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Re: [APD] Re: super glue -- or --Sticking to the facts



Plain old super glue ain't so plain after all. There are
diff kinds of super glues (cyanocrylates) and some are used
in surgery to bond tissue. Moisture triggers the
polymerization into  a dipole chain -- so it stick to polar
molecules but not nonpolar types -- it grabs somethings
like crazy and on somethings (e.g., vinyls) it is totally
useless.

It is biodegradable if kept wet and one of the breakdown
products is formaldehyde. But the amounts are relatively
minute and most forms of super glue aren't considered toxic
to humans -- hence some forms are approved for use as a
"suture" material. What makes it good for closing small
lacerations makes it ideal for the use that Christine
suggests.

Although it has good water resistance, it's not waterproof.
Enough so that the recommended method for parting skin that
has been accidental super glued is not to cut apart the
joined area but to soak it in water several hours, which
softens the glue and substantially weakens the bond.

The vapors during curing can be irritating especially to
asthmatic folks. If the humidity is lower than 50%, the
curing can be slower and the presence of vapors of greater
duration than otherwise.

The vapors can also be used to make fingerprints on
objects, normally not easily visible, easier to see and
somewhat permanent. If you thought white or black
fingerprint dusting powder was hard to clean up, you ain't
seen nothin' yet.

Some brands of glue have other polymers added into the mix,
which makes the whole issue somewhat stickier.

Scott H.
--- Christine Bennett <christine_bennett at usa.net> wrote:
> I use super glue all the time for attaching things in
> either my planted tanks
> or in my pond outdoors.  Cold water make the glue cure
> instantly and it's
> non-toxic once it's cured.  Great for things like
> attaching anubias to things
> - just use a couple dots to hold it in place until the
> roots grab hold.  My
> favorite project was using super glue to glue the teeny
> version of anubias
> barteri to the intake tube in my Eclipse 12.  I glued it
> with just a couple
> dots pointing upwards - over time it grew up the intake
> tube completely hiding
> the tube.  If you just use a couple of dots of glue
> you'll be able to detach
> the plant without damaging it, just use a sharp pull
> (after you've carefully
> made sure that the roots are detached so it's only held
> by the glue).
> 
> Christine Bennett


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