Super Glue vs. Miracle Glue



Posted: Saturday, May 06, 2006

by
http://www.misterglue.com

For the last half century or so the conventional wisdom for gluing something together when you really needed it glued now was to go out and buy a small tube of superglue.

Super glue or Krazy glue have been used for repairing a thousand different things - From broken toys, to fingernails, to skin.

But it has had its problems. I've heard just about every complaint out there about superglue or krazy glue. Often, it just doesn't work or, the biggest complaint seems to be that when you are ready to use it there is nothing to use it has dried up. My unsubstantiated theory is that is why the containers have gotten smaller over the years. One never gets more than one use out of a tube of super glue because the cap glues shut and you can't get at the rest of it. So, the manufacturers have now made the tubes a one shot deal.

Approximately ten years ago another product hit the market on this side of the Atlantic - an industrial version of this type of glue that has been marketed mainly through trade shows and events. The main ones available are Mister Glue, Miracle Glue, The Last Glue, Pasco Fix and Lighting Bond. You can invariably find these glues being demonstrated at Home Shows and Boat Shows around the country. Most can now be found more easily on the internet.

Technically, the difference is this: The base of all of these adhesives is something called cyanoacrylate. If you move in the hobby circles, it is commonly referred to as CA. The latter, newer glues are far superior. The main difference is in the distillation process the number of times the product is distilled. Super Glue and Krazy Glue can be considered your raw form. They are your "crude oil". The newer products: Miracle Glue, The Last Glue and the others are the "refined oil". They are distilled several times. The solvents are distilled out. Solvents make super glue dry out too quickly and get brittle and discolor once cured.

In application here are some of the differences. The newer glues come in larger bottles which generally last much longer a year or two if kept refrigerated or in the freezer. You can get literally hundreds of uses if you take care of a bottle. Because there are no solvents, they will not dry out quickly when exposed to the air. If you forget to put the lid back on for even a couple of hours it isn't a problem as long as you don't knock it over. They bond extremely quickly depending on the material being adhered. And for the most part once glued the item will stay glued. The better ones dry both clear and flexible. For all the fishermen out there you can mend your waders with these types of glue as well. Because there are no solvents, you won't melt the neoprene. Super glue or krazy glue will eat a nasty hole right through your waders or wetsuit.

So, the next time your are visiting a Home Show, Boat Show and sometimes the state fair, have a look for the person demonstrating the "miracle glue". Quite a show! You will be impressed, I'm sure.
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Top-level comments on this article: (4 total)
» left by Alan Landsberg
from Canada 4 years 145 days ago.
very helpful indeed!
» left by cc
from maine 3 years 12 days ago.
THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! I found this by accident, and I'm THRILLED - answered my many questions in one article :)... cc in MAINE
» left by Leroy Roberts
from reynoldsburg,ohio 1 year 97 days ago.
I've seen the "Last Glue" demonstrated at the Ohio State Fair back in august of 2010 and it was amazing at what it could do. He glued plastic to wood, wood to metal,rubber to rubber and rubber to metal and wood, as well as glass repairs there just was no stopping this stuff, i only wished i had taken advantage of the offer at the time but just didn't feel that i needed it at the time, its' one of those things that when you need it, you wish you had it.
» left by Martin Jones 1 year 97 days ago.
Leroy - Thanks for your comment. There is another one now called Mister Glue - an excellent product with lots of information on the website about uses. I know what you mean about having it when you need. Most of these types of glue will keep for years - if kept in the freezer - so you do not have to worry about it going bad on you.
» left by Anonymous 337 days 14 hours ago.
Do you work for miracle glue?

The single use tubes came out because people don't know how to store super glue properly. Larger container usually means more wastage with the glue harden with exposure to moisture.

If anything, less solvent only makes the glue dry/cure faster as CA is the part that react with water and bond together.

Keeping the tube in freezer works for regular super glue as well. It's just a trick to keep CA from moisture as cold air holds less moisture. Even though it shouldn't have any ill effects, do you really want to keep your glue with your food?
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