get here within the first hour you have a chance to win a FREE Wood Whisperer Guild project. All you need to do is go here and fill out the form: thewoodwhisperer.com/notification-crew/
If you're too late, be sure you're subscribed and have all notifications turned on so you don't miss your chance when our next video drops.
Gahh! I got half way through the video and had to pause it for a few and didn't know about the hour timeline for the giveaway. Guess there's next week.
Love the history section
Well, youtube won't let me turn on notifications, because (quote) "this action is turned off for content made for kids"
@@oleksiystadnik That is unfortunate and prob a RUclips mistake. I`m sure that you can turn on notifications on almost any other video of the Wood Whisperer and then it will work for all future releases. Good luck
This is great for those who may be unemployed, but some of us have real day jobs.
У меня в школе двойка была по английскому в 78году
I use thin CA glue for screw holes in MDF. MDF will hold the screws a whole lot better if you harden the screw holes with the CA.
thanks for the tip!
now this is something I haven’t thought of. Thanks for sharing
Thanks!
My tip for using CA glue is to put it in a needle bottle. Have a second needle bottle with acetone in it. Once you use the ca glue switch the bottle caps and clean out the needle used for the glue with the acetone. 100% glue control.
This sounds promising. I've never even heard of needle bottles. Do they have their own caps?
Um GEEENIUS! I never would have thought about acetone. I have some under the sink. THANK YOU!
I always put the Tips in a Mason Jar filled with Acetone
The acetone is key to having a good CA glue system. 1) The glue, 2) the acetone solvent, and 3) the accelerator.
This is a good vid, BUT he didn’t mention that the glue works better on skin than just about anything else, so having solvent at hand is critical for those moments when we inadvertently touch some uncured glue and our fingers get glued together or to the workpiece or the glue bottle - this is inevitable if you work with CA.
Beyond your ideas, I’ve found that CA glue is great for holding pieces together while I’m waiting for the wood glue to set. Especially on large projects where I don’t have a clamp large enough to hold stuff together, I’ll apply my wood glue like normal, but leave a few gaps. Then I put CA glue in those gaps and activator on the receiving face to lock it in.
Voila! That’s what I call a chemical clamp!
If you make router templates from thin MDF, you can really strengthen the edges of the MDF by painting on water-thin CA with a little foam brush. The templates will last for years with very little wear.
I’ve very recently been acquiring tools and binging videos to get into woodworking and keep hearing people mention “CA” glue but nobody says what it is so this was helpful enough to get a little food for the algorithm. Several of yours are very helpful so thanks!
Here's a tip for the tipster. I little light work on the belt sander will take thin CA clue off your finger tip. But, careful. It can get hot!!
I also love the CA glue as a clamp to hold the joint together as the yellow glue dries...
I saw on another RUclips video that you can store CA containers in a canning jar with desiccant (like Damp Rid). That works like a charm and preserves the super glue perfectly because it dries the atmosphere inside the jar. I was able to use the entire container of CA the last time I bought it.
Using CA glue to "harden" materials -- actually this is very common with luthiers. The industry standard method of finishing fretboards for "fretless basses" (where the fingerboard has no frets and the strings just get pushed directly to the fingerboard) is to apply multiple coats of CA glue to the rosewood, ebony, or other fretboard - and then polish it to a glossy finish. Works like a champ.
Another common use is to reinforce screw holes in things like countersunk screw holes and the edges of potentiometer holes in thin or hollowbody guitar tops.
I’ve been subscribed for a good while, but now you sir are the one and only person I have actually clicked the bell on. Mighty generous of you Mark.
Great video ! I am a former Loctite engineer. You can fill cracks/holes by pushing the powder wood dust into the crack and them run low viscosity (thin) ca into it
Mixing has to happen quick as a fast ca starts to cure immediately you mix in the dust It just gives you more time……..and less glue! ….At the end of the day it’s what works for you……….Love the phrase “creative problem solver” ……..it’s what I used to do! Regarding activators ……..we used to say …..”just needs a sniff” ! Again ……great video!
