# Can CA glue be tinted?



## TattooedTurner

The title says it all. I've tinted other finishes but never tried it with CA. Has anybody tinted CA glue with dye or other mediums? It's liquid acrylic, and true acrylic blanks are colored, so why not plain CA?


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## triw51

I have mixed copier toner with thick CA and used that.  Makes a nice black filler.


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## KenV

The chemists would take exception to labeling as an acrylic.  It could be described as a resin ( very generic).

Lots of the things in paints and dyes are triggers for CA to become a polymer.  If it has water in it, it will set fast.

Some have had success with some powdered pigments.


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## edstreet

Yes.


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## Monty

I've had success mixing powdered pigments such as Pearlex and mica in thick CA to  fill holes and gaps. Thin and medium tend to set to quick be useful.


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## TattooedTurner

Thanks for the info, I would've tried liquid before powders so you've saved me from wasting a bottle of CA.


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## mecompco

TattooedTurner said:


> Thanks for the info, I would've tried liquid before powders so you've saved me from wasting a bottle of CA.



IDK if I'd try to color a bottle of CA. I had a deep hole in a $22 Rotocrylic Dragon blank--right in the wing of the dragon, of course. Was able to mix up some thick CA with yellow and red Pearlex to approximate the color and ended up with a non-noticeable repair. 

You can also buy CA in amber and black. I've used both in the repair of smoking pipe stems--it polishes up just like Ebonite or acrylic to repair chips or tooth chatter.

Regards,
Michael


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## TattooedTurner

mecompco said:


> IDK if I'd try to color a bottle of CA. I had a deep hole in a $22 Rotocrylic Dragon blank--right in the wing of the dragon, of course. Was able to mix up some thick CA with yellow and red Pearlex to approximate the color and ended up with a non-noticeable repair.
> 
> You can also buy CA in amber and black. I've used both in the repair of smoking pipe stems--it polishes up just like Ebonite or acrylic to repair chips or tooth chatter.
> 
> Regards,
> Michael



Thanks for the tip on the colored CA. I won't try mixing an entire bottle with mica, but I intended to tint a full bottle with liquid, now I know better.


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## Skie_M

I think I'll throw a few lil tubes of CA at an experiment on your behalf ...


I have on hand .... 

several spare sealable containers
30+ tubes of CA
brand new can of Acetone
various colors of acrylic dye
various pigments of pearl-x powders and mica pearl


My idea would involve .... filling container (1-oz container) 3/4 full of acetone, add a few drops of acrylic dye and some powdered pearl-x or mica pearl, and then a full tube of thin CA... seal and shake well before applications.

I'll let you know how it goes if I don't glue myself to the lathe or my keyboard .... 


I think the most useful colors for me to have on hand would be .... white pearl, black pearl, blue pearl, and red pearl.  Most other colors blend pretty well with the golden color of the brass tube, especially yellows and greens.


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## Skie_M

update ...


The acrylic dyes I am using cause the CA to get really stringy and weak ... the resulting bond easily peels off of a brass tube with a fingernail.  It's got no hold at all ... either that or the acetone is doing it...

I'm gonna mix some pearl-ex color powder to some CA and see what results I get ...

Side note ... pretty hot exothermic reaction from the mix of CA, acetone, and a few drops of acrylic dye ... I was concerned that the little 1 oz bottles might actually MELT from the heat.  These bottles handle the acetone just fine, but they don't seal particularly well ...

If I find a mix that actually works that I can keep around in small quantity, I plan to store perhaps a half ounce of it in one of my tiny CA bottles ... the only colors I am concerned with at the moment are blue and black.  Anything else tends to go fairly nicely with polished brass (gold).


Seems like I'm going to need quite a bit of powdered pigment to make a difference in coloring the CA still in the bottle ... it's coming out quite clear, with little specks of color clumps.  I may need to find some alcohol based inks ... I know oil based is a worthless idea, as oils will make the CA cure way too fast and not bond properly.

In any case, I didn't add any acetone to the current batch with just Pearl-Ex powder in the CA bottle ... let's see if that affects the bond strength.


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## edstreet

Skie_m. I have documented that and explained what is happening and why.


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## Skie_M

Oh ... that'll save us a good bit of time and money, Ed ... thanks!

Can we get a link to your findings?


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## edstreet

See my sig line the cA link.


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## edstreet

Will give you another hint. It involves the pH levels that includes additives including dyes


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## TattooedTurner

Some more great info.  Thanks Ed.


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## edstreet

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroquinone


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## Skie_M

Ok, so hydroquinone could be used to inhibit the polymerization of cyanoacrylate ... It is, itself, acidic, so it won't cause the polymerization to accelerate either.

Could this application also be exploited to allow us to add a dye or coloring agent, and still be able to use the CA to glue items without a significant loss in strength and bond properties?


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## edstreet

Hydroquinone is used to make CA humidity insensitive. Those reports you hear of CA turning into a brick when it rains is using a brand with low levels.


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## edstreet

That's how the black rubber CA is done.


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