This has probably been asked a bazillion times but I can’t recall reading it - and the search got little info.
How do you keep ACC from clogging up the nozzle with dried glue? I have tried putting a common pin in the small hole and it usually gets glued there and I can’t pull it out. The bottle I have now will clog and I just run something down through it to reopen the end, but I can tell it’s getting harder to get the product out. So, what’s the best way to keep the nozzle open when it’s not being used and the cap is it place??
AFter you put the cap back on, set the bottle down sharply, like slammign a glass on the table. This usually gets the last drops of glue out of the tip so it won’t seal shut. Try to keep it stored upright, although I have two bottles in my toolbox that can’t help but lay on their sides and so far I’ve only had trouble with one I hadn’t opened in over a month - I was able to unclog it with a pin though. Make sure the cap fits tight. I also don’t buy the big bottles, it always seems to be false economy to me because I don’t use it fast enough. Instead I bought a pack of 6 small bottles and only open 1 at a time - somehow I managed to get two open though. After building dozens of freight cars (I use CA to glue in the weights), including MAKING weights by gluing stacks of pennies together, neither of the tiny bottles is empty.
Also, I haven’t tried this but it might work. Save one of those silica gel “DO NOT EAT” packs that come with just about anything, and put the glue bottle in a plastic bag with the silica gel. CA is activated by moisture and the silica gel sucks up moisture.
I don’t put the cap back on right away. When I’m done with the glue for a while, I wipe off the tip with a paper towel and then set it down, upright, and give it a few minutes to drain back down. When I can see a clear opening, then I put the cover on, and always store it straight up. If the opening doesn’t open up after sitting for a few minutes, I run a wire down through it to clear it before replacing the cap.
do you buy it in the multi packs like walmart and ace hardware sell? i have bought the thick stuff in packs of 4 tubes 3g. each and the thin stuff in packs of 6 2g. each. a bubble pack costs about a buck. that way if a tube plugs or goes bad, you haven’t lost much.
I used to get so mad at the tip getting covered in dried CA and the hole constantly plugging up - but I found the perfect product.
Loctite CA in the small red metal tube. For starters, the stuff sticks extremely well - which is important. The second aspect is the fact the tube never clogs, and dried CA will not stick to the tube ! I can twist off the cap and dispense the glue every time right until it’s gone without ever having to poke anything down the tube to clear it out.
I don’t know what combination of adhesive / plastic applicator they’ve come up with, but it’s a definite winner in my book.
As I’m a custom builder I use more CA than most of you. I never apply CA directly from the bottle, I pour a few drops into a container (like a bottle cap or something) and apply it with a pin (a piece of Athearn handrail inserted into a section of dowel) so I’m not conserned with maintaining the tube of the bottle, I just cut off the clogged section with a razor blade. After a quarter to three eighths of an inch of the tube are gone, the hole is big enough that it doesn’t clog anymore. The cap still keeps things relativaly airtight. A 2oz bottle of medium will last me about 3 to 4 months on the workbench and I usually use it up before it starts to thicken. The grade of CA makes a difference as well, I use Paul Smith Industries brand (the one with the silver and blue or purple labels which is industrial grade and has a longer shelf life.
Another thing to keep in mind, don’t store your CA and accellerator near each other and make sure you cap the CA before you spray the accellerator, because even a little of that mist can really shorten the life of the CA.
