Cyanoacrylate (CA), or super glue as it’s commonly called, sets pretty fast, but sometimes pretty fast just isn’t fast enough. When you really need super glue to bond *right now*, you can use what’s called an accelerator. There a few brands of CA glue accelerators on the market, but the one I chose last time I needed it was Insta-Set, from Bob Smith Industries (bSi).
An accelerator does pretty much what is says – it accelerates the curing process of CA glue. There are a few ways to use this, or other CA glue accelerator products. One method is to apply glue to the joint, press the parts together normally, and then spray an accelerator on the squeeze out. This cures the extra glue that’s external to the joint, which will then hold the parts together while the rest of the superglue dries.
Advertisement
This might be particularly useful when gluing together parts that might not clamp very well.
The other way to use an accelerator is to apply glue to one surface and accelerator to the other surface. Once you bring the two surfaces together, the glue supposedly bonds instantly. I say that it supposedly bonds instantly because I have had varying degrees of luck and success with this method.
bSi does warn that you should store the accelerator and the CA glue separately. It’s not hard to understand why – if the vapors interact over time you might end up with two clogged bottles.
Insta-Set is made in the USA, it says so right on the bottle, but I don’t think that’s very special as I couldn’t find a bottle of glue that I owned that wasn’t made here.
The first thing I liked about Insta-Set was that there is an option for a spray bottle applicator, rather than just the aerosol can. In my experience, using a spray bottle means I can control the application accuracy and volume better than with a spray can.
Advertisement
The second thing I liked was that it didn’t stink. While I haven’t minded the smell of some other brands of CA accelerator, it’s a common complaint. The Insta-Set actually has a rather pleasant smell; it’s formulated with a strawberry scent. Obviously you shouldn’t go around intentionally sniffing or smelling it, but if you catch an accidental whiff, it’s not distracting.
The last thing I liked was that is was cheap. A 2 oz. bottle only cost me $6 on Amazon. It shipped free from Routerbitworld, without the need for Prime. You can also purchase the larger 8 oz bottle for about $10 with free shipping. The larger bottle doesn’t come with a spray tip though. If you’d rather have a spray can, the 5.9 oz. can will run you $13.28 shipped.
Buy Now (2 oz spray bottle via Amazon)
Buy Now (8 oz bottle via Amazon)
Buy Now (5.9 oz spray can via Amazon)
Safety Warning: CA glue often carries its own safety warnings, but there are a few things to keep in mind about bSi’s Insta-Set, which might or might not apply to other CA glue accelerator products. Here’s the Safety Data Sheet (PDF). This stuff is flammable, and described as an aspiration toxicant. Avoid breathing vapors or mist, wash hands after handling, use outdoors or in a well-ventilated area, wear protective gloves, eye protection, and face protection. Read safety sheet before use.
There’s one other thing I want to warn you about. The 2 oz spray bottle I ordered had leaked during shipping, but luckily it was sealed in not one but two plastic bags. It’s wasn’t a big deal though, I just carefully cut the tops off the bags, pulled out the spray bottle, unscrewed the spray cap, and poured the leaked accelerator back into the bottle.
Either they wrapped it expecting it to leak, or they did so out of an abundance of caution. Fluid products are sometimes (but not often enough) wrapped or double-wrapped when shipped, especially when you buy from industrial suppliers. This way, if a container is damaged during shipping, it’ll be contained instead of contaminating everything else in the same box. Double-sealing could potentially be required due to the vapor hazards outlined in the safety sheet.
Tom
Also be careful – the accelerated reaction is a bit exothermic. I learned this the hard way when I accelerated the curing of some glue that wound up on my finger.
dreamcatcher
Yes! I also learned this the hard way. I was using CA and this accelerator while model building and I accidentally sliced my thumb with an exact knife. My carpenter mentality reminded me that CA works great for stitching skin back together so I glued the flayed fingertip back down. Then I thought, “Hey, maybe this would work even faster and better with a bit of accelerator!”
Nope… Just makes it hurt like 1000x worse.
It’s kinda like, “Ouch, this little cut sorta hurts but I’d rather it felt like I just received a raging 3rd degree burn”.
Lesson learned.
Todd
Apparently baking soda has the same effect, is safe and cheap.
geo
yup, and they claim it adds strength also
Travis C
YES! Baking Soda! I was taught this by a mentor that crew chiefs for a road racing team.
We fixed broken oil pans with layers of super glue and baking soda. Glue lasted the last 5hrs of a 12 hr race! Put a good vacuum on the oil fill cap, hammer oil pan pieces back into place, apply super glue, use air hose to spray baking soda….repeat until desired amount has been applied.
I use baking soda for fixing all kinds of things. Keeps my tool box fresh too.
John
Any U tube videos on that?
Jon
Lots of videos. Just search for the relevant terms. But baking soda is a different reaction than an accelerator. Baking soda works in direct contact, while an accelerator sets off a chain reaction so that the glue cures everywhere, even if it wasn’t hit directly by the accelerator. I’m going back a ways to remember the details, but the baking soda has something to do with altering the concentration of the actual glue and its solvents. It is not functioning as a catalyst.
