# Another use for CA



## okiebugg

I've known about this for years. In fact, the first time I used it for this purpose was in the Operating Room doing Cataract surgery. CA glue can be used to close minor lacerations to stop bleeding. We tried it on Cataract patients to close the wound created when opening the eye to remove the cataract. The use of this procedure didn't last long because the CA crystallizes and scratches the inside of the eyelid.  Disclaimer: I am not a Doctor. I have a designation as an COMT which allows me to do just about anything the eye surgeon does with the exception of cutting tissue.

When you cut yourself while working in the shop, you can usually wrap a cloth around the impacted part and squeeze until it stops bleeding. Instead of the cloth, wipe the area completely dry the instant before you put a drop or two on the cut. (thick)  This is when the fun starts.....spray the drop or two with accelerant quickly to make it seal the cut. It only hurts for a few seconds.

Put a band aid on it and forget about it for a day or two.


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## leestoresund

See what staying at a Holiday Inn Express can do?


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## sbell111

I think that I'll stick to 'put a band-aid on it' and if that doesn't work to go get a stitch or two.


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## sbarton22

CA glue was created for exactly that use in battle. I prefer it as a finish versus as a stitch.


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## Drstrangefart

I have 3 or 4 small cuts on my hand that were on the side of a knuckle and super annoying. Accidentally filled them with thin CA while working on a finish, and it feels about normal now. Haven't had to seal up any fresh cuts with it, but I was aware of the use.


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## wouldentu2?

Have used it for this many times, this time of year it does a great job on skin cracking around the finger nails. A small amount at the edge and under the nail and the pain goes away.


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## SDB777

It's more like teargas in my shop, those fumes get into my eyes...WHEW!  Looks like I been looking at Granny(from the Beverly Hillbillies show) while she was nakid!




Scott (glad I don't do battle anymore) B


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## randyrls

Most professional carpenters carry a bottle of thick CA and/or duck tape.  Since for them, time is money, time lost is money lost.   Some will even have hydrogen peroxide.


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## StephenM

I really wish you would change your name.  Every time I see a message from you, my mind sees "Randy Girls".  :wink:


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## RogerH

I was careless a couple of days ago-had roughed one blank but the other was still square.  Was talking to my wife and thought I was reaching to feel the roughed blank, and instead put my right index finger between my banjo and the square blank while the lath was turning.  The result looked like I had tried to chop off the end of my finger.  Ouch.

I am a chicken about stitches, and I tend to just wipe away blood.  Stupid, I know, but I had a grandfather that used to check current by wetting his finger first !!!

Anyway, I just kept working with a blue shop towel on it, and while doing the CA finish 20 minutes later, I unintentionally glued the end of my index finger back together. It is healing nicely, and a bonus is that I can actually see the healing through the clear CA !!!!  I'm a believer.


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## Don Wade

I glue my shoe strings so i dont have to keep tying them


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## MattTheHat

sbarton22 said:


> CA glue was created for exactly that use in battle.



This is an urban myth. It was actually developed in the early 1940's by H.W. Cooley, Jr. at Eastman Kodak for use as a transparent plastic for gun sights. The fast-curing part was just something that was noticed in the development process which was good because use for gun sights didn't end up working out. 

However, a spray version *was* used in the Vietnam war to stop bleeding. I've used it from time to time for cuts on my fingers since I hate trying to work with my hands with band aids sticking all over the place. Works pretty well for very clean cuts. 

-Matt


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## Lenny

I use it to cover up all the little nicks and cuts I get .... Actually there is a comercially available product, New Skin Liquid Bandage, just for that purpose.

About 9-10 years ago, my cousin collapsed at work. Doctors discovered a golf ball sized grow on his brain. The initial procedure was to go in a squirt CA glue on the grow (clump of blood vessels) to reduce their size. I'm happy to say that after that and a second surgery to remove the growth, and a fair amount of therapy afterwards, he is now doing fine!


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## EarlD

CA works great for cracked or split fingernails...especially those that go into the quick.


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## frank123

You can fix anything with CA and Duct tape.

I managed to knock a crown loose on a front tooth and used some medium CA to glue it back on till I could get to the dentist.  My Dentist had to use a dental version of a jack hammer (at least that is what it felt like) to get it off again to re cement it with dental crown adhesive.  He said he doubted that the stuff he used was as strong as the CA since it was easier to get a crown off with it.  (but the CA probably wouldn't last as long)

CA, Duct tape, Vice Grips, and a cheater bar can probably fix anything from a leaky pipe to a space shuttle in a pinch.

BTW, Cayenne pepper powder will stop bleeding faster and better than anything else I've found.  Just sprinkle it in the wound.


