How to remove superglue

[Bouleversee]

Is there any way of getting superglue of one's fingers? My plastic watering can started leaking from a tiny hole in its seam so after drying it out completely I thought I'd try 'superglue. Unfortunately, the tiny tube sprang a leak on its seam also and I ended up with it on my finger and thumb, happily not stuck together!. I have tried white spirit, meths and nail varnish remover with no success and am hating the feeling of this rough deposit on my flesh. Am also slightly worried as to whether it could be harmful.

[Itsallaguess]

Is there any way of getting superglue of one's fingers? My plastic watering can started leaking from a tiny hole in its seam so after drying it out completely I thought I'd try 'superglue.

Unfortunately, the tiny tube sprang a leak on its seam also and I ended up with it on my finger and thumb, happily not stuck together!.

I have tried white spirit, meths and nail varnish remover with no success and am hating the feeling of this rough deposit on my flesh. Am also slightly worried as to whether it could be harmful.

Have you got a disposable nail-file, or a bit of fine sandpaper?

Usually does the trick for me where super-glue and fingers are concerned.

Even if you just get the worst of it off, that helps a great deal, and the rest will hopefully come off after a couple of showers.

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[pochisoldi]

Acetone, most easily found in nail varnish remover.

Don't worry about the effects of superglue - they use it instead of stitches for small wounds...

Pochisoldi

[johnhemming]

I generally wait and after a day or so it goes.

[poundcoin]

At least you haven't stuck your fingers together which is what I did a few weeks ago .

I echo the sandpaper treatment , gets most of it off and then rinse under the tap with warm water and washing up liquid .

Never thought of the nail varnish remover . Wonder if a bit of WD40 would do anything ?

I always put some thin gardening gloves on now when glueing something .

[Bouleversee]

Thanks,everyone. As I said in my OP, I have already tried nail varnish remover. I'll try the sandpaper and now I know it's used medically, if that doesn't work I'll just leave it to time.

[pochisoldi]

Thanks,everyone. As I said in my OP, I have already tried nail varnish remover. I'll try the sandpaper and now I know it's used medically, if that doesn't work I'll just leave it to time.

Turns out many nail varnish removers don't contain acetone because it attacks acrylic nails. Try again with the cheapest/nastiest variety you can find.

Pochisoldi

[midnightcatprowl]

Don't worry about the effects of superglue - they use it instead of stitches for small wounds...

My most recently adopted cat was straight off the street (he was breaking into my house to steal cat food and spraying around liberally on his way out). Grabbed him one morning and got him to the vet - no collar, no chip, no street lamp or Facebook notices with his photo - so I got the vet to de-flea him, de-worm him, give him the recommended injections, chip him and neuter him. **

I had noticed - it would have been impossible not to - that even by full tom cat standards he had remarkably large testicles. When I picked him up after the op an animal nurse rather apologetically explained that due to the size of his testicles they'd had to glue him back together again. This was my first introduction to the concept of using superglue as part of a medical procedure! Puss - now named Bill - recovered without the slightest sign of discomfort and there have certainly been no ill effects.

** If this all sounds awful I'd just point out that the patient settled immediately into the role of indulged and doted upon pet with the human servant that he'd always wanted.

[bungeejumper]

Washing in hot water is often enough. It doesn't remove the glue, but it stimulates the pores in your skin to produce oils and moisture so that the glue is loosened in an hour or two. An inside job!

It's faster if you rub the fingers together, or work to loosen the edges. I imagine that something like olive oil might also help. I wouldn't be tempted to use sandpaper personally - not when you can buy superglue remover from the shops! - but hey, there's no accounting for taste and habits.

BJ

[bungeejumper]

This was my first introduction to the concept of using superglue as part of a medical procedure!

I believe it's been a battlefield medical treatment since the Vietnam war. (Was actually invented in the 1950s!) Has presumably saved thousands of lives. Wow.

BJ

[wilbobob]

I looked at the Hazard Data Sheet for superglue, and it said there was no hazard rating for ingestion. Too difficult to get it past your mouth and swallow.