I learned about the hazards of the exothermic reaction at the same time I learned about the catalyst nature of the accelerator. I have the exact pump-spray bottle of BSI accelerator shown in the article (and I also buy from routerbitworld, both because they are local and because they are very affordable and very fast). I accidentally routed through a router guide template when my plunge router was not plunged all the way (turned out it was sticking; upgraded from the crap Ryobi to an awesome DeWalt as a result). I had to glue on some more wood and then re-shape it to fix the template before continuing to route dozens more pieces. I shaped the patch tightly then used the thin CA glue to wick into the joint. Just as I hit it on one side with the accelerator the glue flowed out of the back side and down onto my finger where I held the piece (a couple inches from the joint where I thought I was safe). Even though I didn’t hit it directly with the accelerator it all instantly cured. And the heat that normally takes 10-30 seconds to develop with a normal cure was released in under 1 second.
Searing pain. I had a very minor brush with a table saw blade a few weeks before but this hurt FAR more. I didn’t react dramatically to the table saw issue, which did require a couple stitches, yet with the glue my wife heard my pained exclamations from the garage and thought I had cut myself again. My expressions were mostly the confusion of suddenly being bonded to a workpiece while simultaneously being burned by it. I just didn’t understand in those first moments, “Why is it burning me?!” Then my chemistry came back to me.
No problem, I thought, once the burning subsided, as I also keep Bob Smith Industries CA debonder/solvent on hand. I grabbed the bottle and took it inside to the kitchen sink to free myself. No such luck. The wood absorbed the solvent faster than it could dissolve the glue. In the end the only solution was to ignore all of my usual safety rules and use an extremely sharp chisel to VERY CAREFULLY cut right between my skin and the wood. I was grateful that I had just sharpened my chisels a day or two before, as a less sharp chisel would have been far more dangerous.
Anyway, the baking soda trick is kind of neat, but it is no replacement for the real thing.
Matt E.
Great article about a great product.
I use their foam-save version on my RC planes (it is more expensive, FYI), and can vouch for them.
That said, there are varying grades/types of CAs that,among other things, have different lengths of time to cure. For my models, I generally get the half hour cure time CA (that’s cure time WITHOUT accelerator). This lets me test fit and set parts at at my own leisure, and then spritz some accelerator on to lock them in. I’ve even used some CA grades that take hours to dry, where Accelerator is essentially a requirement.
BTW, I strongly recommend keeping a bottle of Un-cure handy if you’re working with CA and accelerator (link below). Reason being if you get Accelerator on your hands, and then a drop of CA after that, you have zero time to wipe the CA off before it cures. Debonder will help avoid any complications that arise from that.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000DD1QS/
Drew M
My only real experience wtih BSI products is that their CAs seem to go bad (hard) faster than any other brand I’ve tried.
Jon
Odd. I’ve been using them for years without trouble. I go through the thin stuff too quickly for it to have a chance to harden, but then it has so much solvent in it that it should last the longest anyway. But my bottle of ultra-thick is pretty old now and has no sign of going bad. I just used it today to stop a small tear in a silk screen from spreading. BSI is the only brand I bother buying because I know I can rely on it.
Mike47
If you have a hobby store near where you live, it’s highly possible they have this product line. There’s one big one left in Sacramento, CA that specializes in RC cars and planes and they have all the BSI products.
Joe
Great article, every serious DIYer needs a bottle of super glue (epoxy too) but the most common problem I face is that they don’t last that long in the bottle…no biggie… storing them in plastic bags expands their life expectancy.
Farid
Nice one Stewart.
I use the insta-set to fix the foam on my model planes and many other things. It seems safe on most foams and plastics I’ve use it on, but you have to watch it on some paints. Like you said, it does not stink as bad as the early accelerators I used in the past.
One thing I found is that it does not work will all types of super glue. One type in particular (sold at chain hardware stores) that is labeled for shock resistance will not setup with this.
Finally, for controlled applications, I use a miniature pipette.
JML
The accelerator can mar adjacent surfaces, so be careful. Cyanoacrylates cure time depends upon the moisture of the ambient air and surfaces (except for some new ones that use some wavelengths of light to cure), and will cure faster if the humidity is higher. Also, if you use accelerator, the bond tends to be weaker than if the glue cures normally.
And BSI makes two great non-fogging (non-blooming) cyanacrylates that don’t give you that white powdery residue in the area around the place where the glue is applied: SuperGold (thin) and SuperGold+ (plus).
To store glues that aren’t opened, put them in heavy-duty ziplock bags (nested if you have several) and keep them in the refrigerator. Away from children, of course!
Steve
USE GLOVES W/ACCELERATORS!!!!!!! If sprayed on bare hands a “poison ivory ” effect will result. The 1st layer of skin will turn into a callus like condition and itch like hell! It will take weeks to normalize. WASH HANDS IMMEDIATELY AFTER CONTACT!!!
Brian May
Would you be able to taste insta set if accidentally injested and how fast would your body start reacting to it?
Stuart
As per the safety data sheet – https://www.bsi-inc.com/sds_pdf/sds_insta_set.pdf :
“If ingested: seek immediate medical attention.”
“Notes to physician: If ingested, material may be aspirated into the lungs and cause chemical pneumonitis. Treat appropriately.”
(The SDS should be printed or otherwise furnished to medical personnel if medical care is sought.)
When in doubt about chemical ingestion, and you are debating whether medical attention is necessary, at least call poison control. Have the SDS ready to answer any of their questions.
*THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE; it is recommended that you consult medical professionals for all health matters*