OK, I take it as it's an excellerant right? How or when do you use this?

Also CA is Super Glue right? Why do I see Thin, Medium, And Thick?
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Kicker is an accelerant for CA glue, it comes in handy when you don't have to hold 2 pieces together for an extended period to let the CA dry. You can either glue the pieces together and spray the kicker, or spray the kicker on your pieces to be bonded and once the CA hits it, your bond is complete.

Thin, medium, and thick all have their place. Majority of what I use is medium. It's gap filling but yet viscous enough to flow into crevices. Generally ill use thin to tack, then come back with medium or thick CA. Or use it between but joints, it has great capillary action to get sucked into the tiniest of spaces. Lastly I use thick for high strength areas or when you need to position a piece in place before the glue sets(most thick CA will give you plenty of time to get things aligned and clamped if need be before it's too late.

I read about a home made CA Kicker from Baking soda and water? Ever use it?
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G'day

Some years ago I did use baking soda powder with thin CA to fill gaps. Once the CA hits the baking soda it goes off very fast and creates a solid mass of plastic type material. It does tend to swell up as it goes off.

Ordinary CA accelerator does tend to make the glue froth up as it goes off so fast and the resulting join may not be as strong. This particularly happens if there is excess CA on the joint.

Cheers

Mike in Oz

Just don't breathe the fumes.

CGr.

Don't keep the kicker anywhere near the CA as it will become airborne and screw up the CA.

One old time method is to boil water, dropping in baking soda, as it dissolves in the boiling water. Keep adding baking soda until the water can not hold any more and it starts to settle on the bottom of the pan. Wait till the water cools, put in a spray bottle. Cheap kicker.


Buzz.

Sounds like a plan. Thanks
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 9pt">Kicker works well and when used especially on balsa you don&rsquo;t have to worry about the joint bonding being weakened by the Kicker.If you have any worries about how strong the bond will be just glue some scrap wood together, let the glue set up and then pull the wood apart.Balsa to balsa and Balsa to hard wood you will see balsa pull apart at a point other than at the glue.Hard wood, depending on your prep and technique is a different story.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 9pt">One word of caution about Kicker.If you have CA on your fingers and you hit it with Kicker, you will know about it.The kicker causes a fast chemical reaction and some heat.I have never been &ldquo;injured&rdquo; but I have experienced a bit of pain as a result.</span></div>

Yeah, and probably a few stuck fingers... [&o]

Kicker, I never use it. For a cheap thrill have a drop of CA on your fingers and hit it with kicker!!![&:] Last week I burnt the end, end, not just tip of my thumb with thin CA. Blistered so bad I had to lance it a couple times a day for three days then the skin got hard and started peeling off. Still hurts and I have no feeling in it.
I was floating some CA and I used a paper towel to soak it up, yep, it soaked through and started to cure on my thumb. I was tearing off the paper but couldn't get it off fast enough. Got hotter then the hinges to the gates of hell!!
Kicker will do the same thing. Making your own kicker?? It's a few buck a bottle and it isn't used that often. If you buy it at the hobby shop it even comes with a spritzer bottle, free of charge.
Bill, some things you really are better off just buying. I have been on a fixed income for decades and I understand not having any hobby money. Your going to try to build your first kit. It isn't just a building learning tool, it will also help to teach you what is and isn't needed. I have been doing this sense 1956 and I can still build a kit on a flat pine board with an exacto knife, ruler, pins and a bottle of Elmer's or titebond. CA is better. Look up CA glue on the net and it will tell you when and why for choosing the type. CA also has a few problems like the CA reaction. Your in a chair and you will come down with a CA reaction sooner then most people. You will be directly over the fumes! I have it too but I know how to work around it.
Forget the kicker for now, buy some thin and medium CA if that is what you are going to use. Thin is for nice tight fitting parts, medium is for parts that aren't so tight. Epoxy 30 minute is for hard wood parts, CA doesn't work very well for hardwood.
Relax, your kit instructions state what you will need to complete the kit. Trust them, they want you to secede. Your really over thinking it.

Most foam safe Ca's require kicker. I put mine in a small eyeglass spray bottle. On foam too much ca and kicker will melt the foam. Too little is better then too much on foam.

You're not kidding, and don't put your face too close to what your working on- the fumes can burn the eyes a little. The ultra-thin CA is the worst culprit for that.


I don't use kicker, I just rather wait for the CA to set on its own time.


Pete

These days I use a respirator when I use CA, use it when I use Ca Kicker and I use it when I use epoxie, don't use it when I use aliphatic resin.

But then agine I use the respiratior when I have a big sanding session on balsa too.

CA kicker is just another tool that is an adjunct to the use of CA. It is not used all the time however you will find times that it is most useful. If you are going to use CA then you are better off to also learn when and how to use the CA kicker.

John

Oh John, boy do I know about sanding balsa and I can relate. I'm allergic to any type of dust and when I sand any type of wood I start my nonstop sneezing session. My wife laughs but then I tell her it's a pleasure- pain kind of thing and I love building RC planes way too much to give in. When I grind fiberglass that's when I put on the mask and glasses. That stuff is just horrible, and if some of it gets on my skin I have to wash it off. The glass gets into my skin poors and makes me itch.

Sorry for getting off topic,

Pete