What Is the Difference Between Epoxy & Super Glue?
Epoxy and Super Glue are popular names for products that cover a broad range of adhesives used in home and industry. Each has a specific chemical composition and best recommended uses. They have a few applications in common, but are most effective when used for their intended purpose. Does this Spark an idea?
-
What is the Difference?
-
Epoxy is a compound made from two parts that the user must combine: a resin and a hardener. The user then has a specific time, based on the package formulation, in which to use the glue before it hardens. Super Glue is a single component made from cyanoacrylate that hardens rapidly with exposure to moisture in the air.
Properties
-
Both form a very strong bond. Super Glue, however, has very low shear strength which means that the parts bonded will resist direct pulling but not off angle stress. Epoxy, on the other hand, has tremendous structural strength. Epoxy is better at filling voids between parts. Some brands of Super Glue work with additives to fill small voids.
-
Uses
-
Epoxy, in its many formulations, is used as an adhesive, a coating for metal and composites, insulation of electronics, model making and many industrial applications. Super Glue is used on a much smaller scale, but in applications that vary from surgery to small parts assembly and as a wood finish.
Clean Up
-
Epoxy, before it hardens, may be removed with acetone or white vinegar. Once it hardens it is very difficult, if not impossible, to remove without damage to the surface where it was stuck. Super Glue can be removed, in either liquid or solid state, with acetone (nail polish remover) or gamma-butyrolactone (GBL). GBL may be more preferable because it is less toxic.
Health Warnings
-
In addition to excellent ventilation, gloves and eye protection should always be used in the presence of chemicals. Some users of epoxy can develop an allergic reaction to the hardener. Super Glue is an eye, nose, and throat irritant. It will also bond tissue almost immediately and it is flammable spontaneously with cotton and wool in sufficient quantities.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Nate Steiner
