Wargaming Tradecraft: Preventing Super Glue from Drying Out




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Preventing Super Glue from Drying Out

We all know the usefulness of super glue. In any situation where you want to glue two objects together, super glue will make a strong bond. Only when both parts are plastic do you want to use plastic glue.

But how often does your super glue dry out or harden?

Glue with a clear spout lets you see the glue and dried areas, which helps you track down signs the glue will dry out.

Cleaning this is actually rather easy, it's just a matter of remembering to do the work. Every time you use your glue, take a close look and watch for slightly darker rings that weren't there before.

If any are found, face the bottle up then squeeze on the bottle a little bit, then unsqueeze. Repeat this step as many times as it takes for the bubble to go away. It'll either drop down into the bottle or work it's way up to the tip, creating a little bubbling super glue - so don't have it too close to you; don't want it getting on you / in your eyes.

Afterwards, quickly squeezing the super glue should expel the air from the bottle, and suck air back inside - making a wheezing sound. (Don't squeeze it too far, don't want to squirt super glue) If you don't hear this, you have a blockage. (hopefully still wet and not dried inside.

Just remember to always do all this after using super glue, and to look close. (Just use the listen test quickly)

Having some long pins on hand can also help remove clogs or pop spout glue out. Worst case will mean using pliers to cut off the spout at wherever the glue has dried.


3 comments:

  1. Thanks for this, dude! I've historically jumped straight for the pin or snip; having a defined prevetion-rather-than-cure strategy will go a long way for me.

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  2. Ive got a length of metal tube (the thickness similar to that from a hyperdermic needle) This I insert into the cap..no cutting the tip involved. To seal afterwards I´ve got a long pices of 0.5mm wire which inserts perfectly into the tube sealing it. If there´s any drying at all, the steel wire cures that when it´s removed.The "hyperdermic" tube also acts as a pretty accurate dispenser, allowing very tiny doses ;-D
    Cheers
    Paul

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  3. The easiest way to prevent super glue (or many type of glues) from drying up is to place them in the freezer after use. It will be like new when you use it next. I have tried this for at least a year and it is working very well. Perhaps, a small box in the freezer to store all kind of glues is a good idea.

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