Archive for the ‘Quick Fixes’ Category

Super Glue Makes Everyone Seem Handy!

March 4th, 2010

We were chuckling when we read a recent post by Lynne, author of the Stealing Mom blog.  Lynne recounts in amazement how her “not a handyman” husband was able to repair several home projects in one day by using super glue.

Here’s how Lynne starts the story:  “Scott called me at work to ask me where the Super Glue® was and he would not tell me why he wanted it. My heart dropped to my feet at the thought of what all he could do with glue in his hands. As I’ve already mentioned, he is not a handyman. These little home projects usually create havoc when he attempts them. Later in the day I met him at the Mall and he was actually giddy and boasting about some home projects that he had completed.”

There is nothing like the satisfaction of being able to see instant success!  Luckily we at Super Glue Corporation often get to hear stories just like Lynne’s.  People are amazed by how easy super glue works and how easily, and quickly, it restores things back to working order in seconds!  It’s the handiest tool around.  And the good thing is it makes everyone who uses it seem handy as well!

This story has a very happy ending …. Lynne’s husband, Scott, was able to reattach a plastic piece to make the refrigerator vegetable bin work again and also fixed the mailbox just by using super glue!

What about you readers:  What have you magically repaired using super glue?  Does super glue make you feel handy?  Do you consider super glue one of the handiest tools in your toolbox?  We’d love to hear from you – Tell us your story!

RC Modelers Use Threadlockers To Reinforce Screws, Nuts, and Bolts

February 24th, 2010

Plane Threadlockers

[PHOTO CREDIT:  RC Universe Greg Covey article]

Threadlockers are very helpful anaerobic adhesives.  They come in a wide range of strengths, and varieties that work best on specific substrates (non-metal, plastic, and metal), but the most common are blue (removeable) and red (permanent) threadlockers. 

Threadlockers are very handy.  They prevent threaded metal fasteners, nuts, bolts, and screws from loosening.  It only takes a second to squeeze a drop of threadlocker into any screw, nut or bolt and the reinforcement it provides is incredible.  Nothing is more frustrating than when fasteners are the cause of breaks and lost parts.  Using threadlockers is a great, simple, preventative measure that really pays off in the end.

Check out this article by Greg Covey, in RC Universe.  He uses Pacer Technology’s product Pacer Z-42 several different times to keep nuts, bolts, and screws locked in place while building this awesome Filton Inspire Mini!

2010 Winter Olympics Musings

February 24th, 2010

lg-vancouver2010_16d-aJ

[PHOTO CREDIT:  www.vancouver2010.com]

What would this month have been without the Winter Olympics to watch on tv each evening?  All of the gifted, committed athletes gathering together, in Vancouver, from around the globe, hoping to achieve their personal best and maybe even bring home a medal!  Each event is exciting and each personal story so inspiring.  All of the daily effort, hard work, drive and support it takes to reach this pinnacle of excellence is truly motivational.  The side story to all of this is what impacts everyone who watches even just one of the events or hears just one of the personal stories.  Events like the Olympics remind us that passion and focus are critical to success!

So many of the athletes talk about how, when they were youngsters starting out in the sport, they followed their Olympic heroes and  dreamt of the day when they, too, might participate in the games.  Suddenly, around town we witness increases in attendance at the local skating rinks.  Four year olds know the names of Shaun White,  Shani Davis, Apolo Anton Ono, Lindsey Vonn,  Bode Miller and so many others.  They begin to emulate their style; climbing the hillsides pretending to snowboard down on a sheet of plywood or plastic sheeting like them; dressing like them; reading about them; following them.  And suddenly a new batch of heroes emerge.

The new heroes might not be athletes though.  They may end up being teachers, doctors, engineers, inventors, parents, writers, landscapers, scientists, electricians, or artists.  But the same sticktoitiveness, passion and focus, that takes an athlete to the Olympics, fuels all of the creative producers in the world.  It’s exciting to witness all kinds of passion and focus and we, as consumer product manufacturers and distributors, get to see lots of it in action ourselves. 

