Superglue Tip Keeps Getting Clogged

JAMSOURY · Jul 5, 2019

Anyone also having problems with their superglue after using it? I’m using bsi ic gel glue and after using it, the glue dries and hardens, which makes me having to cut the tip off to use it again. Do you guys have any tips on preventing this?

flsalty · Jul 5, 2019

Use a pin, preferably one of those that have a ball on the end. You could try one of those tacks with the plastic grip but the metal part usually pulls out if it gets stuck in the tube.

Katrina71 · Jul 5, 2019

I use a finish nail

W1ngz · Jul 5, 2019

small safety pin

Tati · Jul 5, 2019

If u prefer bigger packages of a super glue - pin is the great way to help out. Some glues r coming with it.
I gave up on it and switched to the smaller glue packs and think that they r really handy.

Richards_reef · Jul 5, 2019

Clean your glue tip when you are finished with it and store it in the refrigerator. Since Ive started doing this I haven't had any issues with the tips becoming bricks. Hope this helps.

JAMSOURY · Jul 9, 2019

Sweet! All good tips here! Thanks everyone

Butuz · Jul 9, 2019

Small nail. Insert it but leave a little bit to grip and wiggle out every time you use.

TheGreatWave · Jul 9, 2019

Wrap the glue, along with both caps, inside of a ziplock back and store upright, it will last for years this way. (Most come with two lids) Once I started doing this, clogs are a thing of the past, as well has hardened bottles of glue.
By having it draped up in a bag, it keeps the fumes in and the damp air out.

hart24601 · Jul 9, 2019

I just use gorilla glue gel in the large container. If you don't get the tip wet the lid reseals if and get many many uses without any fuss.

Dr. Dendrostein · Jul 9, 2019

JAMSOURY said:
Anyone also having problems with their superglue after using it? I’m using bsi ic gel glue and after using it, the glue dries and hardens, which makes me having to cut the tip off to use it again. Do you guys have any tips on preventing this?

Any pictures of bottle design

ZoWhat · Jul 9, 2019

Use 2 part epoxy

IanK · Jul 9, 2019

I also use gorilla glue gel super glue, and I can't recall it ever clogging, real good cap on it

Biokabe · Jul 10, 2019

Clean the tips with pure acetone after you're done using them, or shortly before you're ready to start gluing. Cyanoacrylate (superglue) isn't water-solvent (that's why we can use it in our tanks), which makes cleaning it difficult. It does, however, dissolve in acetone. Let the tip soak in a shallow bath of the acetone; afterwards, the hardened plug has usually softened enough that you can work some kind of probe (a finishing nail, for example) into the plug and free a channel for the glue to flow through.

Alternately, you can find a superglue with a removable blunt syringe tip, like Maxspect's glue gun. Syringe tips are literally pennies each, so treat them as disposable. Use for one session, then discard afterwards and swap out with a fresh tip for your next glue session. That way, the glue at the actual cap of the tube doesn't have a chance to harden, and you can get more or less the full use from each tube.

If you do decide to give Maxspect's gun a try, give me a PM before the first time you use it. Their instructions are... less than perfect. The first time I tried to use it, it took me close to an hour to actually get it working properly. Once I figured it out, though... I don't think I can go back to regular tubes of glue, it's just so much easier.