I’ve been using Zap-a-Gap for years in my woodworking (it’s great for repairing cracks in bowls, for example) and always had problems with the tops gluing themselves to the containers, requiring a bit of muscle to remove. I read here that JC suggested leaving the top off since the stuff wouldn’t evaporate, get hard, etc. So I left the tops off of two zap-a-gap bottles: one thin, one medium. Both have dried rock hard in about a 6 month time.
Any recommendations on the best way to buy, store, and deal with super glues for tying? This stuff ain’t cheap. I just lost most of a 4 ounce bottle and a one ounce bottle.
Model airplane builders have no problem with such glues–they use a very small teflon tube sold in model shops. You remove the ca glue cap insert the tube to the bottom and a inch or so out of the bottle. After using,the glue will harden in the very tip of the tube. You cut that dry part off and use the glue again. Keep cutting as you use the glue and replace the tube when it gets too short. Teflon will not stick to the bottle.
I had the same trouble with the tops sticking, threw away lots of the stuff because I couldn’t get it open.
Saw a tip in a book about leaving the caps off.
I don’t know what happened with yours. Mine sits, open, on the fly tying bench. Never had any dry up. I do use it regularly, and it only lasts me about a year before it’s all gone.
Diane… I have used Zap-a-Gap in the past and didn’t like it. I have gone to Loc-Tite now that I get at Wally’s World and have not had a problem with it at all. Just another thing to look at…
Mike
There is no greater fan of flyfishing than the worm.
I use a lot of Zap a Gap. I get it in
the 25 second thick viscosity. Works well
on my foamies and gives me enough time to
adjust a foam body before it sets up.
Bill’s suggestion for the teflon tubes
works well. I went with a plastic tube from
a windex bottle though. I cut the tip of
my bottle to accept the plastic tube as a
tight fit with the end stopping just shy of
the bottom of the bottle. It allows me to
just squeeze the bottle and bring up a wee
drop of adhesive to the tip without trying
to displace the air in the bottle. Works
well for me. Also, I keep a pair of pliars
handy to my bench. I have yet to find a cap
that could defy them.G Warm regards, Jim
FWIW…the tradesmen st work use a lot of super glue. They use the type that comes in a tube, as a tube of toothe paste…and they keep it in the refridgerator.
I took a tube home 2 years ago and keep it in the butter slot in our fridge. Still, after 2 years, she’s good!
I tried Loctite Easy Brush from Walmart. It still dries out and gets thicker with time, but I just love the brush. The brush can be cut back to reduce the amount applied and it is great for beadchain.
I stopped buying the actual Zap a gap…and have gone to the wee tiny tubes of plain old super glue…I buy them in bulk…if one clogs or dries up…I toss it and grab a new tube…It’s cheaper and the excellarator works with all ca glues…for those who buy the 4 ounce bottles of U40 rod varnish…Love the stuff myself…Do invest in some type of oxegen burning spray to spray into the bottle before closing it…or you will experience this same thing with that product!..It’ll be a solid mass in short order no matter how tightly capped…U40 also makes an oxegen burner…you may want to contact them directly…
I use Zap as a head cement. I but tiny glass candle stick holders. After Christmas (now) you can get them for a buck at Christmas shops. Either 2 or 3 in a box (with Candles) . I put several drops in the glass xandle stick holder, wipe off any Zap that may be on the tube with a rag and reseal. As long as the Zap is in glass it will stay liquid for a day or two. Longer if you cover the candle stick holder with a bottle cap, one of the slightly larger caps with a plastic insert. The Zap won’t stick to it. 5 or 6 drops in one of these glass c.s. holders will get me thru a 3 day show.
I also (as a previous poster noted, ‘tap’ the bottom of the Zap plastic bottle) . As I mentioned B4, just wipe off any excess that may be on the outside of that long tube they give you to put on the Zap bottle. I keep a short piece of rag hanging down from my tying desk. I also use this rag to wipe off my dubbing needles. Those small canisters filled with steel wool are fine but not for Zap. They also shove cement up your needle where evenyually you have to razor it off.
Eventually, once opened, Zap will thicken even though you are sure you have it sealed tightly.
The one container of Zap-A-Gap I bought dried up to the point of unusable in a very short time so I didn’t buy it again. I’ve used other CA glues and liked the Borden’s Krazy Glue. However, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that they are all the same. I buy packages of 3 small tubes per package at the $1.00 store. Anyway, you might want to try any of the less expensive brand names. IMHO, Zap-A-Gap has benefitted more from the names of its endorsers and publicity than anything to do with quality and performance.
I learned a bunch about superglue (cyanoacrylate) while building my banjo, and I use it for fly tying all the time. The company I work for also stocks it for retail and mail order sales, we use it for tacking parts down while constructing wind turbines. Here’s what I’ve learned – your mileage may vary.
It does have a shelf life of only about one year. We only stock enough for about 4 months of sales, then order more, back order problems be darned. So only buy as big a bottle as you can use up in a year, except…
thin superglue becomes thick superglue as it ages. So don’t throw out your bottle if it starts to thicken, it’ll still work fine as thick grade.
the little tubes from the supermarket may have sat there for who knows how long. Plus, they contain fillers and less actual cyanoacrylate, in my opinion. I buy all my glue from ‘professional’ suppliers, like the local hobby store or an instrument repair shop. You can verify this by taking a dab of supermarket glue and a dab of the good stuff, and hitting them with accelerator. The good stuff will get EXTREMELY hot and give off a white cloud of vapor, enough to burn you if the glue was on your hands.
I never, ever snip off or use the applicator tip. This increases the shelf life dramatically, and eleminates clogged applicator problems. Instead…
buy disposable pipettes. When banjo building, I bought them in bulk from chemistry lab equipment suppliers since I used so many per day. Now for fly tying I get them (for a higher cost) from instrument repair shops like Stewart MacDonald [url=http://www.stewmac.com/:5ca5d]http://www.stewmac.com/[/url:5ca5d] , search them for ‘pipette’ and you’ll find the exact ones I use.
I simply unscrew the entire superglue bottle lid, and suck up enough into the pipette for a night’s tying, then close the bottle up. It will last for hours in the pipette, keep it upright on your bench with the bulb down. For sucking up thick superglue, snip the tiny nozzle off with scissors down to the wide part of the pipette.
the tiny nozzle gives you superb control on how much glue you put down. Picture shows a pipette with 4 oz glue bottle for scale. NOTE: pic shows a bottle of thick grade next to the pipette, to use the thick grade I’d snip the pipette down!
I hope that helps – try the pipettes and you’ll never snip another bottle applicator again. You can also re-use the pipette for thick glue after the nozzle finally clogs with thin.
And if you’ve never used accelerator – pick up a spray bottle of it, too. Amazing stuff. We’ve fixed injured dogs and cut fingers with superglue and accelerator, too – don’t try this at home!
;~)
DANBOB
[This message has been edited by danbob (edited 03 January 2006).]
