Est. 1998 — 28 years of woodworking knowledge
CA glue aging question
Barry Irby
I bought Titebond CA glue from woodCraft. Got Thin, medium and thick and several cans of accelerant, also Titebond.
The accelerant does not seem to be as quick as I remembered. Does this stuff age out, mine may be a year old. Also, when it finally kicks off it tends to foam or boil. Sometimes have to spray several times.
Any suggestions?
Re: CA glue aging question
Philip F Duffy
I keep my CA bottles in the freezer which, luckily, happens to be in the garage/shop. The seem to stay best that way.. The accelerator stays in the shop. P
Re: CA glue aging question
Dick Coers
I love the comment, "Only modern woodworkers would complain about a minute being too long for adhesive to work."
extending the life of CA glue
John K Jordan
Moisture will work as an activator, although not as quick as the commercial activators.
I've mentioned this before. I found the life of CA glue is extended significantly by keeping the bottles dry. I put them in a container with a good seal and add blue indicator desiccant beads. These beads turn pink when they need to be "recharged" in the oven.
I used to use this small glass canister but since switched to a larger container.
I have several bottles that are 3-4 years old now and still work well. The desiccant method works by keeping moisture from seeping through the plastic glue bottle, which it will do. You can buy indicator desiccant from Amazon.
Keeping opened and unopened bottles in the fridge or freezer also helps but people are cautioned to let them reach room temperature before uncapping. Otherwise, the air exchange during use can introduce water by condensation and negate the advantage of keeping it cold.
JKJ
Re: CA glue aging question
John lucas
I e.been using Starbond for years and lately I have been having the same problem with the accelerator. It seems like it doesnt work as well as it used to. Wonder if there are some new changes in the formulation due to government rules.
Exactly....we were laughing at ourselves
Barry Irby
I am just concerned I bought too much and will lose it. And I did not like the foaming, it appears worse than it used to be.
Good info, JKJ. Thanks.
