Standard glue for the lab

[drodrig]

Hi there,

I would like to find a standard glue for our lab. Sometimes we have to glue things fast for prototyping.

We have loctite, but it's too thin (I glued a spring inserted in a PVC hole and it was a mess); Also two component epoxy, but we use gun and opening the tubes for just gluing something small is a waste. We even have these hot-melt adhesive but it's not strong enough.

It would be nice an "one component" glue, in a tube with a threaded cap that lasts long.

Any recommendation?

thanks

 

[ScottyUK]

One of the many 'fast-grab' construction adhesives? They're cheap and have good adhesion to many materials. How much are you using per hour / day / week / whatever?

Oh, and 'Loctite' is a brand, they (Henkel) have countless hundreds of products. Find a thicker one. They almost certainly make one.

 

[btrueblood]

One glue to rule them all?

I do a lot of prototyping, and keep a variety of adhesives around, including super-glue (cyanoacrylate), epoxy (filled and unfilled, slow and fast, rubberized), gorilla glue (urethane), and 3m spray contact adhesive. Oh and some various 3m VHB tapes. Depending on the substrates, some are better for some stuff, and vice versa. For metal, I prefer the tig welder though.

 

[epoxybot]

These heat cured, one part epoxies look interesting if 100c cure for 30 minutes is not a deal breaker.
Link

 

[Compositepro]

There is a reason that there are so many different adhesives, and it is not because companies want to sell their own product. The fact that you ask this question indicates that you have very little understanding or interest in how adhesives work. The main problem with not understanding how they work is that you are very unlikely to get good results with even the best adhesive because you are not applying it correctly. If you do get acceptable results it will be due to luck.

For example, you say a hot melt adhesive is not strong enough. There are hundreds of different hot-melts so one example means nothing about hot-melts in general. In addition, materials with high thermal conductivity, like metals, must be preheated so the adhesive has time to actually wet the surface of the metal before it freezes. Otherwise it will create a very weak bond or none at all.

Two-part epoxy can be mixed in a bottle cap with a toothpick, with very little waste. Cyanoacrylates (Locktite) are catalyzed by certain metals, which allows the adhesive to cure very rapidly in small gaps when bonding those metals. Plastic surfaces need to be primed with an activator.

Thick bondlines require a viscous adhesive so it will not flow out and drip. They also require a flexible adhesive so it won't crack and break. Thin bondlines usually require the opposite.

Surface preparation is always important.

The list goes on and on.

 

[FACS]

Isn't it great when you ask a question, and some guy needs to insult you before he offers any advice, which does not even help....

We keep 100% silicone around for slow cures. It will adhere most anything.

After that, two parts epoxies, Metal bonding (JB Weld) and such can be bought in containers and mixed as needed. Not everything is in tubes.

It depends on the material and what you are looking for, and trial and error.

 

[drodrig]

Hi,

We use it in average once every 2 weeks; that's why I say that "lasts long" since some epoxies have a shelf live of 6 months. I'll check other loctite options

I take note of the suggestions. I'll order different ones and try out. The VHB tape looks promising. I'll see the JB Weld too

thanks

 

[MintJulep]

Really you probably need to have a few options available in the drawer for different materials and configurations.

Devcon, Loctite and others all offer "5 minute" epoxy in double-barrel syringes for $5 on Amazon or your local hardware store. Squirt a bit into a plastic spoon and mix with a popsicle stick. Carefully wipe the nozzle and put the cap back on and it will last for "a long time".

One-part urethane (aka Gorilla glue) can be useful at times.

Contact cement is amazingly versatile for sheet products.

 

[Tmoose]

First I'd compile a list of materials I have had to stick together, and anticipate glu-ing together in the future.

http://aswanpro.com/peter_03/