Many of the consumers of our products here at Super Glue Corporation are extreme hobbyists, crafters, artists, engineers, and technicians who, each in their own way, model the same characteristics as Olympic athletes.  They are focused achievers who are driven by passion to create, invent, design and improve.  They are risk takers who use their imagination to envision things that they then set out to bring to fruition.  It’s quite impressive.

One interesting fact (also connected to the Winter Olympics – I warned you there were musings in this post:)) is that snowboarders use epoxies and super glues to build and repair their boards.  This makes perfect sense.  Epoxies and super glues are super strong and work really well with substates, involved in building snowboards; like woods, metals, fiberglass, kevlar, etc.  We even have a waterproof epoxy that will hold up under the most extreme wet, winter conditions.  Chips, dings, and other repairs can be fixed in minutes using these inexpensive, readily available products.

For fun, check out the The Adventures of John blog for some details on how to make your own snowboard. 

Through research for this blog, and from the consumers who write in to us at info@supergluecorp.com, we get to see passion, focus and creativity in action.  We get to connect and link into how real, talented people are using our products to meet specific challenges which, in turn, helps motivate us to improve, advance, and deliver more choices and better products.  We all share a kind of  Olympic spirit. Our motto is “Adhering to Excellence”.  What about you?  Do you have a passion and focus in your work or career that you feel is similar to an Olympian’s desire to be at the top of their game?  Tell us about it.

We love hearing from you, and we love working with consumers to ensure that you have the right products for all of your adhesive needs!

Gotta go now …. need to finish up with my work so I can catch some USA hockey in a few … SCORE!

Magnets Make Super Glue A Temporary Solution

February 17th, 2010

UBS port and Zap[Photo Credit:  IdShed blog]

As many people know, or find out, super glue is an awesome problem solver, but it involves good news and bad news.  Good news = it’s a pretty permanent solution, and sometimes, bad news = it’s a pretty permanent solution.  We recently came across a great, creative blog post by Id where he combined magnets and super glue to design a temporary, permanent fix for adding extra USB ports to his desktop PC while enabling the ports to also be easily transfered to his laptop as well.

The blog post is titled, “Home Office – Pimp Your Rig“  and the post begins:

“I wanted to add some extra USB ports to my desktop PC, so I bought a cheap, generic 4 port USB hub. Excellent value, works perfectly, but – it’s another piece of clutter on my already busy desk.

I didn’t want to glue the hub to my PC, it felt too permanent a solution, I may want to use the hub with my laptop. Fortunately my PC has a pressed steel case- the perfect subject for magnets …”

By using Zap-A-Gap super glue to attach the magnets to the USB port, Id was able to increase the number of USB ports on either his PC or laptop making for a very clever temporary permanent solution!  We can think of several other situations where super glue combined with magnets might be a great way to benefit from the great strength and holding power of super glue while also maintaining some flexibility for easy removal.  Great idea!

Note:  Debonders can also be helpful for removing unwanted super glue, but be sure to test the substrate to make sure that the powerful debonder won’t cause unwanted damage to whatever it is you are gluing/un-gluing.

Accutool + Tea Bag = Fingernail Fix

February 17th, 2010

rightfingernailsdec24pm

[Photo Credit:  Embrace Your Heart blog]

Weather, water, health and lots of other issues can cause fingernails to be brittle and crack or tear.  Super Glue Corporation’s own Susie M. recently had a nail tear stretching horizontally across her nail.  She remembered reading about a quick fingernail fix in Real Simple magazine a few years back so she decided to give it a try.  The result was terrific!  Here’s her testimonial:

“I was reading a magazine from a few years ago about a quick fingernail fix.  They said to cut a small piece of an unused tea bag and place it over the fingernail tear then apply nail glue over it.  Once the glue is dry file it down to a smooth finish.  I tried it yesterday using the Accutool and it worked GREAT!  My fingernail had torn about half way (right to left).  The Accutool was perfect because I was able to control the drop of glue so well.  Also, for added support I repeated the process under my nail bed.  So far the fix seems to be better than when the nail salon has fixed a tear.  Their fix was always on the weak side and didn’t last very long.  My nail is as good as new!”