[DrBunsenHoneydew]

If you don’t like the idea of sandpaper you can use sugar to get the rough abrasive property.
The medical glue is slightly chemically different from the the shop brands in that those are more likely to cause allergic reactions, but overall the toxicity is very low.

[melonfool]

Most nail varnish remover does not contain acetone now, or not nearly enough. But you can usually buy pure acetone in the nail section of the chemist as it is needed for removing fake nails.

I keep it in the house for DIY related stuff and normal nail varnish remover for, well, removing nail varnish!

Mel

[vrdiver]

just a comment on acetone: it vaporises easily (especially in hot weather). It is highly flammable (both liquid and vapour) with potentially explosive outcomes if confined in an enclosed space. Acetone vapour is heavier than air, so will "pool" on the floor, flowing without much dilution, which if it meets an ignition source (which can be quite far from the stored acetone) then creates an explosion.

If you do store the stuff, make sure the container is sealed properly and is not at risk of leaking or spillage (e.g. by being knocked over).

It's also toxic. See https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ipcsneng/neng0087.html for more details.

Personally, I treat the stuff with respect and as long a barge-pole as I can get between me and it. I've seen burns victims from accidents with acetone and none of them were being careless in a day-to-day sense; just didn't know how acetone behaved.

VRD

[Bouleversee]

Thanks to all. Problem solved so far as the superglue is concerned. However, after all that I haven't completely cured the leak. Next question: does anyone know how I can seal a pinprick hole in my plastic watering can?

[AleisterCrowley]

Don't use superglue, it's not good for 'gap filling' !

I'd think any general pupose adhesive would do, if the area's clean and dry.

Bostik All Purpose? Ask in the shop.

[jfgw]

Watering cans are usually made from a thermoplastic. These do not glue very easily. You may be able to seal the hole by melting the plastic with a soldering iron or similar improvised tool such as an old screwdriver heated over a gas flame. Someone who repairs canoes etc. would use a fine hot air gun and a filler rod (which MUST be the same plastic) to weld over the hole. If you need to add plastic, you could probably trim a thin sliver from around the filling hole.

Julian F. G. W.

[servodude]

Seeing as you already have the superglue you could try using it with baking soda?
- apply powder to fill the hole and drip on the glue
- it will form a rigid cement which might work; but that will depend on how flexible your plastic watering can needs to be

If it needs to have more 'give' then I would would be recommending a urethane glue (like AquaSeal) or something silicone based (like Sugru)
- both of which would probably cost as much as a new watering can; if you don't have them lying around already

good luck
- sd

[vrdiver]

However, after all that I haven't completely cured the leak. Next question: does anyone know how I can seal a pinprick hole in my plastic watering can?

If the hole is in a flat area, you could put a bolt through it (you may need to enlarge the hole to get the bolt through, either a wiggle with a screwdriver or a drill will do the trick) and put a flat washer on either side of the bolt and nut, which when tightened, will form a good seal. If the bolt head is on the outside it doesn't get in the way, unlike the shaft of the bolt poking out!

If the hole is in an awkward corner, a temporary fix that has worked in the past for quite a while is a bit of chewing gum. Macerated and squished into the offending corner (on the inside). If you can roughen the surface the gum's going onto, then that will help. More permanent may be to put a blob of silicone sealant over the area - needs to be dry before and for 24 hours after. Squish it down with a bit of paper to form a good contact.

One last suggestion (not tried) is if it's really a pinprick hole, push a cocktail stick in and trim flush with the plastic (from the outside). secure with a touch of superglue. The theory is that the wood will swell slightly when damp, locking itself into place. The superglue's job is to make sure it doesn't fall out if allowed to dry out. Nb. the principle works with making wooden ships watertight - using a calk that swells when wet to seal gaps in timbers... If you try it, let me know how it turns out!

VRD

[mc2fool]

does anyone know how I can seal a pinprick hole in my plastic watering can?

Duct tape. On the inside.