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Innovative Marine Aquariums

ideas to remove crazy glue from acrylic


riotj

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Any solvent that'd remove cyanoacrylate (krazyglue), such as acetone, will also be a solvent for acrylic, meaning that you risk crazing the acrylic if you use it.

 

I like the polishing idea, so long as there isn't too much krazyglue. If there is, you may be polishing a long time before you remove all traces of it.

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  • 3 weeks later...
jayjay1976

I've never tried this on an acrylic tank, but......

 

I am an avid model airplane builder/flyer and I have worked with a lot of cyanoacrylate (crazy) glues over the years, and when I need to remove it from a plastic surface, the technique I use to remove the glue with minimal damage to the underlying surface is called "adzing", whereby you take a straight edge razor blade, hold it almost perpendicular to the surface, then with moderate pressure drag it across the acrylic surface. The closer to 90 degrees you hold it the more effective it is at removing a very thin layer of material. The sharp edge does not scratch the surface much, but the razor thin edge concentrates your force in a narrow area and does a great job of scraping off the glue and leveling the area. This will haze the acrylic where you scrape, but the scratches produced will be extremely fine and will polish out easily. The important thing is to bring the glue level down absolutely flush and try very hard not to allow the blade to dig into the surface. Its actually fairly easy. SLIGHTLY ROUND THE CORNERS OF THE BLADE TO PREVENT THEM DIGGING IN TO THE SURFACE!!

 

By the way, cured cyanoacrylate (CA) glue is chemically identical to acrylic. My understanding of the way they work is that it is a mixture of two parts; the liquid acrylic and a powerful reagent that causes instant polymerization. The two are prevented from reacting by the inclusion of an acid, which when maintained in a balanced concentration prevents the chemical reaction from occurring.

 

When you apply it to something porous (like ceramic) the acid is rapidly absorbed and in doing so becomes slightly neutralized. as soon as the polymerization process begins, heat is produced which flashes off the acid resulting in a very fast cure.

 

When it is applied to living tissues (it was developed for closing/stabilizing battlefield wounds) the moisture present in the tissues dilute the acid and cause an instant cure. This is why it bonds skin instantly.

 

Because most plastics are relatively unaffected by acids, it does not work very well for bonding most plastics (nothing to initiate the reaction) unless you use an accelerant (or shpritz it with windex LOL)

 

Its also worth mentioning that if you have an accident with CA and get it into your eyes, it does not cause permanent damage unless you try to pick it out. The tissues of the body dissociate the glue in 8-12 hours, and the glue is released without injury. That being said, you should absolutely go to the emergency room because the cured glue can cause nasty scratches to the conjunctiva and cornea if you rub your eyes. Don't ask me how I learned this.

 

Jason

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When it is applied to living tissues (it was developed for closing/stabilizing battlefield wounds) the moisture present in the tissues dilute the acid and cause an instant cure. This is why it bonds skin instantly.

 

Newer formula sucks at bonding skin now :(

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jayjay1976
Newer formula sucks at bonding skin now :(

 

 

I should have been more specific about the glues I was talking about. Pure surgical grade CA glue is what you use to build model airplanes, it can be water thin or as thick as gel. "super glue" and "crazy glue" are brand names for lousy hardware store grade CA glues that are full of fillers and additives to make them cheaper. That TINY bottle you paid $3 for is actually only about 10% cyanoacrylate and the rest is junk. If you ever work with real cyano, it's not even in the same league. Not to mention, real CA is available in several varieties that might be useful for aquariums; there is a clear rubberized version that is slightly flexible and handles shock/vibration better than regular grade, and there is also an "odorless" variety that does not melt foam or fog clear plastic. A lot of model airplane enthusiasts use odorless all the time because frequent exposure to the fumes in regular CA can eventually cause you to develop a powerful allergic reaction to it, and the odorless makes it possible to use CA glue without sneezing/coughing/bleeding from the tear ducts.

 

If 'krazy glue' is reformulated to avoid sticking to skin, it has no doubt been altered and is very weak at bonding. The characteristics that make it stick like hell to your fingers is PRECISELY what makes it a good adhesive.

 

j

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