Hey, thanks for the great tip, Susie!!  The precision and pin-point accuracy provided by the Accutool makes it the perfect super glue product for this application.  Additionally, the fact that the dispenser stands up on its own makes it a handy desktop accessory for  professional nail technicians as well.  This video shows the Accutool in action:

ACCUTOOL® Product Knowledge Video from Super Glue Corporation on Vimeo.

Trophy Repair! Another reason to keep super glue handy …

November 18th, 2009

Dylan's Trophy

[Photo Credit: "Our Little Circus" blog ]
Loved this photo and blog entry in the “Our Little Circus” blog. What a happy moment when all the team receives their soccer trophies! Can’t beat the joy … and often … a few minutes later … the pain – when in the chaos of the moment the trophy gets dropped and breaks apart. Michelle, the mom and author of the blog, writes: “And exactly three minutes after this photo was taken, Dylan’s trophy fell on the floor and the head broke right off. Super glue saved the day and we ended another soccer season on a high note.”

This is a perfect reason for keeping super glue handy at all times! Restore those smiles in an instant!! Smart moms know these things :) Way to go, Michelle!!

More Reasons To Keep Super Glue With You At All Times ;)

November 9th, 2009

The new movie 2012 coming out on Friday, November 13th is a good reminder of why it’s important to keep super glue with you at all times!  You just never know what might come up that needs fixing …. might be a good idea to keep a couple of 12-packs with you at all times – original and gel that is ;)

Back to College Tip – Send Super Glue Along!

August 31st, 2009

Hot Tip! – Send super glue along with college students for quick dorm room repairs!  Many of our best product use tips come to us directly from our customers.  Here’s a great story, sent in by Josiah, demonstrating just how handy a tube of super glue can be:

“My story involves a college dorm room a broken towel rack and Super Glue.  Due to an unfortunate turn of events the towel rack in my college dorm room broke free from the wall.  It had two feet that held it to the wall and one side came off.  I didn’t panic even though I knew that I would be charged for the damage.  I knew that I had a secret weapon that could save me some badly needed cash.  I went for my Super Glue like a frat boy towards an unguarded beer can.  I carefully applied the glue to the wall and to the part of the rack that had come loose.  I pressed it up to the wall and held on to it like I normally hold on to my wallet.  When I was sure it was dry I let go and tested it.  By the grace of all that is sacred it stayed in place and I avoided a damage charge that semester. . .”

[Super Glue Blogger's note:  Great tip and we also suggest you send along a pack or two of  HandiTAK with college students.  Great for hanging posters, calendars, and pictures without damaging dorm room walls.  Just don't forget to knead the HandiTAK until it is tacky for super holding power!]

Paper Cuts & Super Glue

August 21st, 2009

Leave it to moms to figure out that super glue is one of the best and quickest ways to heal a paper cut.  In this terrific blog about “simple, fun, and practical uses for everyday items” 24/7 moms shares this handy piece of advice along with other great tips.  All of us at Super Glue Corporation use this unique remedy all of the time … it’s quick, easy, and effective – just a little dab’ll do ya’!  Check out their other great tips!!

Solutions for Super Glue Fuming/Blooming under Glass

August 11th, 2009

Gearwork_Pendants_by_Fandragon[PHOTO CREDIT:  Gearwork Pendants by Fandragon]

In this blog post the artist recycles old gears, glass cases, and movement plates to create beautiful pendants – truly works of art!

The artist noted that ”the only trouble I ran into with these was the fact that the fumes from superglue will fog the glass covers”.  While super glues have great bonding powers; fuming or blooming (vapor as part of the curing process) can sometimes occur on dark substrates, or enclosed transparent substrates.  Once the glue dries the vapors disappear, but not if they are trapped inside a closed space or dark substrate.

 Two products we suggest using to get around this problem, on projects like this, are glass adhesive or even rear view mirror adhesive!  Glass adhesive bonds well, but is not traditional super glue and doesn’t have fuming/blooming issues and rear view mirror adhesive contains a primer that you can apply to the glass substrate prior to applying the super glue which should alleviate the problem.

We love creative projects like these beautiful pendants.  Let us know if you have technical difficulties when using our products – we love a challenge and get great joy out of  fixings things!