origin of super glue

[MANDOLINMYSTER]

I had a conversation with my dentist today and told him I thought super glue aka CA was developed and used during the second wold war as a quick means to mend injuries of soldiers. His take was it was invented in China in the 1960's for jewelry repair.

I'm sure one of our knowledgeable repair gurus knows the true history of CA ( can't spell it let alone pronounce it), super glue crazy glue.

Thanks

[Charles E.]

http://www.supergluecorp.com/history.html

Wikipedia has more detailed information.

[Bernie Daniel]

I had a conversation with my dentist today and told him I thought super glue aka CA was developed and used during the second wold war as a quick means to mend injuries of soldiers. His take was it was invented in China in the 1960's for jewelry repair.

I'm sure one of our knowledgeable repair gurus knows the true history of CA ( can't spell it let alone pronounce it), super glue crazy glue. Thanks

You are correct -- your dentist needs to read some history!!

The Chinese had nothing to do with the development of cyanoacrylates AFAIK. The superglue formula was accidentally developed in the early 1940's at Eastman Kodak laboratories in New York by a team of chemists working under contract to the Army-Air Force. They were charges with trying to develop hard, clear materials (plastics) for the windows and gun turrets of WWII bombers and fighter aircraft. They realized at the time that cyanoacrylates had incredible potential as an adhesive but did not have time to investigate them as such until after the war. The products became widely available to the public in the early 1960's.

o

[Ivan Kelsall]

For ref. :- http://www.straightdope.com/columns/...nds-in-vietnam,
Ivan

[Petrus]

It can still be used on wounds. I have friends who used some when their dog got bit pretty bad by another dog.

[Pete Jenner]

I read somewhere it was developed as a denture repair glue. I tried it on mine and it lasted about 3 hours.

[dang]

It can still be used on wounds. I have friends who used some when their dog got bit pretty bad by another dog.

While you can use CA on wounds, they made a less toxic version called Dermabond (2-OCA) that is approved for use on humans. There is some debate about the toxicity of CA but mostly it is about avoiding irritating your skin and nasal mucosa. Dermabond costs a lot, so CA is probably used a lot outside of medical facilities.

I would not recommend you use CA or Dermabond on a DEEP cut, especially a BITE. It can trap bacteria well below the dermal layers and contribute to anaerobic infections (depending on the bacteria present in the mouth of the animal).

[Tavy]

While you can use CA on wounds, they made a less toxic version called Dermabond (2-OCA) that is approved for use on humans. There is some debate about the toxicity of CA but mostly it is about avoiding irritating your skin and nasal mucosa. Dermabond costs a lot, so CA is probably used a lot outside of medical facilities.

I would not recommend you use CA or Dermabond on a DEEP cut, especially a BITE. It can trap bacteria well below the dermal layers and contribute to anaerobic infections (depending on the bacteria present in the mouth of the animal).

+1 on not using it for DIY wound fix up, but in a Hospital setting I can vouch for it's effectiveness: for my recent abdominal surgery they glued me back together rather than stitched, and it worked extremely well... or at least I haven't falllen apart yet...

[almeriastrings]

You would sound better with hot hide glue, though. Everyone knows that. This is an undisputed fact....

[Ray(T)]

: for my recent abdominal surgery they glued me back together rather than stitched, and it worked extremely well... or at least I haven't falllen apart yet...

For mine they used stainless steel clips - around ten inches of them - probably a bit much for glue!

The first time I came across what I now assume was superglue, was in the mid 1960's. it went under the name of "Eastmans 4000" (may not have been 4000) and a small bottle of it cost £25. A friend used to get time expired stuff when it was being thrown out by ICL.

[Gavin Baird]

For mine they used stainless steel clips - around ten inches of them - probably a bit much for glue!

The first time I came across what I now assume was superglue, was in the mid 1960's. it went under the name of "Eastmans 4000" (may not have been 4000) and a small bottle of it cost £25. A friend used to get time expired stuff when it was being thrown out by ICL.

i read that a scientist was working at Kodak and was trying to develop a material that could be used to put lenses together without boundary lined..it worked but then he found that he couldn't get them apart..