I use CA glue and activator on outside miters for baseboards and crown molding. Keeps the joint neat and tight until I can get nails into the wall. I've also used it to join long pieces of crown molding together using a scarf joint.
Very good tutorial. I use CA extensively in my luthier studio and wood shop. I find that it can have up to 5 yrs shelf life if stored in a close to freezing refrigerator. I do allot of fret replacement work and CA is the key to doing a good job as the fret barbs almost always pull up small chips from the fret slot edges.
I liked your miter trick and the CA with tape for temporary alternatives to clamping.
Thanks!
Thanks for the video and especially for the tip of cleaning off the CA bottle and using a refrigerator or freezer. Yes. this stuff is expensive.
I really like the little 5 or 10 packs at the supermarket, usually one is just enough for what I'm doing and no need to worry about it drying up.
Some great tips!
Years ago I used to work in a grocery store meat dept as a meat cutter. Every once and a while I’d get a cut in which I’d use superglue to “stitch” it shut. Works great!
Great video! Thanks for sharing!
Also a good thing to keep in mind when using any CA glue is that the faster curing, thinner stuff tends to be more brittle than the slower curing thicker stuff. This may not ever be an issue in woodworking, but if you use it for other applications, it's a good thing to be aware of.
Great point. Also, the thin easily soaks into wood pores, so some woods kill the mileage if one is using the thin glue, and that gets expensive in a hurry. That situation is where a thicker version will go further. This is a good reason why normal wood glue is often the right choice.
I used this technique in my dental lab. Attaching die stone model work together.
I bought teflon tubing and Bob Smith thin today
Good presentation on the glue. I keep mine in the kitchen fridge and it's lasted for a couple of years so far. The blue tape and glue trick was an eye opener and something that I will keep in mind for future use. Thanks
I use the thin CA whenever I am tapping threads directly into wood. A couple of drops will stiffen the fibers in the hole making the threads a bit stronger. Also, wood turners use CA to reinforce spalted woods before or while turning. Like you, I don’t depend on CA for standard joinery.
I use CA during woodturning especially for spalted wood or some that just needs to be "hardened" to make it turn better. I purchased any number of different brands, but when attending the 2016 SWAT (Southwest Association of Woodturners) and purchased Starbond CA. Now it's the only one I will use. Good price, great size and adding new product yearly ... just recently that dark brown in medium or thick for extra "filling" power. Makes a good bit of difference when I need it AND, yes, kept in the little fridge in the shop.
Always have some acetone on hand for WHEN you glue your fingers together….
Great info. This may be the first time I've ever watched a 20-minute vid without skipping ahead.
Nice job showing the use cases for each type of glue, and a mix of multiple viscosities. I didn't know about the softer wood for miters trick, I'll be using that one for sure! And thanks for the history and the science lesson Marc!
I really like CA glue for putting together jigs and other shop projects. I can slap together something like a sandpaper organizer with CA and some MDF and quickly put it to use without the time it takes for regular glue to cure. maybe not as durable, but it's it's fine for the shop.
I find CA is also good for adding hardness to high-use areas on jigs, such as a plywood edge of a shooting board, or fragile corners.
One more tip - when using the CA/sawdust trick to fill tear-out or other flaws, be sure to test on scrap pieces, and go all the way to finish your planned finish. I've actually changed my approach when the CA trick looked worse after finish was applied.
I’ve been using CA for my racing RC cars. Stuff is using mostly for glueing tires to the wheels or wings back together, anything like like. Great tool to keep around in varying thicknesses.
Super glue is now used for holding synthetic horseshoes to a hoof for 8 weeks. Tabs are heat welded to rim of shoe then rubber fingers come up along outer hoof wall which are glued to hoof wall. This is so we do not need nails. We heat treat the outer hoof wall with a torch to take out some moisture before glueing. I assume this allows glue to penetrate a bit more.
Shop tip: combine CA glue and baking soda. There is an instant reaction and you have a very strong piece of "plastic" that adheres to whatever you had it on.
The reaction is so fast the CA glue won't seep far at all into the baking soda. But you can build up in layers.
old guitar tech trick for filling nut slots
I've done that for repairing dents and scratches in white melamine
I have used that to cover cuts on my finger tips until they heal. Makes a very tough bandage for about two days.
