The conical cap on my container of (water thin) CA froze solid so I had to unscrew the whole cap assembly and dip my toothpicks directly into the glue. Now that too is frozen.
What can I do to prevent this type of thing ocurring in the future? I have a lot of cast metal detail parts to secure in and on my structures.
If you have high humidity it can severely shorten the life of CA. If you are using any accelerator (like Zip-Kicker) keep the CA and it as far away from each other as possible, if you apply CA from the bottle to an already “Zip-Kicked” area, it will contaminate the whole bottle.
Do not use the bottletip to apply CA to models, (unless you need to cover a larger area), instead pour a drop or few into something like a soda bottle cap and apply with a pin from there. If the tip gets clogged, I just cut the clogged part off as I don’t use it to apply to the models anyway. Tapping the bottle when you set it down will help the CA flow back into the bottle from the tip. If there is build-up on the tip scrape it away so the cap can reseal.
In between uses, store the bottle in a fridge.
As a custom builder, I use the medium thickness or “gap-filling” CA 80% of the time, it’s easier to apply and control and less likely to glue your fingers together.
Same here. (What happened to the “ditto” smiley?) I squeeze out a bit onto something that won’t absorb it, and use a toothpick to apply it. I also tap the bottle on the bench before putting on the cap, and I wipe the end of the nozzle with a rag too. (Do that fast so the rag won’t stick!) I’ve drilled out jammed tips with a 1/16" drill bit with fairly good success.
Which brand are you using? I find that the problem you’ve described happens more often with some than others.
Also, keep your CA in the fridge when you are not using it to prolong life. It’s great on salads, too.
Yep, sure keeps the Bacon Crisps from sliding off of the lettuce, LOL!
I use Zap-A-Gap CA with a toothpick, except on larger surfaces. It’s a thicker, slower-setting CA (about a minute and a half), and has a nice strong bond when set and seems to have a lot better ‘shear’ strength than the thin stuff after it cures for about an hour. So far, I’ve only glued my fingers together twice[:-^] Good stuff, and I haven’t had any clogging problems.
Tom [:)]