Cyanoacrylate Cement

Introduction
Cyanoacrylate, aka Super or Krazy Glue, is a fast acting adhesive. It bonds pretty well with most surfaces, better with some than others. Here is an improvement to using Super / Krazy Glue alone.

In this instructable I will be introducing CA Cement, which is a combination of Super Glue and Baking Soda (aka: Sodium Bicarbonate). Baking Soda is an activator which makes CA dry more quickly as well as to increase strength. Besides creating a stronger bond it also is paintable, fills gaps, doesn’t shrink and able to be sanded.

I will be displaying 3 different uses with CA (Super Glue) and Baking Soda.

1) Build up a worn edge. (creating a berm)
2) Repair broken toy truck wheel.
3) Make a refill adapter.

Step 1: Materials & Tools

Materials:
1) Super or Krazy Glue and
2) Baking Soda.

Tools:
1) Straw,
2) Spoon, bowl or towel, (something to hold the Baking Soda)
3) File or sandpaper. (optional)

Skill Level:
Easy

Time to Complete:
5 – 10 minutes (depending on your project)

Now that you have your materials, let’s go explore what CA Cement can do.

Step 2: Spinning Microwave Tray

It started with 1 wheel falling off, then the 2nd wheel started falling off, when the all 3 wheels were falling off while heating food, it was time to replace the tray. I looked around but could not easily find a replacement tray. I used CA Cement to build up the edge that holds the wheels on the tray. The repair took about 10 mins and the wheels work perfectly, in other words they do not fall off. They are also quiet again. Before the repair there was a loud obnoxious monotone tenor singing through a straw screech. With the occasional clunking sound of a wheel falling of and then the tray spinning on the bottom of the over.

Materials:
1) Super or Krazy Glue,
2) Baking Soda and
3) File or Sand Paper.

This example is to build up a worn edge.
1) Apply some Super Glue around the area you want to build up,
2) Add some of the Baking Soda onto the glue,
3) Repeat 1 – 2 until the right height is reached,
4) Sand or file for a smooth finish.
5) Slide the wheels over the berm.

Now you are done.

Step 3: Broken Wheel Hub

What do you do when a beloved RC Truck wheel breaks off. If it is one of the cheap ones you repair it with CA Cement. The repair took about 10 min because of the close quarters. Since the repair, the truck has been smashed into the wall repeatedly ..., driven off the table repeatedly... and the back axle has been bent. The CA Cement repair is still holding strong.

Materials:
Super or Krazy Glue and Baking Soda

This example will encapsulate the break, creating a stronger repair.
Note: The overall repair is stronger when thin layers are applied. i.e. CA, BS, dry, CA, BS, dry, etc.
1) Apply some Super Glue to secure the wheel in place,
2) Apply some more Super Glue over the outside of the area you just secured,
3) Add some of Baking Soda onto the glue,
4) Repeat 2 – 3 until the area is covered with the “CA Cement”,
5) Sand or file for a smooth finish. (Optional)

Now you are done.

Step 4: Travel Toothpaste Adapter

My wife went on a business trip and she wanted to bring a travel size toothpaste tube, all we had was an mostly empty tube. We could not find anymore Tom's of Maine travel size tubes, so I said I could refill it, she looked at me and said, "Before Thursday?" I said, "Yes". CA Cement to the rescue and it only took 5 mins.

Materials:
1) 2 toothpaste caps
2) Super or Krazy Glue and
3) Baking Soda

This example will join plastics that would otherwise need a special epoxy. In other words it will encapsulate the seam, creating a strong bond to hold the ends together.
Note: The overall repair is stronger when thin layers are applied. i.e. CA, BS, dry, CA, BS, dry, etc.
1) Hold the caps together,
2) Apply some Super Glue around the edge you are joining,
3) Add some Baking Soda onto the glue,
4) Repeat 2 – 3 until the area is covered with the “CA Cement”,
5) Refill your travel Toothpaste tube.

Now you are done.

Step 5: Observations & Summary

If you can not find a replacement part or the glue is not bonding well. Use CA Cement to repair that toy, make an adapter, fill a gap. CA Cement is cheaper and not as smelly as Bondo or epoxies. I had previously made repairs by using Super Glue and plastic welding however they did not hold. But CA Cement has surpassed the those attempts. Try it for yourself.

The benefits of this design are:
1) Inexpensive, will fit within any budget,
2) No special tools or supplies needed,
3) Multiple applications - Build up an edge, Fill in gap, Bond items together,
4) Easy to work with - Paintable, does not shrink and able to be sanded.

Summary
I am satisfied with the results.

Hear advice, and receive instruction, so that you may be wise in your latter end.