In response to the request for information about other products, GluBoost is a CA product I use to fill finish imperfections. It's claim to fame is that its activator cures clear rather than cloudy or crackled. They also feature compatible dyes to enable close matches. It seems to be popular in the guitar finish repair field.
I use it often for the building of jigs. Great for making a quick one-use jigs like mortising guides.
I love CA glue for my woodturning. I tend to use the thin because I get deeper penetration into the wood grain. but it is messy so I take my time and use the layering technique.
One tip I rarely see mentioned in woodworking circles despite being used frequently elsewhere is using baking soda as the activator. It actually creates a stronger glue than if you just used CA alone. Plus, it isn't messy and won't stain wood with oil like the activator does. Oh, and it's dirt cheap.
As for using CA glue for medical reasons...ONLY do that in emergencies (e.g., bleeding out). CA glue is so brittle that your skin cannot move under it. The chemical reaction of the glue curing also burns the skin. I (stupidly) tried using this stuff to seal a hole in my abdomen that had a drain going to it a week before (drain for cholecystectomy). I was going on vacation and wanted the hole to heal up before we got there so I could swim in the ocean. It *did* heal in time, but the CA glue was VERY painful! And it was an absolute nightmare to remove... very painful to get it off. Don't do what I did! They make a medical version of this stuff that's flexible and doesn't burn!
Marc, thanks for the great history lesson and all the facts and uses for CA glue. Best explanations I’ve seen yet and with great humor. Keep up the great work.
After telling us all on woodtalk recently that there is no use for CA glue in the workshop it’s nice to see you converted, well presented Marc, well done
Lol when did I say that?!
@@woodwhisperer Earlier this year, can’t remember the ep sorry lol. I thought at the time how great I find it. One bit you missed is using it for awkward glue ups. You can use the normal titebond or such and a few dabs of CA will hold a tricky shaped moulding in place until the regular glue dries, exceptionally handy at times. Anyway, been a guild member for since the rocking chair came out, have heard all of the wood talks from the beginning as well as watched all of your videos from the beginning and you and your ratbag mates have made me the quality woodworker that I’ve now become and for that I am ever in your debt Marc. Without your inspiration, wisdom, guidance and silliness I’d still be just thinking about woodworking instead of enjoying the creations I’ve made for myself and others and the pleasure it’s given me. Oh, and not to forget vicariously living through the birth of all of your children and Cremona’s has been an excellent treat on top, thank you Marc, for everything, thank you 😎👍
Great tips and techniques. It looks like your crappy miters are way better than any I've done.
For filling crack, I prefer to use a lighter wood dust because the glue will naturally get darker from the glue and the lighter colour will make it blend better
Worth mentioning, related to this, CA accelerator/kicker/activator (which is also expensive) can be dissolved in the same carrier solvent (consult the MSDS of your brand - it's usually isopropanol or heptane) by as much as 10:1 to make a large batch. Sadly the active ingredients in production-grade activators are expensive and not readily available to the public, so this is the next best thing.
A variation on the sawdust and CA trick (I do this with wood turning, but it should apply to flatwork just as well): You can pack the sanding dust into the crack dry (dental picks can help with this) and then carefully flood the crack with thin CA. The CA will wick into the dry sanding dusk and sometimes you can get the fill a bit deeper this way. Still not good enough to be a structural fix, of course.
The thought of getting this stuff in my eyes freaks me out! Eye protection strongly recommended.
It's best to apply it with some subtlety. Don't use a super-soaker.
Also, avoid getting it on your prescription glasses.
To help me remember how old my CA glue is I write the month and year on the bottle when I buy it. I buy the smallest bottle I can because like you I don't use it often but it's a lifesaver when it solves a problem. I also use the thin formula of small box joints. They don't get much strength from the glue anyway and the CA is so much easier than messing with regular glue on 1/8" box joints.
Glad I came across this video again. I just ran out of ca glue so this time I’m getting titebond
I keep CA glue in the airtight container with silica gel beads. Woks extremely well.
