Does Hot Stuff™ work on everything?
Almost any materials or combination of materials can be bonded with Hot Stuff glues. Wood, most plastics, aluminum, steel, neoprene, rubber, nitrile, ABS, PVC, phenolic resin, vinyl, leather, and many other materials are easily and sturdily bonded quickly and easily with the proper viscosity. Polycarbonate can be bonded well, but do not use accelerator as it may cause fracturing. Materials that cannot be bonded are teflon, polyethylene, materials with acidic coatings, and some plastics which are very oily and flexible. Glass can be bonded, but not reliably, so we advise against it.
How do I know which Hot Stuff™ to use?
Use Hot Stuff™ Original when the fit is very tight and the material is non-porous. (i.e. piece of plastic and a piece of flat rubber). Use Super T™ or Special T™ when parts don't fit well. (I.e. two pieces of unsanded wood) or for very porous materials such as the end grain of a piece of wood. Naturally, more porous material requires thicker glue. Hot Stuff™ Original is about as thick as water (3 cps), Super T™ is similar to syrup (300 cps), and Special T™ is about as thick as cold honey (1500 cps). Use the thinnest glue that will fill the gap between the pieces you are bonding. For example, if you are repairing a broken piece of china which was cleanly broken, using Hot Stuff™ Original will allow you to make the best repair because it is very thin and the pieces fit perfectly together. If you use Special T™ instead, the thickness of the glue will create space between the parts, and while it will certainly bond them together, it will look ugly. Conversely, if you are gluing together two pieces of unsanded wood, use Super T™ or Special T™, depending on the gap between the pieces, because Hot Stuff™ Original simply will not fill in the gap and will not create a bond.
How do I know how much glue to use?
A good rule of thumb is that one drop covers one square inch of non-porous material. Of course, more glue is needed if the material is porous and soaks up the glue.
How do I align the parts before the glue cures?
If the materials are relatively non-porous, do all the positioning first. Once a perfect fit is achieved, apply Hot Stuff Original to the joint. If necessary, Hot Stuff™ may be applied to more than one location along the bond line. Example: bonding two one-inch rubber cubes together. Four small applications, one at each side, would be in order.
Why doesn't the glue always dry instantly?
There are several factors which determine how fast the glue will dry. A common reason is that the glue being used is too thin for the joint. For example, using Hot Stuff™ Original to try to bond two unsanded pieces of wood together will result in a lot of frustration and wasted time because the glue will not fill the gap between the two pieces.
Different materials cause the glue to dry at different speeds. When bonding rubber or neoprene, for example, the glue will dry extremely quickly, while materials such as polycarbonate tend to take a bit longer. Oils and other contamination on the surfaces can cause the glue to bond slowly, weakly, or not at all. If necessary, clean the surfaces off using denatured alcohol prior to bonding. Lack of humidity in the air can also affect curing times. In extremely dry climates, accelerator is often necessary to force the glue to cure. The more glue that is used in a given bond area, the slower the cure will be. For instance, a puddle of glue on a glass surface may not cure for hours. In these circumstances, instant glues tend to act like they're still in the bottle. Should a large quantity of glue be necessary, as with making a fillet, using our accelerators will cause an almost instant cure even in this extreme scenario.
How do I keep from putting on too much glue?
Remember the rule of thumb, "one drop covers a square inch", keeping in mind that more may be necessary to accommodate a poor fit, porous materials, or both.
What can I use in an emergency if I don't have fiberglass cloth on hand?
Practically any woven material, such as a T-shirt will work. Fiberglass and Kevlar, are by far the strongest.
How do I keep my glue fresh?
If you do not plan to use your glue soon after receiving it, place your new, unopened bottles in the freezer. This will at least double the shelf life, provided you place only unopened, new bottles inside. When you are ready to use the glue, simply take it out of the freezer and let it warm up to room temperature. Bottles in use should be stored in a cool, dry area.
What resistance do Hot Stuff glues have against various chemicals and solvents?
Hot Stuff glues have been found in tests to retain 100% of their initial bond strength after 1000 hours in motor oil, gasoline, isopropanol, ethanol, freon TA, and trichloroethane. Acetone and nitromethane will dissolve the glue.
How do Hot Stuff glues hold up to heat?
Tested by exposure for 5000 hours, Hot Stuff glues retain 100% initial bond strength at 140° F (60° C), 75% at 176° F (80° C) and 25% at 212° F (100° C). The glue will start to soften and come apart at 330° F.
Which glue should I use to bond white styrofoam?
Our UFO - User Friendly Odorless glues are the best choice for white styrofoam. They are safe to use, while our other glues may damage the styrofoam.
What should I do if I am irritated by curing fumes?
Bonding with cyanoacrylate glues should always be done with adequate ventilation. The glues emit curing fumes which are not harmful but can irritate the nose, throat, and eyes if the user is confined in a small area without airflow. Most users find the fumes a mere annoyance, but a rare few are particularly sensitive. If you must be in a closed environment while bonding, or if you are someone who is particularly sensitive to the fumes, you will definitely want to try our UFO - User Friendly Odorless glues which have no curing fumes.
