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Epoxy glue or epoxy resin?
- Thread starter y53p
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I think anything described as 'epoxy' will normally be in two parts: (1) the resin itself, and (2) the hardener, both of which must be mixed together to cure (harden) and function as 'epoxy'. So, if the 'glue' comes in a two-sided dispenser or in two separate tubes to be mixed together, then that should work. In the case of the 'glues' in the two-sided syringe-like dispensers, the two separate streams from the dispenser nozzles must be mixed together before applying it to the item being 'glued'. The dispenser just makes it easier to mix in equal proportions.
Sometimes, 'epoxy resin' is a term loosely used to describe the whole product. But in reality, the 'resin' is only half of what forms the bond - the other half being the hardener or curing agent.
If the glue is called 'epoxy', but is only in one part, I couldn't say if it'd be the same thing as other typical 2-part epoxies. There are apparently some self-curing 'epoxies' which don't need a 2nd part for hardening. But the vast majority of consumer 'epoxy' products come in the two parts which must be mixed before application.
Sometimes, 'epoxy resin' is a term loosely used to describe the whole product. But in reality, the 'resin' is only half of what forms the bond - the other half being the hardener or curing agent.
If the glue is called 'epoxy', but is only in one part, I couldn't say if it'd be the same thing as other typical 2-part epoxies. There are apparently some self-curing 'epoxies' which don't need a 2nd part for hardening. But the vast majority of consumer 'epoxy' products come in the two parts which must be mixed before application.
I've also wondered about this. I use two-part resin to make chess pieces, but I use regular all-in-one CA glue to fill cracks in vulcanite or briar (smoking pipes). I know people who prefer two-part epoxy for vulcanite repair, but for me the all-in-one tubes work fine. The advantage of two-part is that you can mix in dyes or colored powder before combining.
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And the CA glue (CyanoAcrylate) isn't an epoxy, BTW. It's what's normally called 'super glue'. Both can be used for filling gaps. Normally, the CA glue would be more suitable for smaller, very narrow gaps & cracks and is likely easier for those jobs. Epoxy can be used to fill big voids like chips or hollow portions in wood, etc.
That's interesting - I had 'epoxy' in my head for superglue, but never gave it any real thought.
This makes complete sense. You combine the two, the mixture gets hot, then it gets hard. I had an interesting thing happen the other day - I was trying to create a filler for cracks in a meerschaum pipe bowl and experimenting a little: Ultimately I mixed plaster with amber CA glue and got exactly what I was looking for, but initially I tried egg white and plaster with some dye. It gave a horrible-colored result so I got the bright idea of mixing egg white with amber CA glue, thinking the egg white might thicken the glue as it does for plaster. The result immediately heated up like two-part resin would do when combined, and quickly became hard. A curious but useless result - the egg white accelerated the hardening process.
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Yeah, the CA glue is known to react in an exothermic manner - it heats up as it cures. It'll do that on its own anyway, and epoxy also does the same when curing. But CA's heating often isn't noticed when used for very small jobs as is typical for it. But it also seems to be even more reactive when combined in bigger amounts with other stuff for color or texture or whatever. I'd seen a video recently, highlighting a certain amount of danger in this kind of mixing with CA glue, when the mixed product actually began to smoke as it heated up. It can be hot enough to be a fire hazard sometimes (& producing toxic fumes too). So, it needs to be watched when used that way, with appropriate safety precautions.
Yes, I learned a valuable lesson that didn't do any damage
I used to glue plastic strips into chain rails where I worked (a long aluminum part in which a chain runs on a machine). It used a lot of superglue, there were bottles and bottles around. Doing one rail normally entailed using 1 or two big bottles of superglue. You would squirt down the long groove for the strip and quickly use a little machine to press the strips in.
Anyway, it would get hot enough to burn you if you didn't keep your hands out of things. The fumes would choke you and I would normally hold my breath for a bit. It heated up quick and cooled off just as quickly, though.
