Super glue is one of our best friends when crafting. It’s an all-purpose glue that can be used on almost any surface to create new pieces and bind back those which broke down.
When fixing a broken piece, sometimes it’s hard to keep everything in place for a long time, especially if the tiny broken pieces have irregular shapes.
That’s when you wish your super glue dried even faster than it does. And we are here to make your wish come true! Here’s how to make super glue dry faster.
What can I use super glue on?
Super glue works on almost any surface. You can stick together metal, plastic, fabric, ceramics and many others!
It might not work so well on too smooth surfaces.
It works best on porous materials, but its worth trying! In case it doesn’t work, you can remove the residue with acetone.
Is super glue safe to use?
This glue has chemical components that could cause an intoxication if not used properly.
To avoid this, you should use it in a ventilated room, especially if you need to apply a significant amount on a big surface.
You probably don’t need to worry about an intoxication if you are applying it on a small piece.
But you must always be careful not to stick your fingers together!
As super glue dries so fast, it’s not unusual to touch a little bit of glue and end up with your fingers bound together without even realizing it.
Again, if this were to happen, you can remove the glue with a bit of acetone to prevent getting hurt. Here you can find other ways to remove the super glue from your fingers.
But if you make super glue dry faster you will shorten the danger time to avoid getting your fingers stuck.
How to get super glue to dry faster?
There are several answers to this question.
Here are some:
- Clean the surface well before applying the glue.
- Use just enough glue.
- Leave as little space as possible between the pieces.
- Blow the area with a hairdryer.
- Provide good airflow to the room you’re working in.
- Apply baking soda on the wet glue.
Clean the pieces you are going to stick
Cleaning the surface before sticking is a very important part of the process.
Smooth surfaces can prevent the glue from sticking, and so can oily, dirty surfaces.
Make sure you clean the pieces very well before applying the glue.
Don’t use too much glue
Super glue works by evaporating and polymerizing after being in contact with air.
If you apply too much glue, it will take longer to dry, as there will be a bigger surface of wet glue.
Besides, this kind of adhesive is not meant to work as a filler, as others do.
Bring the pieces as close together as possible
In agreement with the previous point, it is important to press the pieces together to try and leave the least space between the pieces you are going to stick.
For this, you can use a press or clamps to keep the pieces together. Besides, this will help squeeze out the excessive product.
Remember the glue will take just a few minutes to dry, but it actually takes 24 hours to fully set, so we recommend leaving the clamps on during the whole day to ensure correct adhesion.
How to dry super glue faster with a hairdryer?
Once you have applied the glue on the pieces, and maybe attached the clamps, grab your hairdryer and start blowing hot air onto the piece.
This will accelerate the drying process. Both air and heat are agents that allow the glue to dry faster.
Just be careful not to heat the piece too much in order not to cause any damage on it, especially if it’s made of plastic.
Make air circulate around your room
As said before, air is one of the most useful agents to make your glue dry faster.
Using a hairdryer is the fastest way to blow your pieces, but if you don’t have one at hand, you can still make the process faster by ventilating the room you are working in.
Open a few windows to increase the airflow indoors. Or else, take your piece outside.
This way your piece will also be exposed to sunlight and UV rays, which also help in the drying process.
How to make glue dry really fast?
But how to make super glue dry faster than ever? The previous hacks might seem too obvious, but this one we’re about to give you will really blow your mind.
There’s not a clear answer as why this works, but we guarantee it does. It consists in using baking soda. There are two ways to make this trick work.
The first option is using your glue as usual, applying it on the surface to stick, and sprinkling baking soda on it before bringing both pieces together.
This powder will create a chemical reaction that will make the polymerization process faster.
The other way you can use this hack is especially useful if you need to stick bigger surfaces, as you will need more glue.
Before you use it, you need to know you have to act fast, as the drying process will be really short. Pour some glue out of the tube and onto a plate.
Make sure the plate is not one you want to use later, as it may not be completely clean after the process.
After you got the amount of glue you consider you will use for the piece you need to stick, sprinkle some baking soda on it and mix it well.
This will make the product a little thicker. Apply it on the surface to stick and spread it well to ensure proper adhesion.
After reading all these hacks about how to make super glue dry faster you can choose the one that best suits your needs based on the materials and resources you have.
Always remember to keep your fingers safe! 😉
You can also see Top 5 best transfer tape for vinyl.