Superglue?

[zuludog]

Here's a question that was asked recently on a British knife making forum, which has a section on making sheaths - can you use superglue instead of contact glue before sewing?

Any comments please?

https://edgematters.uk

 

[Dwight]

Yes . . . I've used it successfully on leatherwork.

Too expensive to use on a large scale though.

May God bless,

Dwight

[chuck123wapati]

yes you can but it also dries to hard and stiff imo use contact cement its the right choice. I used to use it to glue the thread ends also before I realized i really didn't need to.

[Handstitched]

I can't say I've used super glue on leather, but it does go stiff  & hard when dried. Not sure what that would do to sewing machine needles if you had to sew through it. Like sewing through hard plastic I guess, depending on how much you use. 

Also, one thing I noticed, I had to repair a bed side lamp recently  using super glue. I used a cotton ear bud , and for some reason  the glue reacted with whatever was in the ear bud.I could smell a strong vapour  coming off it, and see  a tiny whiff of smoke coming off the bud.... so weird.  Not sure what is worse, vapours from contact adhesive, or super glue. 

HS

[fredk]

I've used superglue on leather; to stick tag ends of sewn thread down. Any excess superglue soaked right into the leather and dried very quickly. It dried very hard. I doubt any machine sewing needle would be able to get through it

I once tried superglue on its own and also mixed with talc powder as a filler on some edges, to seal them before waxing and burnishing. The superglue dried extremely hard and stiffened the edges far too much. I had to cut away the edges

[AlZilla]

I use it to secure thread ends in place instead of melting them. I never have a lighter handy but there's always 20 little tubes of super glue around. I try to use it inconspicuously.

I agree with the commenter above that it'd get pretty costly over a larger area. And probably hard to get spread around and joined before it set.

[bruce johnson]

49 minutes ago, Handstitched said:

I can't say I've used super glue on leather, but it does go stiff  & hard when dried. Not sure what that would do to sewing machine needles if you had to sew through it. Like sewing through hard plastic I guess, depending on how much you use. 

Also, one thing I noticed, I had to repair a bed side lamp recently  using super glue. I used a cotton ear bud , and for some reason  the glue reacted with whatever was in the ear bud.I could smell a strong vapour  coming off it, and see  a tiny whiff of smoke coming off the bud.... so weird.  Not sure what is worse, vapours from contact adhesive, or super glue. 

HS

That is a common thing with superglues on cotton swabs and I’ve had it happen on cloth scraps and paper towels too. The cyanoacrylate curing can be hastened by moisture (breathing on it even) and it is exothermic. I’ve had swabs and strips of cloth or paper towels scorch but not flame up. The smell is like cyanide. A second coating on top of some that hasn’t cured can really off gas.  I use it in cross ventilation. 

[Handstitched]

9 hours ago, bruce johnson said:

 I use it in cross ventilation. 

And no wonder, sounds quite dangerous. I'll stick to using contact adhesive for leather, but thanks for the info . 

HS

[fredk]

On 7/8/2023 at 5:05 PM, Handstitched said:

Also, one thing I noticed, I had to repair a bed side lamp recently  using super glue. I used a cotton ear bud , and for some reason  the glue reacted with whatever was in the ear bud.I could smell a strong vapour  coming off it, and see  a tiny whiff of smoke coming off the bud...

Superglue on a cotton bud or cotton ball will actually ignite

On one of those 'hacks' on youtube a foreign chappie showed how to light a fire with a cotton bud and superglue. In case you are out in the wilderness and need to light a fire

I would think that if you are out in the wilderness you'd not have superglue with you but better fire lighting equipment, like matches, a cigarette/ pipe lighter or even an iron fire striker. If not, you deserve to die and be eaten by dingoes / vultures / crows / hyenas / rats

[chuck123wapati]

On 7/8/2023 at 8:40 PM, Handstitched said:

And no wonder, sounds quite dangerous. I'll stick to using contact adhesive for leather, but thanks for the info . 

HS

It is also used as a wood finish for smaller wooden projects  like turned pens, duck calls and such goes on smooth and dries instantly.

[chuck123wapati]

16 hours ago, fredk said:

Superglue on a cotton bud or cotton ball will actually ignite

On one of those 'hacks' on youtube a foreign chappie showed how to light a fire with a cotton bud and superglue. In case you are out in the wilderness and need to light a fire

I would think that if you are out in the wilderness you'd not have superglue with you but better fire lighting equipment, like matches, a cigarette/ pipe lighter or even an iron fire striker. If not, you deserve to die and be eaten by dingoes / vultures / crows / hyenas / rats

i didn't know it was a fire starter but i do carry a small tube of it in my first aid kit for gluing wounds closed if needed. Good info i gotta test it now. 

[Handstitched]

17 hours ago, fredk said:

I would think that if you are out in the wilderness you'd not have superglue with you but better fire lighting equipment, like matches, a cigarette/ pipe lighter or even an iron fire striker. If not, you deserve to die and be eaten by dingoes / vultures / crows / hyenas / rats

We also have the ability to make fire from two pieces of wood, man has enjoyed that luxury for 100's of thousands of years   Although I do carry a flame thrower in the boot of my car ....just in case, you never know when you have to make a cup of coffee . 

HS