Hi from Easton Maryland! Thank you for share your master knowledge. Stay safe and God bless you and your family.
Very informative video and I learned quite a bit but the item that captured my attention was the Dragon Priest mask on the wall by the bandsaw. Big Skyrim fan and player here.
Great topic to discuss. Also love the channel name! Keep the great content going!
Dang it! The video was 22 minutes long; and I went to sign up for a chance at the Free Guild Project; but I was too late. I think I would have made it if I had signed up before watching the video! At the end of video, (22:06) should "A QUICK HEAD'S UP!" be "A QUICK HEADS UP!?" (no apostrophe). I love the videos and especially the weekly format. I'm interested in perfecting CA glue finishing techniques. Yep, there are a ton of videos out there; but the reason I come to The Wood Whisperer and others is because you've built up name recognition; and I know I will be receiving trustworthy techniques.
Wow, I am getting some strong Good Eats vibes from the beginning. Great video.
Great video, Marc! I also use it to plug up my hands when I cut them in the shop
Well-presented video! Thanks. I use PVA glue for just about all my woodworking needs. Takes longer to dry but works well. At some point I must try some CA glue.
i use an air tight container with large silica gel packets to keep the water out. so far it had worked great. if i know it will sit in storage for a long time i also fill the container with a gas heaver than air
I suggest that when it comes to cracks, splits or other voids in the wood, especially where it will be seen, don't do the filling until after the finishing is complete. At this point, you can take almost any brand of non-solvant based filler and mix in some pigment to obtain the proper color according to the color of the finished piece. If you want it harder, you could spread some CA glue over it followed by light sanding.
You can use blue painters tape on both pieces of wood and then use CA glue between the tape. This way you don't have glue in the wood fibers messing with stain. Also, use the CA glue to hold the joint together before final assembly, for example, trim work. This ensures a fine joint. Then brad in place. I do this for baseboards, crown, wainscoting and 1/4 round around cabinets.
Mark did show the blue painters tape trick in the video!
If you have as many species as I do, pick a sawdust a little lighter colored than the wood you need to fill so when it darkens from the CA it will match closer.
Since this is 12/26/22 and you posted this video on 7/23/21 you may never see this comment but I am posting so others might see. First this is a well done deep dive into CA Glue, thank you! My comment, at about 12:40 into video you do your corner miter clamping demo that ends up leaving a bit of a gap on the inside of joint and you explain it away stating it was a bit of a sloppy joint. But at 11:10 in video the free standing joint is nice, no gaps. Please don't think this is a got-ya post but intended to be informative. So, when you clamp a fairly large miter, like you are doing, you need to assure the clamping pressure is applied to the center of the joint so pressure is applied evenly. If you study the situation you can see that your clamp was a lot closer to the outside of joint and that caused the inside of the joint to open a wee bit. Another approach might be to use larger clamping blocks and apply 2 or more clamps. Again, not a got-ya but a heads up to all.
Very nice video, and thanks for the giveaway. I have not done this myself, but I have seen others do this. They put wood glue on, then dots of CA glue, and then connect the boards. The CA glue is used as a clamp holding the joint together.
Yup, I invented that. At least that's what I'm telling people. :)
Great information. I go though chunks of time where I use CA all the time but then there are periods where I don't. This is why I try and buy the smaller bottles so I'm not holding on to half full bottles with the chance of them going bad.
I like that dinosaur art behind you!
20:50 "... better, yet, in a freezing environment..." here's what Titebond says in their application guidelines for Instant Bond: "Store in a cool, dry place. ... KEEP FROM FREEZING."
Besides that: Awesome video! Keep going!
Storage tip: Take "weather tight box" (I use old used jar for pickles) fill the jar/box to around 50% with salt & rice (silica gel would probably work to) and on top of the rice/salt store the CA bootles, and close the lid.
I use those kitchen storage containers for flour and sugar that have a rubber or silicone gasket. Then I collect all of those silica gel packets that come with most everything Amazon delivers and I keep them in the containers with the glue bottles.
i love how you told us to “feel the wet glue” 😂 great video, learned a lot!
