For all it’s benefits in the shop, around the house, or wherever instant clue can be found, it is safe to say that clogged spouts seems to be the one problem that plagues users across the board. That leads to a shortened shelf life for your glue, which, in the long run ends up costing more money to keep fresh glue on hand. Preventing clogged spouts is easy once you understand the reasons they clog in the first place.
Keep in mind that “instant” is the key word, which, when pertaining to CA glue, means it will cure rapidly if given any incentive. This characteristic is one of the reasons that CA glue is so useful and popular. The incentives that the user inadvertently provides at the spout tip are the reasons for clogging.
Here are six good reasons spouts clog:
1. Storage – New, unopened containers of any instant glue may be stored in the freezer. This will easily double the shelf life. When you’re ready to use it, you should always allow the container to warm to room temperature before opening it. Opening it while the container is still cold allows warm air (and moisture) to enter the bottle, resulting in condensation inside the bottle.
Once it’s open, never return it to cold storage! Moisture is one of the catalysts that tells CA glue to cure. Placing an open bottle back into cold storage causes the warm air which has entered the bottle to condense the moisture into water. This causes the glue to thicken, and eventually harden. As it thickens, spouts clog more frequently. (Note: This does not mean that the gap filling glues clog more frequently).
2. Application – Keep the tip from touching the work, especially if dust from sanding is present. Each time the spout touches foreign matter, the glue is being told to cure. If foreign matter is sucked into the spout, it can also cause the contents of the bottle to thicken and eventually harden.
3. Sealing – use the overcap to reseal the bottle between uses. This keeps dust or debris from settling on the spout. Similarly, never wipe the spout tip with anything. Lint from cloths or paper products sticks to the tip and causes clogging.
4. Accelerator overspray – Always make sure that accelerator overspray doesn’t touch an exposed spout. Set the glue aside, or better, reseal the spout with the overcap before spraying accelerator.
5. Foreign Material – Avoid putting pins or nails or anything into spout to try to keep it clear. All these items carry minute traces of moisture into the spout and makes clogging more frequent. Instead, trim off the tip a little.
6. Age – Shelf life is determined, to a great extent, by the quantity in the container. As a general rule, a 2oz bottle has a 1 year shelf life at room temperature. However, if you purchase a 2oz bottle and use half the contents immediately, you should not expect the remainder to last a year. Less quantity means lesser lifespan. As a bottle ages and passes its expected useful lifetime, it begins to thicken. As it thickens, it clogs more frequently.
In most cases, clogged spouts can be eliminated by understanding these few things. Simply being diligent and careful to take care of the spouts can prevent a lot of headache later. In the event that a spout is ruined, most glues have replacement spouts available. It is always a good idea to have an extra one on hand; just in case.
Hot Stuff glue is a versatile glue that can be used on many different surfaces for a superior bond. But did you know that it can also be used in fiberglassing?
First, make sure that the surface is properly prepared for fiberglassing: Spray a very light coat of 3M 77 spray cement over the entire area to be glassed. It should cover the surface with little pinhead-sized dots, not a coating. For best results, spray from 18 inches to 2 feet away.
Next, Place the cloth: lay a pre-cut piece of fiberglass into position on your surface. Lift one end of the cloth and align it to the desired position. Then, lift the other end of the cloth and pull just enough to remove folds and wrinkles, and replace on the surface. This process can be repeated in necessary. Once the cloth is positioned properly, press the cloth onto the spray cement and smooth it out. The cloth will now stay put over unusual contours and even inverted.
Next, apply Hot Stuff Original (thin). Tilt the work surface and begin applying Hot Stuff at the top. As one area of cloth is saturated, the glue moves on to another area. This feature allows a small amount of glue to go along ways, and keeps weight to a minimum. The object being glassed should be held or propped so that the area where glue is being applied allows the glue to run downhill without puddling. Apply the glue in horizontal passes following the glue from the previous pass down towards the lowest portion of the project. As the glue is applied, the saturated areas will instantly become more transparent.
When finished, check to see that all of the fiberglass has the transparent appearance. Apply glue to any missed areas. Spray a light spritz of Satellite City Spray N’ Cure over the entire surface. (Note: do not hold the spray N Cure over the work area when spraying. Drips can cause a bumpy surface as the glue cures too quickly). After accelerator has been applied, wait 30 minutes. The surface should be tack-free. Pass your hand over the entire surface and re-spray any tacky spots.
Full cure takes 24 hours at which point the cloth will be completely set. However, it must still be handled carefully to avoid dents while preparing the surface for painting.
Finally, finish the fiberglass for painting: Do not apply fiberglass resin over Hot Stuff. This adds nothing to the overall strength while adding significant, unnecessary weight to the project. It is also miserable to have to sand! Smooth finishes are accomplished by applying easy to sand and lightweight automotive paint primer.
So, what are the advantages of using Hot Stuff over traditional fiberglass resins?
1. Speed – Using Hot Stuff rather than resin means no waiting for long set times. Your fiberglassing job is finished as fast as you can do the procedure. And, since the cloth stays where you put it, there are none of those time consuming repairs when a section of cloth lifts during curing.
2. Little or No Fumes – With Hot Stuff, the whole job can be done without the long lasting odor of typical polyester resins. Use Hot Stuff UFO for no fumes at all!
3. Light Weight – Hot Stuff is significantly lighter than polyester resins. When used with lightweight automotive paint, your project is as light as it can be. Adding resin adds weight without substance, and in some cases, it never even cures.
4. No Itching – Because all the fibers are completely surrounded with Hot Stuff glue, cutting, drilling or sanding doesn’t cause fraying and sanding doesn’t create all of those little fiberglass needles.
I know you’re probably thinking that it would take an enormous amount of glue to fiberglass a project of any size. However, one 2oz bottle of Hot Stuff will do approximately 1000 to 1200 square inches.
So, for your next fiberglass project, try Hot Stuff Original or UFO for a better glassing finish!
It has been an exciting week for Virgin Galactic. Friday saw the groundbreaking ceremonies of Spaceport America. Saturday, The White Knight Two flew to New Mexico where the new Spaceport America is under construction. The “flying launchpad” made three low level flyovers at the Las Cruces International Airport, which was part of the celebration of the groundbreaking ceremonies the day before. White Knight Two has had seven successful test flights, the last of which lasted over 6 hours! Stay tuned: SpaceShipTwo is scheduled to debut in December.
Breaking news from Vigin Galactic this morning. They have successfully tested the rocket motor which will be used to push Spaceship Two into space. Sir Richard Branson is confident that the ship will be ready for it’s first passengers sometime in 2010. Tickets are available now if you have a couple hundred thousand dollars to spend.
XCOR Aerospace is a company on the cutting edge of aerospace technology. This article tells a little about the composites that are used to build these spaceships. While Hot Stuff is not specifically mentioned here, it is one of the fillers that is used to make the composite material. Watch for more from XCOR.
Richard Branson and Scaled Composites are close to accomplishing their task of space tourism. Check out the test flight of Virgin Galactic.
