{jcomments off}Everyone has heard of Krazy Glue. It is one of those magic adhesives that will glue almost anything to almost anything. CA glue or Cyanoacrylate glue is is actually the generic name for all of these types of glues. They come in a host of proprietary names, like Krazy Glue, Super Glue. These glues are so wide ranging in use, that veterinarians sometimes use them in small animal surgery under band names like LiquiVet and Glue Stitch.  Sheesh - you heard it here first ! The reason they work for this type of application is because they adhere almost instantly and they are often little or non-irritating and non-toxic to the skin, according to claims.

It is most often sold in very small quantities because it is somewhat expensive compared to other glues. They are often used as "temporary" glues or "prototype" glues because of their characteristics cited above. As a general rule, CA glues have a lower resistance to moisture, at least over a short period of time although some brands include water resistant ingredients that counteracts this tendency very well and does make them quite water resistant.

In the workshop CA glues are commonly used by wood turners for making pens and re-gluing items on the lathe. The glue is indispensable for many woodworkers as it is (relatively) cheap, easy to use, non-toxic and bonds things very, very well. As far as a repair glue, CA glues are excellent for small furniture repairs, many tool repairs and numerous woodworking projects.

There are a number of different strengths of CA glues which take a varying amount of time to cure and harden ... plus for some you can purchase a separate accelerant that allows for instant adhesion, which is great for some projects where you need instant adhesion.

CA glues are slightly different than Polyurethane glues, like Gorilla Glue which work best with a small amount of moisture present (i.e. you might dampen one side of the wood while applying Gorilla Glue to the other side then clamp the two sided together).

Copyright Colin Knecht
woodworkweb.com