Good source for inexpensive glues?

[belbein]

I just found out that all of my various "superglues" have dried up. Is there a source for discounted/budget/just-plain-cheap glues, super and otherwise?

[Marty Jacobson]

Hi Brad, I think the CA from Highland Woodworking is a good value, the key is just to buy what you will use before it goes bad (4-6 months). Here in Georgia the high humidity will always make it pretty short lived.
I also get CA from Amazon frequently, and have good luck with Stick Fast and Bob Smith brands.

[MikeEdgerton]

Years ago someone here mentioned storing CA in the refrigerator would keep it longer.

[pops1]

I bought Gorilla super glue gel because it was the only thing I could get when I needed it. I was hesitant, but you have to shake it, to mix the parts or whatever, and it seems to last a very long time. The bottle is much larger than regular super glue and I am guessing to allow for the mixing. Anyway it seems to work well and last much longer than I have had regular super glue.

[sunburst]

I don't know a cheap source for superglue. I end up throwing so much of it away, after it hardens in the bottle, that there is no sense economizing by buying in bulk. Rather than throw the expensive stuff away after it hardens, I just use it like it's cheap... might as well.
Hide glue, on the other hand, is cheap. I bought a 50 (or 40?) pound sack of it. Keep it dry and it lasts indefinitely.

[Jeff Mando]

Maybe I'm missing something, it often happens.......

I buy Dollar Tree superglue on a 4-pack of small one-use tubes for, you guessed it -- a dollar! And that stuff works for 99.9% of my superglue needs. In fact, if you take a tiny screw that you use to mount a guitar pickup ring with, you can use it to plug the opening and ACTUALLY get 3 or 4 uses from one small "one-use" tube. So that is about 8 cents a squirt, if my calculations are correct...........pretty cheap, stuff and it works fine.

I also buy a new bottle of Titebond yearly at the same time, so I don't worry about it expiring. Costs about $3.50 or so.........again, pretty cheap and works great.....

Sure, sure, I know Stew-Mac has 800 varieties of superglue and accelerants with designer pricing -- I STILL recall when that catalog came in the mail 20 or so years ago -- I thought I was going to have to be restrained by professionals in a straightjacket before I finally got calmed down..........(same reason I don't watch news on tv)

The way I look at instrument repair is that I am trying to get paid for my labor and know-how. Not, keep these supply houses rich by buying overpriced stuff. (The $300 government soap dish scandal comes to mind........)

Not to say, these aren't great glues and products. Just overpriced, IMHO. I own many Stew-Mac clamps and tools that have provided good service for years. And I will continue to buy their stuff when I can't make something myself or find something at Harbor Freight that I can modify to work.

Were not talking brain surgery, just woodworking, OK?

[belbein]

... rather than throw the expensive stuff away after it hardens, I just use it like it's cheap... might as well.

How do you use it like it's cheap (glue?) after it hardens? There must be something missing from that sentence. Or else I'm excessively stupid this afternoon. (Well, it's early. I could still rise to great heights of stupidity by later this afternoon.)

[belbein]

Were not talking brain surgery, just woodworking

Wait. Did I put this on the Mandolin Cafe? Damn, I meant to put it on the Brain Surgery Cafe.

Marty's comment about heat and humidity made me wonder if maybe that refrigerator idea is not a bad one. My wife might take it better than opening the freezer and finding an open pot of epoxy. Does anyone do this? (I don't mean piss my wife off. I got that covered.)

[sunburst]

How do you use it like it's cheap (glue?) after it hardens?

Too late after it hardens, that's why I use it like it's cheap before it hardens. No use trying to conserve expensive stuff if I know it will be wasted if I don't use it.
I also buy the smallest bottles I can get... they cost more per quantity but I throw less away. The "economy size" just doesn't work out if you don't use a lot of the stuff.
Need a quick jig made or a little temporary spacer? grab the superglue; use it like it's cheap!

[jhowell]

I like to use Loctite. Its available nearly anywhere relatively cheaply and the resealable cap actually works. As Mike mentioned, keeping it in the fridge extends its life quite a bit...same for LMII's white instrument glue -- the refrigerator is good.

[Greg Mirken]

No, actually the refrigerator is bad. Moisture kicks the stuff off, as Marty in Georgia knows. Every time you take it out of the fridge, moisture condenses on the cool surface and contaminates the glue in the bottle as you use it.

[sunburst]

Keeping unopened bottles in the fridge before use is OK, but once they've been opened Greg has it right. The cold container and glue condense moisture.
(Coffee does that too. Keep your coffee and your superglue out of the fridge to help keep them fresh.)

[Timbofood]

I get the multi pack cheap stuff too, store it in an old pill container in a rack in a closet along with a hatful of other glues and so on, don't know how long I've had some of them but, the last time I did use the super glue, it worked just fine. I don't use it for much but, it does have its place.

[Mike Conner]

I go with the cheap single use tubes from dollar stores or Walmart and throw away when they go bad. I date the package when I get them. The clock seems to start when you open the tube - the unopened tubes in the package last several months or more.

I use superglue for "spot" work like nuts, tackiing inlays, etc. I have only used wood bindings to date so haven't needed bigger tubes or bottles to do these bigger tasks.