# CA glue fumes



## apple320 (Jun 9, 2008)

How long before the fumes no longer coat all metal and plastic with a white film.  I use no tubs so all of my fittings are glued in but I always get a white film on everything and I am not even looking for finger prints.  lol  to much CSI

Thanks


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## Fred (Jun 9, 2008)

I have found that if I put the pen in a very well ventilated area that I eliminate the vapor (gases) that can - and as you have experienced -will settle back onto the nearby surfaces. Just make a "resting" area that has air movement and hopefully you will be fine. A few hours is what I try to obtain.


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## wdcav1952 (Jun 9, 2008)

I would choose to leave the pen out in moving air at least overnight.


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## Ligget (Jun 10, 2008)

Overnight or even longer if you can.

For example a Baron: after gluing in metal components I leave it overnight with the cap off and the ink refill out, I also unscrew the hex nib grip section so the CA fumes can escape from inside the lower barrel.

Changing to epoxy glue would stop this happening.


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## Petricore (Jun 10, 2008)

I made the switch to gorilla glue and I haven't ever regretted it  Sure it takes overnight to cure, but a little planning cures that. Plus it seems to be more forgiving when the wood moves and not cracking as much  I basically never put CA on any pen parts, I just use it for repairs / finishes, and have never had the white problems from that.


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## armand159 (Jun 13, 2008)

i use ca glue for all my pens. i work in my garage so don't have a problem. i am careful with the glue when using it as a sealer when finishing the pen. after sanding my wood pens up to 600 grit, i apply 2 thin coats (with papertowel) waiting till each one dries, and then finish with micro-mesh sandpaper up to 4000 grit, then apply one more thin coat, letting it dry, then micro-mesh from 6000 grit to 12000 grit...i then apply a spray gloss lacquer which gives it an absolutely beautiful shine. check out my site at
http://www.mywoodworkingstore.com


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## jeff (Jun 14, 2008)

> _Originally posted by armand159_
> 
> i use ca glue for all my pens. i work in my garage so don't have a problem. i am careful with the glue when using it as a sealer when finishing the pen. after sanding my wood pens up to 600 grit, i apply 2 thin coats (with papertowel) waiting till each one dries, and then finish with micro-mesh sandpaper up to 4000 grit, then apply one more thin coat, letting it dry, then micro-mesh from 6000 grit to 12000 grit...i then apply a spray gloss lacquer which gives it an absolutely beautiful shine. check out my site at
> http://www.mywoodworkingstore.com



Your blatant repeated shill posting and your failure to read the AUP have just gotten you ejected from this forum.



> Advertisements to buy, sell, or swap belong in the Individual Classifieds Forum or the Business Classifieds Forum. Ads found elsewhere may be deleted or moved. Shill posts, spam, or sneaky marketing practices will get you ejected.


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## RussFairfield (Jun 14, 2008)

Getting back to the question of "how long". I have an ElGrande cap that will still eat the plating off a fountain pen tip and leave a white mold on the feed after 11 months, and that is after repeated soaking with accelerator.  

I think it is better to use an  epoxy and not have to worry about the CA fumes. Blue or red Locktite work well on tight fitting joints, a 2-[art epoxy can be used where the fit is not as good, and there are no fumes to contend with.  They can be cleaned up with Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol and the only finish it will damage is shellac.


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## makaiolani (Jul 5, 2008)

After I spray accelerator I don't have a problem after 10 minutes.


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## marcruby (Jul 5, 2008)

Keep the epoxy off your hands.  I believe it's a cumulative allergen.

Marc



> _Originally posted by RussFairfield_
> 
> Getting back to the question of "how long". I have an ElGrande cap that will still eat the plating off a fountain pen tip and leave a white mold on the feed after 11 months, and that is after repeated soaking with accelerator.
> 
> I think it is better to use an  epoxy and not have to worry about the CA fumes. Blue or red Locktite work well on tight fitting joints, a 2-[art epoxy can be used where the fit is not as good, and there are no fumes to contend with.  They can be cleaned up with Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol and the only finish it will damage is shellac.


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## dcavazos (Jul 16, 2008)

Fumes or Flash off 

This is one of the most toxic things about the CA Glue.

