Superglue + magic ingredient = superduperglue - ??

[Michael Rogers]

The magic ingredient is sodium bicarbonate (baking soda in USA, soda bic in my family). Apparently. According to folks on Youtube, most of whom seem to be model makers needing a gap filler (however one automotive part repair).

Background to what I’m on about - inside my boat, I have dark grey workshop-floor-style mats (bargain from Halfords: light, flexible, strong, pleasant to have feet on) instead of bottom boards: they need some anchorage to discourage them from floating around if a lot of water comes aboard. Solution is a dozen hardwood ‘tabs’ fitting through slots in the mats (tucked away under the side benches), each tab surmounted by a brass turnbutton. These tabs need precision gluing to a substrate which is two-pack Jotun paint with antislip granules in the final coat.

The ‘problems’ are 1) my boat is in a dinghy park, with no access to power etc: Feb/March weather will be coldish and probably a bit dank. It will be at least difficult to achieve the dryness to use epoxy, and curing time would be ‘ages’. 2) The fit between the tabs and the bottom of the boat won’t be accurate enough to use superglue on its own, especially bearing the antislip granules in mind.

So, try superduperglue? (Reminder, not needed I’m sure, that superglue not only doesn’t  mind, but actually needs, moisture to cure.) Experiments undertaken joining two pieces of hardwood suggest that getting the amount of soda bic right, and using enough superglue to saturate it, is important. Result - a rock-hard glue set in even less time than normal superglue use, so virtually no scope for re-positioning. Gaps completely filled, and join appears to be phenomenally strong within a few seconds: the hardwood would break before the glue line. There’s some discussion about how waterproof superglue is, so I’ve dunked the glued pieces of wood under water. After several days immersion, the (uncoated) wood is saturated, the glue line as rock hard and firm as ever.

So I plan to go ahead on the boat, and I’ll report back. Does anyone else have any superduperglue experience? Doubtless it will prove to have its own limitations, but it seems it could be useful at least for small jobs, and in cool dank situations where getting epoxy to set can be problematic.

Michael R (Trouper 12 'Cavatina'

[Peter Taylor]

(With my model boats hat on)... If the baking soda stuff sets too rapidly, in model shops (few and far between nowadays) or on the web you can get gap filling super glues of varying viscosities (e.g. "Zap-a-Gap"/"Zap Gel").  In my experience the more viscous (better gap filling) ones tend to set slower than the thinner ones but you can get superglue accelerator to paint or spray on one surface if setting speed is a problem.  Otherwise a bit of spit seems to work well, but tends to turn the joint white.

Superglue is not normally recommended for joints which stay permanently wet - one is supposed to use epoxy... but as Michael says that requires dry materials for making the joint. 

Peter

[Colin Morley]

What about using velcro?

[Michael Rogers]

I tried that, Colin - the heaviest duty stuff I could find. Didn't work, sadly. The velcro adhesive didn't seem to like the poppled surface created by the anti-slip granules, and made no attempt at all to stick to whatever the mats are made of. I don't know what that is, but the result is light, just the right degree of (i.e. not too much) flexibility, seemingly hard-wearing, and very pleasant under either sailing footwear or
bare feet. So I'm keen to get them anchored and my solution, if it works, will be pleasingly 'nautical'.

Progress report - my experimental join with superduperglue has been under water (in my workshop) for 10 days now, and is as rock-hard as ever. The saturated hardwood will give way first, I think!

Michael

[Colin Morley]

I am delighted that you have found a good answer. Just for anyone else who has a similar problem there is Velcro R Brand Extreme Fasteners. This Velcro was design specifically for use on rough porous surfaces such as concrete brick and rock inside and outside. The adhesive is water and Uv resistant.

I have not tried it but it might work.