For those who suffers from allergies to CA glue.

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I have read your article with great interest since I also suffer with severe allergy from CA glue. However, my symptoms are quite different. I don’t have nasal or inhaling problems but it affects my skin everywhere (legs, arms, hands and back) with severe itching and scratching. As a result very bad sleep and an Admiral complaining about bloody sheets. Treatment was always with an ointment containing cortisone wich in turn makes the skin thinner and more susceptible to tearing and that was happening exactly when playing golf. So in one stroke two hobby’s gone.
As a result I have not worked on my S.O.S. for more then 2 years now and golf is restricted to max 18 holes per week so I am very very much interested to try your replacement CA and also start working on the rigging.
Thanks!.
 
An alternative to consider is using UV setting glue such as bondic. There are many available. They have almost no fumes. I bought a UV flashlight for about $10 and the glue for a similar amount. The best part about it does not adhere to anything until exposed to the UV light. It is definitely not as strong as CA but it is more than adequate for things such as adhering PE parts and for rigging purposes.
 
Roger Pellett said:
A couple of years ago, I got frustrated with the gummed up nozzle of a bottle of CA, unscrewed the top and wound up spilling the bottle down a pair of pants. Very early the next AM I woke up with my sinuses badly swollen. Having trouble breathing I wound up in the ER. As a result, I almost never use it.

Replacement? Cleat nitrocellulose lacquer based nail polish. It’s ideal for rigging. It also works well for securing tiny things inserted into drilled holes like hatch ringbolts.

Roger
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Dumping a bottle of CA in one's lap could cause potentially painful complications! :oops: I hate the stuff, too. There's really not a lot of uses where there isn't an equal or better gluing option. Moreover, the 100+ year archival potential of CA remains to be seen. It's clearly a weak bond in shear.

I used to use nothing but clear nitrocellulose nail polish ("nail varnish" in the UK) for sealing rigging knots. I thinned it a bit with acetone to improve flow, which causes it to soak into rigging line without creating a glossy surface effect. Now, more often than not, I use premixed shellac right out of the can. (Two-pound cut, I believe, but don't hold me to it.) It soaks right into the line and is invisible. As it dries, it permits a soaked line to be formed into a desired catenary or an accurately appearing hank on pin rails. Alcohol solvent evaporates very rapidly, and shellac is easily removed or dissolved at any time with more alcohol. The acetone solvent in the nail polish perhaps evaporates slightly faster than alcohol, but many find the acetone fumes to be disagreeable. The acetone fumes are, I believe, more flammable than the alcohol fumes. It's also advisable to avoid prolonged contact between skin and acetone. I very much prefer shellac for stiffening the ends of lines to ease threading them through small holes. The shellac dries quickly, so there's little waiting and I don't have to worry about bonding the line to my fingers or a tool with partially cured CA glue.

As an alternative to clear nail polish, I can recommend making your own liquid polystyrene adhesive by simply dissolving styrofoam in acetone until the desired consistency is reached. This is also a suitable glue for plastic models. It keeps well in a tightly closed glass jar and can be thinned by adding more acetone, or thickened by leaving the top off the jar until enough acetone evaporates to yield the desired consistency. I realize Duco cement is widely available, as are Tamiya or Revell styrene model cements, but for the price of a gallon of acetone, which everybody will find multiple uses for in their shops, you'll save plenty over those tiny little one ounce bottles and tubes by making your own "moonshine" styrene adhesive. If you've ever wished you had something useful to do with plastic packing peanuts, now's your chance! ;)

PVA can be thinned with water (and perhaps alcohol, but I'm not positive,) and it's a pretty good adhesive for paper and wood straight out of the bottle. That said, it's somewhat slow to cure and requires clamping. It's no good at all on metal or plastic. I've never found using thinned PVA for rigging work to be at all satisfactory.