Well darn it. I was away picking up pieces of furniture for flipping and missed the hour time limit! Ah well. Better luck next time. On a serious note though, this video was so helpful. Thank you so much for taking the time out and explaining the differences and uses of each type of glue. Absolutely perfect for a beginner like me. Thanks
Oh, okay so we're not going for the wood firming joke after talking about the fingers in your box. I see how it is lol
Great video, very informative. I was aware of several things about CA glue, but you filled in a few gaps and refreshed my memory.
That was a good one, Marc.
I am surprised you did not mention the baking soda trick. if you have a small hole fill it with baking soda and put a drop of thin CA glue, it instantly forms a rock hard fill. This is fine for projects where looks don’t matter or you plan on painting it. I use a single edge razor blade to smooth the baking so it is even with the surface. It works well.
I sometimes use Titebond gel when I can't use brad nails. I glue up a board with wood glue like normal but I leave a couple of spots open and put CA there with activator on the other piece. Now the two boards won't shift when applying the clamps.
They preppin' weapon is an excellent sanding block.
Put wax on the tip after you wipe the glue off. That way it comes off easy next time.
What's that little metal Hoochie bob that you used to pry the two pieces apart that were glued using the blue tape trick? Looks a little thinner than a putty knife.
I'll have to dig back and remember where I got that. It's specifically for prying up parts when stuck with double stick tape.
Was thinking exact same thing. I find putty knifes to be too thick.
This it? www.amazon.com/Metal-Magery-Sheet-Skin-Wedge/dp/B087ZV91PX/ref=sr_1_21?dchild=1&keywords=440+metal+prying+tool+tape&qid=1627056120&sr=8-21
Spuger
Love these tips and tricks.
I saw a video from Make Something where Dave Picciuto filled a crack by dripping ca glue into it and just sanding over it, instead of making a paste. Seemed to work just as well!
Great video BTW, lots of things this woodworking noob didn't know about before!
Works well but completely trashes the sandpaper. Probably a little faster though.
@@woodwhisperer good point, maybe I finally found a use for that cheap crappy sandpaper I bought a while ago and hate using!
One thing I do, is store my CA glue bottles in a mason jar in a mini fridge in the shop with desiccant pellets in the bottom. I'm not sure how long the glue lasts in this scenario. I've never had any solidify, so I think we're going on 2 years plus now.
Great video but you are two days late. I just bought some on Wednesday. But I did buy Titebond medium. Two quick comments, the shear strength is poor so if you glue your fingers together, try to slide them apart. The frame clamp idea is great, but make sure the blocks are located at the mid-point of the miter. Yours were too close to the end which is why you had a little gap on the inside. The blue tape trick is also very useful. Can also be used to make a temporary drawer handle as you try to get that perfect piston fit.
CA glue is even better than a band-aid at protecting a small finger cut. After stopping any bleeding and cleaning you just let it dry on the wound and it’s perfect
I stumbled upon you today and I'm glad I did! I need to know what type of glue to hold two thin pieces of wood up while I'm waiting for my glue that I use for stability long-term to dry. I'm making flowers with very thin pieces of branch and because there are 3D I need to hold them up while the wood glue dries and I don't know what to hold them up with.
I've only ever used Fastcap. That was just the first brand I saw at Acme and I have other Fastcap products I like.
Nice video! Liked the format.
I like this new platform.
We call CA glue "liquid band-aid" and keep a 1oz bottle of the stuff around just for small, annoying cuts.
I put a nasty xacto blade cut back together on the palm of my hand with CA glue. Saved a trip to er and lots of money.
CA glue was used as a suture for wounds (fist aid before getting back to a MASH) in the Korean war.
Hi Marc, love the history lesson! Thanks
Purchased ca glue at a discount store, went home and it was solid, guess it was already on the shelf for a good couple years. Love the glue but buy the light for cost
Another way to have the glue last longer you can keep the glue bottle in a jar of uncooked rice. I use a mason jar a bit bigger than the glue bottle. The rice acts as a desiccant and keeps the glue "fresh" a lot longer. I've had open bottles stored this way stay usable for a long time and I find it handier than the freezer.
