Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
CA Accelerator
RPE
>I used to be into radio control airplanes. We used a lot of CA in building the balsa planes. We made our own accelerator.
I would get one of those plastic hair spray bottles (the kind that atomize the liquid)and wash it out good and fill it with water and then add baking soda. I use about one tablespoon to eight ounces water.
Wet both surfaces you want to bond, press them together and then add the CA. Hold or clamp for a few seconds and it's there.
It works great.
RP
Thanks for the tip
Gary Bills in NC
>
Does the CA glue turn white?
John Trant (aka Boxes-n-Bowls)
>In my experience, CA glue will turn white if I use water as an accelerant or add too much accelerant. Of course, this is OK for model planes but it is no good if I am trying to fill voids or reinforce hairline cracks.
John
Re: Does the CA glue turn white?
Russ Fairfield
>The whitening and foaming of the CA glue can be reduced by waiting a minute for it to cure before using the accelerator.
Re: Does the CA glue turn white?
RPE
>The squeeze out is white, but sands right off. The glue is not visible in the crack. If you produce a little sanding dust (not turning dust) from a scrap piece and sprinkle it on the crack and then add the CA, it is pretty much invisible.
I just made some Walnut cabinets and had a nail shoot through the front of a drawer. I removed the chip and ground down the nail. I treated the drawer and chip with the soda/water mixture. Let it sit for a minute, spinkled sawdust from a palm sander over the area and then put CA on it. After it dired (some of the surface squeezeout was white) I sanded it and it is invisible (unless you know where to look!)
RP