As an alternative to PVA, I am starting to appreciate hide glue. I long shied away from it because of the complications of hot glue pots and the bother of preparing it but have discovered that there are now very convenient pre-mixed animal protein adhesives that don't require heating in glue pots. These were apparently previously sold in the UK as "fish glue," but discontinued when modern adhesives started becoming more popular. These hide glues are preferred by luthiers because they are very hard and so promote tonal quality, but are also reversible with hot water, which is critical for permitting repairs on valuable musical instruments. "Fish glue" is now available on line from lutherie suppliers. See: https://www.amazon.com/StewMac-Fish-Glue-8-ounce-Bottle/dp/B01MQKNC5C/ref=sr_1_5?adgrpid=1340305240855225&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Apy3BhWn4e-VM9gk_Hlmq4Gl64VKwNES7yt03vAmvrQ2mq5oVIgHPnLIeOGdUJFVxmVuJhoDh7ewEyYrXlaFfvgqSZv7TSdFWFXsCQ02yNJQ7D2q0ev1Pmdcs0NNLrwUvjb4naZ7F5ynR6OH5854ZGq1Qm0-kpWEIqQuyAYB-CCC4ftkd-ft2JvVuwU-0d13kxqPIhjBp2GPuryE9tFK4Z5hB-9D9rNbDKkSg9zl_BHNJxDRQSw7U1VjXgc7Ad6xeV-A8R-G6zrH30WhjgR-7VuiGvQWHG0o53fxoOH8RUKHOCvrCLCjEunGJPipUAakYW-MoyL3QSSedn9WdHgiBbHh38CHILJyV_-Kyu89_8xywencP9Xtii0Eb7sIRVyXQXxpud7b6TXD2Bn0rVQGIzxo2DdsmblQjorbfi9IEqE0NXz7XLof7ezDYbbU_nCg.9NSQYcKyu9XM0Gw8I8GTqgERsPRdAstB2MkC-yMu6Qw&dib_tag=se&hvadid=83769464193605&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=88716&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-83769431092619:loc-190&hydadcr=26614_11815972&keywords=fish+glue&msclkid=8e10eb53de1c1da6066e8ccd54ad578f&qid=1738443448&sr=8-5 Apparently, Titebond now produces a pre-mixed hide glue as well: https://www.amazon.com/Titebond-Fl-Oz/dp/B0002YXE7K/ref=sr_1_6?adgrpid=1340305240855225&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Apy3BhWn4e-VM9gk_Hlmq4Gl64VKwNES7yt03vAmvrQ2mq5oVIgHPnLIeOGdUJFVxmVuJhoDh7ewEyYrXlaFfvgqSZv7TSdFWFXsCQ02yNJQ7D2q0ev1Pmdcs0NNLrwUvjb4naZ7F5ynR6OH5854ZGq1Qm0-kpWEIqQuyAYB-CCC4ftkd-ft2JvVuwU-0d13kxqPIhjBp2GPuryE9tFK4Z5hB-9D9rNbDKkSg9zl_BHNJxDRQSw7U1VjXgc7Ad6xeV-A8R-G6zrH30WhjgR-7VuiGvQWHG0o53fxoOH8RUKHOCvrCLCjEunGJPipUAakYW-MoyL3QSSedn9WdHgiBbHh38CHILJyV_-Kyu89_8xywencP9Xtii0Eb7sIRVyXQXxpud7b6TXD2Bn0rVQGIzxo2DdsmblQjorbfi9IEqE0NXz7XLof7ezDYbbU_nCg.9NSQYcKyu9XM0Gw8I8GTqgERsPRdAstB2MkC-yMu6Qw&dib_tag=se&hvadid=83769464193605&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=88716&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-83769431092619:loc-190&hydadcr=26614_11815972&keywords=fish+glue&msclkid=8e10eb53de1c1da6066e8ccd54ad578f&qid=1738443448&sr=8-6&th=1

Hide glues have exceptionally good archival qualities, excellent strength, and are hypoallergenic. I think they deserve a close look by today's modelers.
 
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I had similar very bad reaction to regular CA. Once I switched to Bob Smith Industries Super Gold and Super Gold+ no more problems.

Another tip - you mention cleaning your applicator in acetone. A faster way is to use a regular cigarette lighter and burn it off, takes just a couple of seconds. I use Glue Looper applicator and this is the recommended way to clean them.
 
dpktraf11 said:
Try Bob Smith Industries foam safe CA glue. The glue does not impact my CA allergies. I had the same issue until I switched over to using it instead of standard CA glue. The glue cost a little more but works great and at least for me does not cause the breathing or sinus issues with the constant runny nose. View attachment 498890View attachment 498889
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This is the brand I use. It works really well and doesn’t affect my allergies at all.
 
I also suffered from the snotty nose and difficult breathing after using CA
I have fount that I can use Bob Smith odorless with no bad symptoms
It is expensive but worth every penny
Andy
 
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