I've been using the dollar store CA for 20 years. It's probably lower quality, but it does the job. They sell it in small packs of four, dirt cheap. I don't really use the original cap. I enlarge the hole by cutting off part of it, using an Xacto knife, and I use a thumb tack as a plug. At some point, the thumb tack will get covered to a point where I cannot re-insert it in the hole. I just use an Xacto knife to remove the excess glue off the thumb tack. Sharpenning the Xacto blade only takes me a few seconds... With this technique, a single bottle can last about 2 months. So 2 dollars worth of the stuff lasts about 8 months. Not bad, right?
Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to use the kitchen for hobbying purposes. I can only borrow a knife from the Chef from time to time .
Simon
Hello All,
I use the "Original Super Glue" brand.
This is available in "Liquid" (original formula) and "Gel".
I found both at Amazon.
These come in 12-packs of regular-size tubes.
I keep the unopened tubes in the freezer. I was told years ago that keeping the unopened tubes in the freezer will prolong the life of the product. I don't know if it's true but it works for me.
Hope this helps.
"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"
I have noticed -- in an unscientific way, so this is andecdotal -- that different brands seem to have different shelf lives after opening, which is why I like the Zap line of CAs I have also read that using an accelerator makes for a somewhat weaker join than you would otherwise have with the same glue and surfaces but allowed for longer cure time.
It also appears that there are more "types" of CA than just levels of viscosity, if this seemingly good website is an indication.
The Most Common Questions and Answers about Cyanoacrylate Adhesives (gluegun.com)
https://www.gluegun.com/blogs/news/most-common-questions-answers-cyanoacrylate-adhesives
And I now see that Zap does offer a thicker viscosity than Zap a Gap, and also has a rubber toughened CA, which is said to be strong and flexible. I do note that some older CA work I did on kits has become brittle with age and perhaps the rubber toughened is the way to go. But I do not know anybody who has tried the stuff
Dave Nelson
I was in Walmart last week and saw Loctite offers an extra strength CA glue so apparently all are not equal.
The insructions for a kit that I recently purchased suggested using Super Jet CA. I had never heard of it so I looked it up. It claims to offer superior bonds that resist vibration.
Has anyone noticed a difference between CA brands? I always thought they were generic once you went beyond viscosity (gel vs regular.)
Rick
Edit: Sorry for the double post. I didn't mean to put this in both forums. I can't figure out how to delete one of them.