This is probably a dumb question and possibly redundant. What is the shelf life of CA glue if left out in the shop and/or if kept in refrigeration? Is it longer if still sealed, ie: unopened? Is it a sharply descending curve of holding power, ie: strong for 90 days then strong to weak in 30 days? Or a gradual descending slope, ie: strong for 6 months tapering to worthless in 1 year? Tried to contact Starbond, but no luck. And while we're at it, is there a particular brand and/or viscosity preferred by folks here?
I prefer Titebond because the cap seals better than any other brand I've tried.
There was a recent thread discussing this few days ago. In that thread humidity was said to affect the longevity on CA and that makes sense as moisture will cause it to set more quickly.
As far as times go I have no data to give you.
I can say I've had 3 bottles of Titebond in my shop for about 5 years and it is still good to use. However my shop is air conditioned and heated 24/7 and I'm sure that makes a big difference.
The viscosity depends on the use. I keep thin, medium, and gap-filling and use thin the most. I occasionally use the flexible black CA.
I am certainly no expert on CA, all I know is what I've been told and what I've experienced.
As for brands I like Hotstuff and Mercury Adhesives, Stick-Fast seems OK. I had trouble once with E-Z Bond. I've never tried Starbond. I use the thin Parsons Parfix 3408 sometimes for finishes since it has no fumes and a 40 second cure time.
Parsons Adhesives say in general the shelf life of CA is about 1 year, longer if refrigerated or frozen in the unopened bottle. That shelf life includes the time spent in the dealer's warehouse. They also told me there are only 3 makers of CA in the US so some of brands we buy are coming from the same vats.
In my experience the glue will continue to work until it eventually thickens up and won't come out of the bottle. It can harden completely in the bottle. Apparently one enemy of CA is moisture which can actually come into the bottle through the plastic. Mercury Adhesives told me they carefully researched and tested plastics for a formulation that would keep out moisture.
The Mercury Adhesives CA glues may be more expensive but they have some benefits besides the bottle claim: the cap seals well and has a stainless steel pin that keeps the nozzle clean.
Mercury is the only CA maker I know who has a lifetime warranty on their glues. If the glue sets up in the bottle they will replace it for no charge, no questions asked.
My experience with CA: I keep it in the fridge until opened. After opening some recommend not refrigerating since unless brought to room temperature before using moisture in the air can condense inside the bottle. I have not experienced that - for years I kept it cold, used it, and put it back. The bottles deteriorated before the glue did. I currently leave a bottle of Hotstuff thin on the shelf above the lathe, uncapped but with a capillary tip. It's been there for well over a year and the glue still works as expected although the plastic in the bottle is getting stiff. I keep that bottle handy since I use it frequently. The capillary tips are perfect for putting a single tiny drop exactly where needed.
To keep the moisture out of CA glues I keep the rest of my CA glue bottles in a sealed container with desiccant beads to suck up any moisture in the air. I use the blue indicator desiccant which changes to a pink color when it's time to "recharge" it in the oven.
This is my earlier container. I now use a larger one with a lid with a clamp that is easier to open.
I have used Starbond for years. I only use thin as the shelf life of thick CA is not very long in comparison to thin. Medium is slightly better than thick. I did an article for the American Woodturner in 2011 and had over 30 different CA glues. All stated a 1 year shelf life except Titebond which stated a two year shelf life. After the review all were kept in the freezer (some still are). I had in two cases where even being in the freezer the thick solidified. I buy my thin in 16 ounce bottles and keep them in the freezer and they have a very long shelf life there. I more or less only use CA anymore as a finish or for mixing saw dust to fill cracks. If I need to stick two pieces of wood together I use 5 minute epoxy. In reality with all those different CA glues I have used I have not found one significantly better than another. I use Starbond mainly because they are at every AAW Symposium and I can buy two 16 ounce bottles there and do not worry about shipping. I'm sure that like all woodturning things everybody has their favorites.
What do we know of Dap RapidFuse Wood Adhesive - formerly Nexabond? I have used it quite a bit in flat work, but not much in turning and found it to be quite good.
For the others I tend to use Starbond thin and Titebond medium, both for reasons of accessibility rather than any particular experience.
I like Titebond CA because I think their container is better than the other brands. I also like Starbond because it is so readily available, however I don't like the Starbond colored glues. I once used Starbond black to fill a crack across a large platter. It worked well, but when I looked at it a couple of years later, it had shrunk so that it was no longer flush with the surface. To me the Starbond brown is quite transparent so that it looks like tea.