[barry k]

I had emergency carotid artery surgery on my left side of my neck, the incision is about 10 inches long.....and not a single stitch was used, all closed by medical superglue......so there ya have it.....BK

[Willie Poole]

I have used tit to glue two ends of a rubber gasket together and when I tried to pull it apart the rubber broke before the glued joint did, it is some amazing stuff when used correctly...

[journeybear]

Remember these commercials? Good old silly stuff!




Fun reads. My problem with these products is they dry out in the tube after just a few uses. Because of this I tend to collect repair projects and do them in a batch.

[Colin Lindsay]

I have used tit to glue two ends of a rubber gasket together

Never tried one, must ask the wife….

[Mike Floorstand]

Definitely get the wife's permissions before trying that.

[Bruce Clausen]

I'll never forget my first introduction to it:

While playing classical guitar in a master class about 1972, I hit an upstroke chord with so much force that the tip of my ring fingernail tore clean off and went flying out into the audience area. The teacher (a great Japanese player) immediately got down on her hands and knees, saying "We must find the piece!" Turned out she had this new product, and after class she reattached the nail tip using super glue plus layers of cigarette paper and nail polish. Held for the six weeks or more the nail took to grow back out.

I still think of it as mainly a product for fingernail repair.

[Ivan Kelsall]

My first intro. to the stuff was back in the early '70's. I had a pair of new shoes (Hush Puppies) with rubber soles & one of them split across by a couple of inches due to having stepped on something sharp.I bought some SG,cleaned off the split & applied the glue.Unfortunately,in holding the join together,the nail of my right thumb became very attached to the sole of the shoe. Glue had oozed out & i was 'bonded'. A careful application of nail scissors got me free. Very 'iffy' stuff if you don't take care. It didn't repair the shoe either,it split again,
Ivan

[Rodney Riley]

One of the bass players in our church band (who I've seen break strings on the bass while playing) uses it when he rips calluses off.

[Lefty Luthier]

I am nearly certain that Eastman developed the adhesive under a government contract. In early 1961 the Air Force mandated using "Eastman 910" adhesive to stabilize all components on B-52 electronics. I remember gluing my fingers to the units more than once.

[Bernie Daniel]

I am nearly certain that Eastman developed the adhesive under a government contract. In early 1961 the Air Force mandated using "Eastman 910" adhesive to stabilize all components on B-52 electronics. I remember gluing my fingers to the units more than once.

Yes Eastman Kodak invention during WWII ---but it was not developed as an adhesive -- that came later. see post #3.

[bassthumper]

a Korean War medic told me it was developed for the windscreens during WWII... but a variation was developed called "instant suture" (his words not mine) used to quick close gaping wounds on frozen Korean battlefeilds so the wounded could then be kept warm in transit to MASH units

[bratsche]

Isn't the surgical glue which some have commented on another thing altogether from super glue? I always thought the surgical glue was meant to dissolve after it had outlived its purpose. I can't imagine it sitting there intact (like super glue would be) inside the body, long after the surgery cuts had healed... it wouldn't make sense. Super glue has held my screw-on post earring together for 35 years. It would take acetone to dissolve that bond. At least I won't be losing the earring!

bratsche

[Jim Adwell]

Isn't the surgical glue which some have commented on another thing altogether from super glue? I always thought the surgical glue was meant to dissolve after it had outlived its purpose. I can't imagine it sitting there intact (like super glue would be) inside the body, long after the surgery cuts had healed... it wouldn't make sense. Super glue has held my screw-on post earring together for 35 years. It would take acetone to dissolve that bond. At least I won't be losing the earring!

bratsche

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanoacrylate#Medical

[bratsche]

I had already read that, Jim, but it didn't answer my question... or if it did, it was too technical or scientific and went over my head. Maybe the different formulations they talked about would account for differences like that. Or maybe not. Oh, well.

bratsche