#1
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CA glue recommendations?
I am looking around for CA glue and all that is available locally is Loctite and Gorilla ( Big Box Store ) stuff. I’m not opposed to ordering from amazon or eBay if needed, but would like to get some recommendations from those of you with experience in using. Which CA glue do you use, thin,medium, and do you also use accelerator?
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Martin 000-15M Yamaha LL16ARE Martin Dreadnought Jr |
#2
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I’ve been using Loctite thin and medium from Home Depot with good success. Sometimes I use accelerator, sometimes I don’t. Accelerator can make the glue turn white, so in cases where the appearance matters, I avoid using accelerator.
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#3
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The "pure" CA glue is the ultra thin, anything else has just had stuff added to thicken it and slow down it's setting speed. You choose based on the task at hand - I use the thin to install bindings, I use somewhat thicker, less runny for drop fills on finish dings. You can accelerate with the addition of humidity, either mist or simply breathing on the repair. You can accelerate more with baking soda, in a power or a mist. You can fill nut slots with baking soda and drop on thin CA glue for a pretty permanent repair. Thin CA glue wants as near to zero gap as possible, so press-fit/touching. Thicker CA glue can deal with small gaps, but with reduced strength. I've been using Hot Stuff lately.
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Brian Evans Around 15 archtops, electrics, resonators, a lap steel, a uke, a mandolin, some I made, some I bought, some kinda showed up and wouldn't leave. Tatamagouche Nova Scotia. |
#4
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In the early days, I used what was available, including Hot Stuff. It worked fine, but I objected to the packaging/applicator which filled with dried glue and required buying new applicators/nozzles.
I then switched to using industrial Loctite - not the stuff available in big box stores, but via industrial supply houses. It comes in a dizzying array of choices but was expensive. It's nozzles/applicators never filled with dried glue due to their design. I used thin, medium and thick viscosities. The last few years, I've used Gluboost and its accelerator. It's nozzle, like Locktite's, is designed not to clog with dried glue. It is about the same price as the industrial Locktite, but it better suited to guitar-related tasks, most notably finish repairs. (They recently introduced custom color mixing, allowing one to create glue of any color. One could probably use any colored powder to similarly color other brands of CA glue.) It's accelerator, does not bubble, foam or turn white. It's accelerator comes in an aerosol can: I'd prefer it if it did not. Used in large quantities, it does make my eyes water and is bad to inhale. I use "ultra-thin", thin and their recently added gel. Gluboost is available from their website. |
#5
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It is hard to knock GluBoost. Their glues are as good as any, but their accelerator is in a class of its own. I feel crippled when I run out of the accelerator, so I don’t. I find the generic CA in the blue (thin) or purple (thicker) bottles at my Ace Hardware to be quite good for my purposes.
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#6
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I am totally sold on Bob Smith Industries. I use thin for most applications, but occasionally I have a need for the medium viscosity. I started using it when I developed allergy to CA fumes, and their odorless CA is the best I have found. For years, I used their accelerator (InstaSet in a pump bottle), but I recently tried Gluboost aerosol accelerator and I really like it.
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#7
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RC airplane shops generally have different CA's available.
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Fred |
#8
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I had a look at my CA to see what it actually is. It is called "Insta-cure" and is made by BSI in Atascadero, CA. I wonder if that is John Arnold's Bob Smith Industries? I used it for years and then tried GluBoost CA. Ran out of GluBoost CA so back to BSI, and see no meaningful difference. As I said before, the GluBoost accelerator is unbeatable.
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#9
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BSI is one and the same. It is mainly retailed through hobby suppliers.
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#10
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I personally never use an accelerator when doing guitar work, have encountered many a problem in the past with the stuff. I find letting it dry naturally creates less issues for me.
Steve
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Cole Clark Fat Lady Gretsch Electromatic Martin CEO7 Maton Messiah Taylor 814CE |
#11
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I am guessing you have not tried the GluBoost accelerator.
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#12
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Quote:
Steve
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Cole Clark Fat Lady Gretsch Electromatic Martin CEO7 Maton Messiah Taylor 814CE |
#13
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One of the advantages of the odorless CA is that it cures a bit slower with less exothermic reaction. As a result, it does not tend to foam or turn milky when accelerator is used. IMHO, for that reason alone it is superior to regular CA for finish touchup.
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#14
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Most local hobby shops have the glues in different viscosities.
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#15
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The thing about this product, besides it’s convenience, is that the glue nearly instantly “dries” w/o crazing or doing damage to the finish. It seems miraculous compared to insta-set. Using the spray is a bit like having a magic wand.
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