Why do my spouts clog? Clogged spouts is an annoyance that plagues many users of instant glues. There are several reasons for this, and once you understand them, you can greatly reduce the incidence of this problem. 1) Storage New, unopened containers of any instant glue may be stored in the freezer (at or below 32 degreesF) to extend shelf life. Always allow the container to warm to room temperature before opening. Once opened, never return to cold storage. Moisture is one of the catalysts. Opening a cold bottle or placing a previously opened bottle back in cold storage causes the warm air that has entered the bottle, (carrying moisture with it), to condense the moisture into water. This has a negative effect on shelf life causing the contents of the bottle to thicken and eventually harden and causes the spout to clog very frequently. 2) Application Keep the tip of the spout from touching the work, especially if dust, from sanding, is present. Each time the spout touches foreign matter, the glue is effectively being told to cure. Foreign matter, if sucked into the spout, can also cause the contents of the bottle to thicken and eventually harden.
3) Sealing Use the overcap to reseal the bottle in between uses. The overcap prevents dust or accelerator overspray etc. from settling on the spout. Never wipe off the spout tip with anything. Lint from cloth or paper products sticks to the tip and causes clogging. If you have a problem with clogging overnight or over the course of several days, here is a SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING HOT STUFF glues: If our special sealing ring (located 3/8² down from the tip of an unoppened spout) has not been trimmed off, try tipping the bottle and squeezing slightly to fill the spout with glue. As the beginning of a drop appears ready to come out, snap the overcap in place. Then store the bottle upsidedown and your spout will remain unclogged, ready to use up to several weeks.
4) Accelerator Overspray Always make sure that accelerator OVERSPRAY doesn't touch an exposed spout. Set glue aside or reseal with the overcap before spraying accelerator.
5)Foreign Objects Avoid putting pins or nails or anything into spout to try to keep it clear. The trace moisture on these objects is carried into the spout and makes clogging more frequent. Instead, trim off the tip a little with a knife or razor blade.
6)Age or Foreign Matter Shelf life is determined, to a great extent , by the quantity in the container. As a rule of thumb, a two ounce bottle has a one year shelf life at room temperature. As the bottle ages and passes it's expected useful lifetime, the glue begins to thicken. This can also occur because of improper storage or because of foreign matter being introduced into the bottle, as explained above. If you are very familiar with these glues, you know that even glue thickened because of any of the reasons above, is still usable as gap-filling versions. The older (thicker) the glue the more often spouts tend to clog. 7)Replacement Spouts Replacement spouts are available for most glues. It is always a good idea to have an extra on hand for ths when you have accidentally ruined the current working spout.
Why don't you sell any bottles larger than 4 ounces? We find bottles larger than four ounces to be unwieldy, and often not a great bargain for the buyer. Typically, the buyer purchases a larger bottle to get a discount, but then they end up not using it up before the shelf life is up and so a lot of it becomes useless. Also, a larger bottle means that more glue has to go through the same spout, and as you know if you have read the question above on clogging, there are a lot of things that will cause your spout to clog. The more glue that has to go through the same spout, the more likely the spout will need replacement before the bottle is empty.
We also don't sell larger containers to be used for refilling smaller bottles because this is a serious industrial-strength glue, and a customer who spilled a gallon of it in their shop or home would at the least have a serious mess on their hands.
Do I need an accelerator?
Most of the time, your application will benefit if you use accelerator and sometimes you will be unable to form a bond without it. This doesn't mean that you'll always use accelerator, but once you've used NCF™-Quick you'll find you don't want to be without it. With accelerator, you get the fastest possible curing times as well as a more solid bond as all the glue is forced to cure at once.
When wouldn't I use accelerator?
In situations where the glue is applied first and some positioning time is necessary.
How much accelerator should I use?
Use a light mist of accelerator from about 12 inches away. The accelerators are designed to flash off very quickly. Do not spray so much that the surfaces become wet. With specific materials such as stone, excessive spray of accelerator can cause discoloration.
What kind of accelerator should I use for bonding white styrofoam?
Our Spray 'N Cure accelerator is the only accelerator that should be used with white styrofoam, and should be primarily used for this purpose, as it is the slowest of our accelerators.
Why do I need solvent?
Hot Stuff™is a serious, industrial adhesive. If you accidentally spill some on your tools, you will find yourself tearing out chunks of your workbench if you don't have solvent. Unbonding misaligned parts and removing glue from fingertips are the most common uses of Super Solvent.
Can I use acetone as a solvent?
You certainly can, and sometimes it makes sense because it is so cheap, but it is also extremely flammable, smells terrible, and is more likely to cause damage to surfaces than our nitromethane-based solvent.
Is Super Solvent™ a thinner?
No. Super Solvent™ is only meant for dissolving cured glue. Any foreign material mixed with these glues (i.e. using this solvent as a thinner) will cause an unstable condition resulting in a decrease of bond strength and shelf life.
How do I use Super Solvent™?
1) To open- puncture tip with safety pin 2) To remove glue from skin- Wet a soft cloth with solvent and apply to glue for 30 seconds. Wipe clean. Repeat as necessary. Wash with soap and water 3) To break existing bonds- Apply solvent directly to bond. Repeat at one-two minute intervals until bond can be separated with gentle force. 4) To remove glue from surfaces or fabric- Apply solvent to glue. After one minute, apply again and rub gently with soft cloth. Repeat until glue is removed. Wash with soap and water. Note: US-1 may discolor fabric or paint finishes. You should always test on a sample or inconspicuous area before usage.
|
Shopping Cart - 0 item(s)