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## SteveRussell

*Well actually...*



sbarton22 said:


> CA glue was created for exactly that use in battle. I prefer it as a finish versus as a stitch.



Monofunctional 2-cyanoacrylates were first discovered in 1942 during World War II, but were not patented until 1949. In 1951, scientists at Eastman Kodak were working on thermal polymerisation and accidentally discovered the rapid ambient-temperature cure and superior adhesion properties of cyanoacrylates. While working on a freshly prepared monomer, the Kodak scientists discovered that the glass prisms of their refractometer had become tightly bonded. Extensive research thereafter found many different types of substrates bonded in a similar tenacious manner. The first viable production process did not evolve until 1954. Subsequently in 1958, Eastman #910 debuted, the first commercially available CA product. Originally, the work that led to CA's discovery was related to making a gun site, medical uses were discovered later... 

The above copied from my article "Cyanoacrylates, a.k.a. Super Glues:
A Technical Discussion" available on my website... Cheers!


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## SteveRussell

*Medical grade CA is a different animal entirely...*



okiebugg said:


> I've known about this for years. In fact, the first time I used it for this purpose was in the Operating Room doing Cataract surgery. CA glue can be used to close minor lacerations to stop bleeding. We tried it on Cataract patients to close the wound created when opening the eye to remove the cataract. The use of this procedure didn't last long because the CA crystallizes and scratches the inside of the eyelid.  Disclaimer: I am not a Doctor. I have a designation as an COMT which allows me to do just about anything the eye surgeon does with the exception of cutting tissue.
> 
> When you cut yourself while working in the shop, you can usually wrap a cloth around the impacted part and squeeze until it stops bleeding. Instead of the cloth, wipe the area completely dry the instant before you put a drop or two on the cut. (thick)  This is when the fun starts.....spray the drop or two with accelerant quickly to make it seal the cut. It only hurts for a few seconds.
> 
> Put a band aid on it and forget about it for a day or two.



The type of CA woodturners use is not the same as medical grade CA. Specially prepared cyanoacrylate formulas are used in numerous medical procedures, including heart surgery, eye surgery, ear surgery, cerebrospinal fluid leak repair, skin closure, emergency wound closure assistance in military battlefield conditions (Vietnam saw widespread use by MASH units) and numerous other areas. However, the common industrial types of cyanoacrylates are not the same formulas used in the medical profession. 

Typical industrial cyanoacrylates are usually ethyl, or methyl based esters and can produce significant heat during polymerisation. Medical grade cyanoacrylates by contrast, are typically n-butyl-ester, isobutyl ester, or octyl ester based and are specially prepared to cure with as little heat during polymerisation as possible. Excessive heat or rapid cure during polymerisation can lead to tissue necrosis.

Inside the body, these special medical grade cyanoacrylates are bacteriostatic, painless to apply when used as directed and eventually break down harmlessly in the tissue. Once cured, the cyanoacrylate is essentially inert. N-Butyl ester based surgical cyanoacrylates are rigid when dry, but provide a strong bond. Octyl products offer increased flexibility when dried, but reduced the bond strength. Medical doctors and researchers are constantly pioneering new ways to utilize cyanoacrylates in delicate surgical procedures. 

The above copied from my article: "Cyanoacrylates, a.k.a. Super Glues:
A Technical Discussion" which is available on my website. Cheers!


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## thetalbott4

Ive used it several times on myself and it does work, but crap it does sting. Beats stitches though (especially considering time and money savings).


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## elody21

Never mind


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## Shock me

I use it every day to close surgical wounds. Ordinarily, I will suture the deep portion of the wound and use medical CA to bring the very top layer of skin together. That way, the strength of the wound is supplied by the suture, and the glue makes the incision nice, straight and pretty. No doubt the medical grade probably has some special formulation that differs from ordinary CA, but in actual use, it works about the same, with a consistency slightly thinner than most "medium" CA. The setting time is about the same and I don't use any kind of accelerant. The medical CA is tinted slightly purple probably so I can see where it has gone.

I use ordinary medium CA at home for lacerations superficial enough that the strength of the wound closure isn't an issue. A few things of note:

-CA will NOT stop the bleeding. Get the bleeding stopped before you apply or the blood will simply well up underneath the glue and lift it off the wound. DAMHIKT

-CA is said to "coat" the raw nerve endings and reduce incisional pain. YMMV

-Most people will notice that the wound itches in a few days. I suspect this is because the hardening CA looks rather jagged-edged and sharp and I think this makes it scratchy. 

-Medical grade CA makes a poor pen finish mostly because the cotton applicator tip leaves hairs in the gloss. DAMHIKT either.


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## snyiper

Ok you have just creeped me out from getting my Cataract done!!!!!


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