The CA glue will transform from the liquid to solid stage but one part of the glue will transform in gas

This gas will stick to any material if during the cure time the pieces are stored on a
Box the gas will stick to the box or the container

As an urban legend I will recommend to see the 80â€™s hit movie Beverly Hills Cop

In several prototypes made for pre-production I have use CA glue to bond special resins PMMA, Acrylics, BMC, Polycarbonates and some other engineering materials and we must let the glue dry for 10-30 minutes prior to the packing of the parts

These fumes can also be seen in the BLO/CA finishing application during pen making 

My recommendations:

1 use globes
2 face shield
3 Fan, Air Extractor
4 Nose and Mouth mask

Accelerator is a very reactive chemical that can cause burns or damage to the skin
So precautions are needed


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## gerryr (Jul 22, 2008)

dcavazos said:


> Accelerator is a very reactive chemical that can cause burns or damage to the skin
> So precautions are needed



You must use some pretty strange accelerator if it causes burns.


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## wdcav1952 (Jul 22, 2008)

dcavazos said:


> Fumes or Flash off
> 
> This is one of the most toxic things about the CA Glue.
> 
> ...




Your last statement is simply not true.  If it was a true statement most women, in the US at least, would have burned their fingernails and toenails off by now.  Accelerator, like nail polish remover, is mainly acetone.  Now if you have unset CA on your skin and spray the CA with accelerator that will indeed burn your skin.

While precautions for any chemical used is a good idea, I find it irresponsible to exaggerate the actions of something such as CA accelerator.


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## RussFairfield (Jul 22, 2008)

This topic is confusing. The answers posted to the question of how long it takes before the CA becomes inert are 10-minutes, 1-hour, over night; and I have a fountain pen cap that will still eat the plating off a kit nib and leave a white powder in the feed after more than a year. The only difference is that now it takes a couple days to destroy the pen, and a year ago it was overnight. And that is after several soakings in accelerator. What am I missing?


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## redfishsc (Jul 25, 2008)

Like Russ I use the epoxy (I use the stuff Monty sells). I've found cleanup to be a breeze if you use a dry paper towel or cloth to buff off any minor glue squeeze-out. I had forgotten that DNA removed epoxy however, I need to remember that for those times I get heavy handed with the epoxy. 

BTW I apply the epoxy with a Q-tip to the inside of the barrel tube. For pens like Barons and Gents I'll put tiny touches of epoxy on the clip ring to hold the clip snug in place so that it doesn't spin by accident (which can cause damage to the finish where the clip end touches it).

A little dab 'll do ya!





RussFairfield said:


> This topic is confusing. The answers posted to the question of how long it takes before the CA becomes inert are 10-minutes, 1-hour, over night; and I have a fountain pen cap that will still eat the plating off a kit nib and leave a white powder in the feed after more than a year. The only difference is that now it takes a couple days to destroy the pen, and a year ago it was overnight. And that is after several soakings in accelerator. What am I missing?



I think you also forgot the about other guy getting booted for shilling, and gerry and Cav setting the record straight on accelerator burning folks. 



As a side note to all these side notes (ie, getting back to what the person asked)--- I have found 24 hours to NOT be a consistent wait period for CA flashing/blooming. Once I realized that it took longer for CA to cure to a non-bloom state than it did for epoxy to set up, I switched. Yes, it's more work. Yes, it's worth it.


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## DurocShark (Aug 5, 2008)

Here in CO I've found thin CA will be fully cured in around 30 minutes while the "gel" can take a day or more. Accelerant or not. That only seems to affect the surface of the glue. That was surprising to me until I realized that the way we use CA isn't the way I used it as "super glue" years ago. We soak it into wood, flood it around our tubes, etc. It's not a drop between the guy's helmet and an I beam. 

(Am I the only one who remembers the old Super Glue commercials?)

I've started using epoxy for all assembly tasks, while CA only gets used as a hardener/stabilizer/finish. And to fix daughter's shoes.


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## C. Scott (Aug 14, 2008)

The main chemical in the accelerant that I use is HEPTANE, not acetone.  Acetone melts CA so I don't understand why it would be in accelerant.  If acetone was the accelerant then it should be a lot cheaper than what it normally is.

Just my two cents.


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