CA bottles

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bensoelberg

bensoelberg

Member
Joined
Aug 19, 2010
Messages
782
Location
Bakersfield, California
I have just been using small bottles of CA (.10 oz) bought at the dollar store for my CA finishes up to this point, but have decided that the time has come for me to upgrade to bigger bottles. I don't get the chance to turn very often, so I'm a little nervous about buying a large bottle and having it cure on me and wasting a ton of CA. I know that some of you buy a large bottle and then transfer it to smaller bottles and then store them in the fridge. I'm planning on buying 2 oz. bottles of both thin and thick CA and 1/2 oz. bottles to divide up the larger bottles. So, my questions are these:

Is this a good idea, or should I just use the 2 oz. bottle?

If it is better to transfer from one bottle to another, how do you do that to prevent the glue from setting up after transfering it?

Am I missing some other key information that I should be considering but have not yet thought of?

Should I buy 8 half ounce bottles (4 for each consistency) or would I be able to just buy 4 (2 each) and just reuse the empty bottle?

If I can reuse bottles, should I buy a larger quantity of CA to start out with?

So far, I've been using thin CA for everything, but I would like to use thin to help stabilize blanks while turning and as the first couple of coats in my finish, and thick to glue in tubes and for later coats in the finish. Do you find that you run out of one kind more than the other?

Any help/tips/thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
 
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I would go to manny's web site, i think it is woodenwonders. He sells the best CA glue in the world and it comes in a variety of sizes. Personally, I buy the large 16 oz bottles and several of the empty small bottles he sells. I keep the big bottle in the house where it is cool (some keep it in the frig) and refill the small bottle as needed.

I don't use thick but start my CA finishes with thin and progress into the medium. If it were me I would buy a big bottle of each and maybe 5 or so of the small bottles. It should last you a long time.

I can tell a noticable difference from his CA to that I have bought in the store.
 
I'm definitely planning on purchasing from him. Just looking for a little bit of info before I do. So, no complications from pouring from the big bottle to the small ones? Do you reuse the small ones?
 
Let me suggest that you visit with Manny directly about this. His CA glue is "hotter" than the other brands I've used, and I'm finding that his superior product clogs the tip faster than the less "hot" glues I've purchased in the past.

Some guys buy the big bottles for economy, keep them in the fridge to maintain freshness, and refill smaller bottles for use in the shop. I now clearly see why Manny sells extra bottles and tips. I'll need a few of these when I buy glue from him next.

BTW, my CA finish technique finally settled into a dependable process/routine when I started using his glue. FWIW, I use a couple of thick coats of Manny's medium CA, applied with a plastic baggie on my finger and hand turning the lathe with the other hand, using back and forth motions so the ridges are easily wet-sanded off with the lathe on a low speed after it cures overnight.

Manny is my new hero, by the way :)
 
I use the thin for stabalizing and the first 2 coats of finish as you have said. I then use the medium for subsequent coats. I would buy the 8 oz. size of medium and a 2 oz. size of thin. They should last you quite a while as you stated you don't get to turn much. Some extra bottles to pour the medium into would be a good idea as well. INSTEAD of buying thick to glue your tubes in, consider some of Manny's 5 minute Epoxy .... IMO it works much better for gluing your tubes in!
I have been using Manny's glues for awhile now but recently tried using up the brand I had been using before (one that was left over when I switched) ... brand new unopened .... WHAT A PAIN it was trying to apply the CA finish!!! I urge anyone having problems applying a CA finish to try using a different brand .... Manny's is hard to beat !!!
 
Personally I would just use the 2 oz bottle as is. When you are not using them put in a cherry picker and back in the fridge. I have had bottle last more than a year that way.
cherry-pickers.jpg
 
i reuse the little bottles up to a point. After about 3 or 4 refills I can't get the tops off anymore and they are a mess, so i throw them away and go to a new one. I always keep a thin and medium on my workbench.
 
Fridge or Freezer?

Which one works best, refrigerator or freezer?

Is the refrigerator short term storage & the freezer long term?

Thanks in advance,
Steve


MLKWoodWorking said:
Personally I would just use the 2 oz bottle as is. When you are not using them put in a cherry picker and back in the fridge. I have had bottle last more than a year that way.
cherry-pickers.jpg
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I would stick to the fridge. There was a freeze out here about 3yrs ago that got down to 19degrees (cold for central arizona). When I went in the garage to do some pen making, i noticed all my CA glues bottles had ruptured. Thankfully, I had them sitting on a piece of plywood and it soaked everything up.

adam
 
Here in Houston, the high humidity tends to cook off ca pretty quickly, so I have gotten to the point that I just buy 4 or 5 one oz bottles of each, and keep all but the one I'm using in the fridge unopened. May cost a little more, but not much considering I seldom have to throw any away now, and usually have a nice clean tip to work with.
 
Since you don't turn very often just go with Monty's 2 oz bottles (get enough for the free shipping) and see how long it lasts you. Gauge your next order based on how long that order lasts for you. If it lasts 6 months or more than I think that is right for you.
 
Once I open a small 2oz CA bottle, I never recap it. I have a 2 oz bottle of medium that has been open since January and still pours when needed. It was in the garage all summer for our insane hot and humid spell of 90+F and 90% humidity.

Similarly I have a small bottle of Starbond extra thin that I fill from a 16 oz bottle as needed. Pours like new, opened in June.

I use no caps or cherry picks
 
larryc said:
Is Monty still around?
I sent him an email question about his bottles and accelerant but did not receive a reply.
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Larry,
I responded to your email on Nov 16. Might check your SPAM. In case something happened and you didn't get it I just sent it again.
 
It did not take long for me to order additional tops and tips when ordering glue from Monty. Makes life so much happier.
 
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