Great video, very informational, I even learned something, LOL I was thinking that maybe you could do something along the same lines with the topic of wood fillers/putty. Thank You
A medium ca glue is great when you tie flies for fly fishing. I use it on the regular. You can also use it to repair your favorite hard plastic fishing lure too!
I use it on a fly before throwing it in the water. I've never had a trout get off. 🤣
When using the CA glue on the miters (to attach the wood pieces for clamping) why not use blue tape to avoid the glue directly touching the wood? Wouldn't that strong enough while avoiding the need to sand later?
I’ve yet to use CA glue without gluing myself to my project, other than that I find it very useful!
Thanks....very good. I use it often employing some of the uses you have taught but I always end up having it harden in the bottle. I wish there were some very small containers to buy perhaps even a dozen at a time. perhaps they are out there but I haven't seen.
I have some 'single use' tiny ones that I got at my hardware store. It is a 'do it best' label on the set of little containers.
Found mostly in dollar type stores.
Very good explanation.
I laughed and I learned and I even laughed hard enough to shoot my milk out of my nose waiting to see if the (dirty) dad joke was going to develop. 😆😂🤣.....once again I say, your sense of humor is on par with my own (and so many of us here now)...thanks and please keep the great entertaining videos flowing. 😋
So inspiration for this video was spending the rest of the day pilling glue of his fingers.
It also can be used to drop fill small dents in finishes.
Thanks for the very informative video, love the practical examples. I have a question though ... I am in the process of re-gluing a bridge to an acoustic guitar top. The guitar top has some lightly lifted wood grain that was left from the removal of the bridge. So now my dilemma is if to use CA glue to let is seep between the cracks (seems very effective and practical), make paste with wood dust to fill any deep spots and then sand it down and use Tightbond Classic wood glue to glue the bridge to the top ... or ... just use Titebond Classic for the paste, for gluing under wood grain/fiber using a small painters brush and then to glue the whole bridge to the top?
What is the tool that you use to pry apart the pieces of wood at 15:40 ??
you get a helluva lot more views on the wood working videos compared to the TWW Live. I guess I’m not the only one. ;). keep up the fine wood working!
CWW?
I've had to use it to close up a wound in some emergency situations. Definitely useful stuff if you know how to apply it correctly.
Gotta make sure you stop the bleeding first. Otherwise you gotta apply too much of it increasing the risk of a exaggerated foreign body granuloma
@@mariano_353 just use dermabond now
@@stevefuller7805 that's cool. No Rambo factor though
@@mariano_353 very true. I just used it when backpackinf
I heard from a female DJ that she tried to put her false eyelashes on with ca glue. She made a mess of it and glued her eyelids together. Trip to ER.
Excellent video. Thank you, always appreciate your content.
Thank you! I was about to get the wrong stuff.
On your comment about CA being used as a finish, I have a question for you or anyone else that might know. CA absorbs into the wood pores and solidifies making the wood very hard, you demonstrated this with end grain at 3:35. I was wondering how a similar technique can be used to create a very hard finish on larger pieces made from soft woods like pine, redwood etc. where the finish hardens inside the wood like CA glue, instead of building a hard film over the surface like varnish and poly. I've seen pine surfaces that have been hardened this way but have never been able to replicate it myself. Obviously commercially this isn't done with CA glue so I'm curious how this is achieved?
The first layer will go deep in the wood. With the second coat, you will start to build up because the wood is seal. You can put multiple layer very fast because of the cure time. If you want a smooth finish, you can sand it at the end with 400. You can continue to sand with higher grain (800, 1000, 1200, 1500 and you finish with 2000) and even polish it. It become like glass. You can find video on youtube about finishing electric guitar with CA glue.
An expensive technique. Try shellac on low use surfaces.
I use CA glue only rarely, when tacking small pieces of trim together while waiting for the real wood glue to set.
But--my most common usage is for gluing my fingernail back together when I split it after being careless. I use a couple of coats and sand it smooth. Lasts a long time.
Works like a charm, as long as I don't get it under my fingernail.
Yep, I cut into a nail (with a Chinese cleaver...) - fortunately not drawing blood, though - and used CA glue to mend it.