I have used lots and lots of Ca glue. It was never a problem. Well it started to give me sinus headaches and then started too effect my breathing. I have used the oderless stuff, but it is twice the cost and takes almost as long as Titebond.

I was building a Magister form Multiplex. It is all foam and you HAVE to use CA and kicker. Well guess what. I had a severe reaction to it. It was as if I rolled my arms and hands in poison ivy or poison oak. Well that ended any use of Kicker. I use Ca in vary small drops. I use it only to harden balsa or ply for threading it for mounting bolts.

If I am building a small foamie plane it is hot glue. Works great, fast and cheap. Yes it adds a touch of weight. I have (2) forty sized planes I have used hot glue to build. It has worked well. I have a lot of time on them and they are still together, so the glue is holding. I found if you sort od push a bead of glue in front of the glue gun tip, sort of welding the balsa with the hot glue, it holds a lot better then putting a bead down and pressing it together.

I still use epoxy for the areas I need lots of strength like firewalls and landing gear blocks. I have gone back to the way I did it long long ago in a galaxy far far away. I am using Titiebond and using clamps, pins, and tape to hold things until the glue dries.

The last 60 sized plane I built, I used 1/.4 once of CA. It works great but i do not want to put a hazmat suit to enjoy my hobby.


Dru.

Like many others here, my CA "sniffles" have progressed into CA "asthma".  Fume protectioin with a good mask doesn't work anymore, unless used for the entire build process as dust from sanding previously (and well-cured) CA'd balsa seems to be just as bad.  Titebond II solves that problem, but I'm now in search for a case of Ambroid (remembering the Ambroid "swims" from the bad-old-days when you had a bunch of Ambroid joins going at the same time). <G>

I have found with using CA that it stings my eyes. I dont seem to have any trouble with the oders but my eyes sure feel it. Same feeling as when you cut up a good onion. I have found that thin CA gets me the worst. The stuff sure works good.

The 3m respirator that I'm refering to is a charcol design that autobody shops use with thier euathane 2 part automotive paints. Not a paper dust mask. The better designs enclose the entire face, eyes ect... Yes people should use the sperm suits as well with them. I myself am not painting entire planes. Just cowls, canopies wheel pants and gear. I use medical gloves and etc... I am not using epoxy paint tho. I guess I should not have used epoxy paint as an example.

Something else that people can do is use the little streched tubes on thin ca. They allow you to apply micro drops of thin ca thus reducing the fumes let off.


Have you seen how they take finger prints from some objects? They use ca fumes to attach to the oil/moisture left by human fingers creating a hard lifted surface shaped exactly as the print and then transfer the ink from that. Even ca fumes adhear to the body that is the sting that people feel in their eyes. The fumes curing to the moist surface.

heres one thing to rememmber if you are going to use a canaster mask when your done place the filters cans in a zip lock plactic bag.
so you can reuse them. if left open they will absorb particals from the open air and with in less then one month they will become use less and will need to be replace. also make sure that you cover both side of the filter can with a piece of duck tape befor you store them also kept track of the exposeture time when you use the filters there is a set amount of hrs. that they are good for... I use a full face hepa mask and a less expenctive stackable can. mask both are very good... please do not use a paper or cotton mask THEY DONT WORK FOR FUMES...

Titebond gained its good reputation because it was known as the fuel-proof glue, as opposed to Elmer's (and other brands) of white glue. That was in the Sixties. I imagine it is possible, or even likely, that color probably doesn't mean much of anything these days, yet I still reach for the Titebond when building.


Ed Cregger


PS Like many of you, I too have become sensitized to normal CA glues and accelerators. I think I was born sensitized to Freon accelerator, but we lived about two miles from the Freon factory throughout my teenage years. Any Freon detector you had would sound an alert even many miles from the factory.

Anyway, like many of you, I go to extraordinary measures in order to ensure that I use lots of ventilation when I use CA products. And, I limit my exposure to CA by using it only where it is absolutely needed.

Once you get into using aliphatic resin glue, you will change your mental schedule of how you perform tasks and the next thing you know, your building time is nearly equal to what it was when using CA glue. Yep, it sounds impossible, but there are many tricks to using aliphatic resign glue (Titebond). Such as laying down a small pool of glue on wax paper or disposable margarine container lids and then having a small paper drinking cup of water nearby, along with a 1/4" or small paint brush. Prepainting thinned aliphatic resin on to spars and rib notches doesn't take very long. It is good to let the painted on glue/water solution dry until it has a skin on it. Then another dab of glue, perhaps straight this time, with the brush will provide you with a very strong junction with a minimum of extra glue being used. The more you do this type of building, the faster you will get at doing it and you will be surprised just how fast those special joints dry.

The beauty of aliphatic resin glue is that it all cleans up with water. I love it!


Ed Cregger

NM2K

White glue is just my term , and most the guys I know for all the slower drying waterbase types. I usually build with the sig glue or or the titebond II ..Both are yellow in reality but I am used to saying white

I too started having problems with CA fumes about halfway through a build. I could only work for a half hour or so before my eyes and sinuses burned. I finished that plane with Elmer's wood glue. Since then, I have used Titebond II and Epoxy. I still have some CA on hand for hardening threaded holes, quick repairs, etc. But I have used only a few drops on my current build. As others have mentioned, by working on sections and planning things out, the drying time hasn't been an issue. Besides, What's the rush?

Pica use to make a wood glue that was fast setting & very simular to titebond, Pica glueit, It is a white alpatic resin I do belive. Also when I 1st staretd building U/C models as a youngster I remember using Testors wood cement !! It came in an aluminum tube like their plastic model cement !! green & silver tube. Their is also Sigment, which I beleive is also an alphatic resin glue.

