CA accelerator & paint contaminations

Anyone know something about, or heard about accelerators formulas? Has them sylicones inside or something else that will disturb our sensitive stuff like 2K clears?

I'm using Zip Kicker CA accelerator on several CA glues, on few projects and I'm far from paint yet, I would like to know if I'll find troubles then. I understand almost nothing of the formula than it contain a bittering agent LOL may be it would be nice without....

Zapper has always smelt like WD-40 to me and I wouldn't like to put paint over that :D

No experience from me but I would be careful :2cents:

Hi Gio,

I have used the 'Grip' brand Cyano activator with Pacer Zap superglues on quite a few items recently.The Benetton B192,McLaren Mp4/5b and the Subaru Legacy to name but a few.They were all painted with either Tamiya TS sprays,Finishers lacquer type jar paints or Zero basecoat paints and Zero 2K clearcoat on the Subaru Legacy.There were absolutely no adverse reactions where I had used the cyano activator at all and they all painted as normal.I can't speak for the brand of activator you are using though as I never used that myself.Maybe do a little test spray just to be on the safe side?

Best regards,

Steve

Thanks Steve, the fact that you used Zero's 2k over it rend me trustful, it's quite sensitive to silicones and contaminants.

Steve V. buddy, I love you LOL. The accelerator ever remind something but I wasn't able to mind what, yep it seems WD40, the famigerate WD40 that any
2K stuff seems to hate: BTW I guess it's only the propellant: in fact the acc. didin't leave any "lubricant" apeal on the parts, after it's evaporated parts are (seem) quite "dry". May be I'll use carefully a bit of alchol since I used Tamy primer this time insthead lechler grey one.

To follow up on this.

I have just been assembling some p/e parts and using blue tac to hold th e parts together while applying CA.

I squirted some Zip Kicker (made by Pacer Technologies) on the part and it dissolved the blue tac!!! :eek:

I'm not going to test it on my painted body but I'm guessing it wouldn't do anything good ;)

It was this one:

http://www.hiroboy.com/catalog/images/zappt15.jpg

Just a "heads up"

What is the point of using accelerators for CA glue? Is it to make them stronger, or bond faster?

Bond faster, it's more for the gel type super glue, and makes it a handy filler.

Yep, you'll fill holes and (strongly) re-create damaged parts or edges with the gel one. Also CA glue immediatly metals but is a bit slower on plastics...

BTW: I got it: the smell isn't those of WD40, it seems the Zippo fluid :D, I weathered yesterday so... Ok may be WD40 has benzene inside.

BTW: I got 1st trouble: in my current aircraft build (for who don't know we have a modelling section here with planes, armours, ships...) I cleaned with a tack cloth (Zero) accelerator residues and applied 1K clear over: I got few fisheyes and other amenities you got when the surface isn't perfect... no drama but not the ususal thing....

I got few fisheyes and other amenities you got when the surface isn't perfect

Accelerator tends to us an oil (hydrocarbon or synthetic hydrocarbon) for a carrier and aromatics (the WD-40/lighter fluid smell) so that you can sense (smell) where you've spayed it. The actual accelerator itself is a dry chemical that is left behind after the carrier has evaporated.

However not all of the carrier may evaporate. Wash your parts in good dishwashing detergent and this should solve the problem, at least it has for me.

Most accelerators come in spray form but I almost exclusively never use this feature. Instead I dip a large toothpick or bamboo scewer into the bottle then dab it onto or near the glue I'm trying to cure.

Try to avoid using accelerator with liquid super glue. The reaction between the two can be enough to make it bubble.

Super glue cures in the presence of water vapor and baking soda. Once the glue has set up a little bit dip it in water or apply a little baking soda. This way you can avoid the harmfull affects of the accelerator.

The actual accelerator itself is a dry chemical that is left behind after the carrier has evaporated.
Do you happen to know what the "accelerator" element actually is? What causes the reaction? Maybe there is something else around the house/workshop that could do the job...? (apart from baking powder ;) )

Do you happen to know what the "accelerator" element actually is? What causes the reaction? Maybe there is something else around the house/workshop that could do the job...? (apart from baking powder ;) )

I hope I don't get too techy, but...

The accelerator is a "broken" water molecule known as an hydroxil ion. Water is made up of 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom (H2O). Some of these molecules get broken and form hydroxil (HO). This molecule wants to grab another hydrogen badly and finds it in the superglue. HO grabs onto one of the hydrogen atoms of the super glue and this causes the affected super glue molecules to attract each other forming a super strong bond. All water or moist air has hydroxil and the more hydroxil you have the faster the glue cures.

Baking soda works because of its chemical makeup. It too has ions of its own that when react with water or water vapor form hydroxil. Dabbing it onto the glue will cause the hydroxil to be pulled from the baking soda but invariably the baking soda gets caught up in the reaction. Fortunately this gives the baking soda a unique gap-filling quality and can cure the glue from the inside out.

Long story short, anything that has some amount of water, and consequently hydroxil, within it will be a good candidate. Many products around the kitchen are organic in that they are complex molecules having a large amount of oxygen and hydrogen. Thus there is always a chance that they'll form hydroxil. If they can react with the glue then they will work, but this may leave a messy byproduct, so stick with moisture, baking soda, or Zip-Kicker.

Thanks a lot. Very pedagogic. I like to know the stuff we mess up, at least sometimes ;)

I hope I don't get too techy, but...

The accelerator is a "broken" water molecule known as an hydroxil ion. ...
Nice. It kind of makes me wonder if good 'ol water wouldn't do the job?
It would be cheaper than buying an accelerator product and definitely be benign beneath paint once dry :)

EDIT: I stumbled across this today: Interesting reading also (http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2004/10/stuff_eng_tech_ca_glue.htm).