Comments

[bechele-de]

Hi, after I published my similar instruction (https://www.instructables.com/Howto-Repair-Parts-Using-Glass-Sand-and-Super-Glue/) I found yours. Instead of baking soda I use glass sand. Glass sand is also alkaline. Using glass sand I repaired even my broken lawn mower tank (Briggs and Stratton) out of zincum. The holder broke off, because of too much vibration. The broken holder lasts since then, though I still use the mower frequently. I will give baking soda a try to see, if this is even better ?!

[ezman]

Thank you for reviewing and replying. Glass sand sounds interesting. The principle is the same using the small crystals and Cyanoacrylate to create a patch. Is one stronger than another? I don't believe so. I did some testing of tensile and shear strength, I was not impressed, especially with the shear strength. Overall either substance is adequate for light duty, quick and cheap repairs.

Your video is a good illustration showing the amount of material needed to bond the pennies. During my research I viewed videos on silk nail wraps and saw an opportunity to apply that process to some repairs. I used different mediums i.e. paper, dryer sheets, even silk. It worked well and looked better using less material to reinforce the bond.

Good job on your instructable. Continued success on future instructables.

[bechele-de]

Hi Ezman,
first of all sorry for the late reply, but I was very busy with installing our new kitchen.
For proper stability it is important to make sure all particle gaps are filled with super glue. In order to make the video I already glued the two coins together and during a test I was able to break them with high force. So I gued the coins again by applying some more glue. During the video I expected to be able to rip them apart again, but that didn't work during recording. To be honest I found the soda method just after I made the video. Up to now I didn't have time to test soda powder.
For regular shaped repairs I already used glass fiber strips that are usually used to join gypsum plates for inhouse building. It is of course more stable because it transfers the forces inside the glue covered fibers. Unfortunately it is difficult to apply strips or sheets on irregular shaped areas. Therefore glass sand or soda is surely a better option. I could imagine that loose short glass fiber pieces would be even better for the scatter technic, but up to now I didn't have such material available.

[BobJ124]

The
super glue + baking soda technique may have been around for quite awhile, but I
only came across it last week. I broke the left nose mount off my metal rim eye
glasses over a year ago and first tried to solder it back in place. That lasted
about 5 minutes. Next I tried using just super glue alone and that lasted about
2 or 3 days. Not surprising considering the amount of leverage applied to the
thin metal loop that connects the nose pad to the lens frame. This time I use
the cement combination in 3 thin layers spread out to include a very small gap
and increase the bonding area. It hardened much faster than just the glue alone.
Time will tell how long it lasts. I've included an image of the finished result. Thanks for sharing this tip with us.

[ezman]

Welcome to instructables. Thank you for reviewing and commenting.
Looks like you did a through job. The nose mount is a tough repair. There is a lot of shear force applied to the area when removing eye wear. The best practice is when removing eye wear, place both hands on the frame or lug (hinges) of the glasses and lift straight up. That way will reduce the amount of shear force applied to the nose mount joint and prolong the repair or avoid the break. Two other recommendations I would make are 1) sand each layer and apply new glue without blowing off the dust and 2) I would have applied the CA cement on the break to the rim.
You did a good job working in a tight area. But the most important take away would be to use both hands and lift straight up to remove your glasses.
Ezman

[rpotts2]

I remember doing this back in the 80s on my balsa models. thanks for bringing back the memories...

:-D

[ezman]

You are welcome, rekindling memories is another service provided here at instructables.com. Were your balsa models for show or play? Thank you for reviewing and commenting.

[rpotts2]

oh no. I flew a lot of free flights, modified some for control line too. I also got into making custom bodies for slot cars using balsa.

[ezman]

Balsa slot cars, that is cool. You must have spent hours trimming and sanding? Thanks for sharing.

[Involved Observer]

I've only recently heard of this trick, but not if it worked well or not. Thanks for this 'ible - now I can move forward with several repairs with confidence!

[ezman]

I know what you mean, I read about it almost a year ago, but that was it. Until all of the Microwave Tray wheels fell off. I have now been experimenting with different repairs. i.e. Interplane Strut on a Hess bi-wing plane, PVC shower head holder, My daughter's paper flat Stanley had many mishaps during his travels. I reinforced his neck, one wrist and set his other broken wrist with CA Cement. Just to mention a few.

Thank you for reviewing and commenting. Let us know how your repairs went.

[tomatoskins]

I love mixing baking soda with Cyanoacrylate. It's so handy! Thanks for sharing with the community!

[ezman]

Thank you for reviewing and commenting. You are right, it has been very handy. All the items in the repair pile are receiving a second look to see if this will work.