&lt;meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="Content-Type" />&lt;meta content="Word.Document" name="ProgId" />&lt;meta content="Microsoft Word 9" name="Generator" />&lt;meta content="Microsoft Word 9" name="Originator" />&lt;link href="file:///C:/Users/Glenn/AppData/Local/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List" /><![if gte mso 9]><xml><w:WordDocument><w:View>Normal</w:View><w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom><woNotOptimizeForBrowser /></w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]><style type="text/css"><! Font Definitions */@font-face {font-family:Wingdings; panose-1:5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:2; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 268435456 0 0 -2147483648 0;} Style Definitions */p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";}@page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;}div.Section1 {page:Section1;}></style><p class="MsoNormal">Well, I knew I would start some discussion.<span style=""> </span>I know there are some of you that CA does not affect.<span style=""> </span>When I talk about my allergies to it at the field some of the guys chuckle.<span style=""> </span>Well, &ldquo;he who laughs last&rdquo;.<span style=""> </span>I have a friend in the club that has built 2 Senior Telemasters and one Giant Telemaster.<span style=""> </span>We all know these things are lumber yards in a box.<span style=""> </span>He used CA and still does not have any problems.<span style=""> </span>Just remember that the chemicals in these glues and epoxy are inorganic, they do not go away.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><![if !supportEmptyParas]><![endif]><o></o></p><p class="MsoNormal">Also keep in mind that our hobby is probably the biggest user of CA.<span style=""> </span>Most people buy a little tube to use once a year.<span style=""> </span>We use bottles!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><![if !supportEmptyParas]><![endif]><o></o></p><p class="MsoNormal">I know why I am more allergic to the chemicals.<span style=""> </span>My farther was a furniture maker of mostly walnut and cherry furniture, for over 30 years.<span style=""> </span>When I was little I would watch him spray lacquer and loved the smell.<span style=""> </span>When I got a little older I would spray the finish on the furniture I made.<span style=""> </span>To this day I still love the smell of lacquer.<span style=""> </span>But, we would spray it in a small-enclosed area with no protection.<span style=""> </span>Not even a paper mask.<span style=""> </span>When we finished the hairs in my nose was white with overspray.<span style=""> </span>Not until a few years ago did I learn that the chemicals in lacquer would cause severe nerve and brain damage (yes, I have been accused of brain damage but only by my ex. <span style="font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="">J</span></span>).</p><p class="MsoNormal"><![if !supportEmptyParas]><![endif]><o></o></p><p class="MsoNormal">Titebond II works great as does the glue from Hobby Lobby.<span style=""> </span>Thinned Titebond also works great in a &ldquo;glue&rdquo; syringe. <span style=""></span>And, it really does harden up balsa after it soaks in a dries, give it a try.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><![if !supportEmptyParas]><![endif]><o></o></p><p class="MsoNormal">Just wanted to give any new comers a heads up and ask that you all be careful of the strong stuff we use in our hobbies.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><![if !supportEmptyParas]><![endif]><o></o></p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">p.s.<span style=""> </span>Has anyone tried using the &ldquo;glassing&rdquo; epoxy like used on boats etc.<span style=""> </span>I think it is polyurethane based and wondered if it was as strong.</span><div id="divCleekiAttrib" style="display: none;" expanded="0" activeid="-1" menuleft="0" menutop="0" menuright="0" menubottom="0"></div>

[8D]My glue preference will always be CA. What I do is wear a mask that filters
out the fumes. It works. Now, I do look like Darth Vader when I'm building and
gluing, but I don't find wearing the mask inconvenient. Good ventilation and fans
will help, too, but a mask to filter out the fumes is the sure way to avoid breathing
them.

My choice for a CA substitute that bonds balsa very well is the Super Phatic Aliphatic Glue that was mentioned in post 25. As ghitt says, keep the syringe needle tip in water and flush it out with a syringe full of water after use. I think it's great and hope that Hobby Lobby continues to stock it. I like its wicking properties as it is comparable to thin or medium CA. I have tried thinning Tightbond but I think that Super Phatic makes a stronger joint. I can still tolerate the odorless CA if used in small quantities but now use Tightbond II, Super Phatic and epoxy due to my acquired intolerance to CA.

Well ordinary table salt is inorganic ... and within reason is easily disposed of as required. CA is organic, which of course simply means it contains carbon.
Someone, perhaps you, suggested that CA residues accumulate in fat tissue. That doesn't necessarily mean it's toxic, but it does of course have much to do with the kinetics of its disposal. Both European and US authorities have found no evidence that CA is directly toxic - it is for example used in dental and medical procedures - mostly tissue closure.

However the stuff is sensitizing to many people - I have ended up in the emergency room myself after its use when I was too lazy to open the garage door and get my fans going. So I have reverted to as little use of the thin stuff as possible and mostly build with good old Titebond and epoxies of varying cure rates. Definitely better safe than sorry!

Cheers.

Superphalic is good but very expensive. I only use Titebond II and it sets in less than 15 minutes. Less it better with wood glue. I paint both of the parts to be glued and if it's not thick it sets faster. I have just learned to slow down and use a lot of pins and an assortment of clamps to hold parts together while it cures. It is lighter and stronger than CA. I build off plans so the extra time is good for me in case I make a mistake I can still pull the parts apart and realign them prior to it setting. No such luck with thin CA. Plus it gives me time to think through the next step. And no more crusty CA on the fingers that the wife doesn't like at night. Titebond washes right off with warm water. Leaving nice smooth hands if you catch my drift. On Giant and Monster scale Warbirds you don't want to goof them up. There is to much $$$ involved just in a short kit or the wood I buy and cut myself to make a short kit.

Barry