Shelf Life Of Super Glue Accelerator?

Hmm, how old is your glue? I've found older super glue doesn't respond as well to accelerator. Never found so much as accelerator gone bad. Unless maybe over time solvents dry out and it gets varnishy??

The super glue I bought back in mid-2012 (I usually write the date of purchase on my paints, glues, etc., except for the bottle of accelerator in this case), so I doubt that's it. But, heck, who knows? I'm using the accelerator for some gap-filling with super glue. The super glue seems to work just fine when using it for gluing parts together. After I posted this thread, I tried again filling a seam with super glue, and the accelerator caused the glue to actually run before it dried. I've never seen that happen before. It was almost as if it were acting as a thinner instead of an accelerator. Guess I need to buy another bottle of accelerator to find out for sure....

I also have found the CA glue goes bad long before the accelerator.  But making it run sounds strange.  Also, if the CA is going bad you can usually tell, the viscosity starts going up even without any accelerator near.  I have mixed brands of CA and accelerator, but maybe not all accels work with all CAs?

I rarely have a bottle of super glue last 2 years. The medium visc, stuff usually starts to act like the thick stuff by then, and thickens up quicker once poured out on a pallet. I would still try another accelerator brand though and maybe Don is on to something.

Hi ;

 I don't really know on this one . Why ? well , some years back I assisted on the build of the U.S.S. Wisconsin for the Nauticus Museum .I worked directly with the President and C.E.O. of B.a.D. Ship-Models .

  At that time I decanted some accelerator to a smaller container . I am still using that container with no loss in it's ability to do the job . Could it be , as I stated in an article I just posted that tiny bits of C.A. can get into the accelerator and cause it to weaken ? Maybe  I am not sure .

Sorry that I haven't updated this thread, folks. I did buy some more accelerator last weekend, and that seems to have "cured" my problem. I guess accelerator does have a shelf life. The bottle that I just threw out was at least 10 years old (probably much older than that - I bought it when I was still living in Indianapolis). It was an 8oz bottle, and still had 75% of the contents left in it. I bought a much smaller 2oz bottle this time. Thanks for all the responses!

Gary Mason

There was a thread on this about a year ago or so, I now remember.  I am one who finds that accelerator seems to loose its punch over time.  I use it sparingly, using a needle eye tool to apply it, and a bottle lasts a long time- well over a year, so I guess it might indeed loose some volatiles.

I wonder what is really in that stuff.  If it is fancy organic chemical stuff it is beyond me, but maybe it is pretty simple stuff.

Don,

Followed your previous remarks on another post about using a toothpick and don't apply it just get the stuff close to the glue and letting the vapors work, it works really well.  I been applying it that way ever since.  Thanks for the tip.

I'm surprised that your accelerator lasted that long. I had one bottle of the stuff, Testors MM stuff with a "pump" type applicator. I swear that bottle evaporated as you sat and watched. I did not get but a few months use out of it before it was all gone. And that stuff was not cheap so I have not bought anymore since then.

Aha !

Stik ;

   You said it all my friend .The biggest thing about ANY of the stuff we've talked about is shelf life versus price ! . Because of a fixed budget for this stuff , I have to get every last nanodrop of use out of it .

    Would you believe that I haven't gone over budget for over twenty years now ? Keep it dark , cool and well sealed , but be careful ! If you put to much force into closing it , over time those plastic caps will break .Try to find metal caps for them .