I should never have gotten super glue

[Skrabbitskrabbit]

Okay so I went to school for art and have used my fair share of art supplies and always have hated super glue. I’m pretty sure I banned myself from using it when I was in high school because it -always- seems to end up on my fingertips.

now I’m thirty something and because of y’all (not blaming but...) I went out and bought super glue for the sole purpose of gluing my not-so-healthy Java fern onto the one piece of driftwood in the tank. It had previously just been wrapped in the lead weight and sunk behind said driftwood (that I really like btw).
First things first I take out the plant and driftwood, dry everything best I can, apply superglue, glue plants. I recall thinking “wonder how long this glue takes to dry because I don’t want to kill the plant.
Enter mom brain. Easily distracted Skrabbit (that’s me) leaves the whole thing on the counter, oh did I mention at this point I have glue all over my fingertips AS EXPECTED but it’s okay because my aquarium is gonna look really dope after this. So there I go, off to attempt to wash off the glue fingers.

5 hours later.. Java fern and wood still on counter. I stick it in the tank knowing that there’s like 0 chance of the plant making it. And the worst part of the whole deal is my driftwood is all nasty with white splotches where I glued. Oh and the plant did in fact, melt away.
Lesson learned. I will be trying this One More Time with Java fern from another tank (if only to cover up the mess I made the first go-round.

Please feel free to laugh at my misfortune. I am. Oh and the glue did come off my fingertips so nbd there.

 

[NotSoAggressiveAquatics]

I feel your pain. I feel like a glue magnet. I’m so used to being burned by hot glue that I don’t even react when it happens lol. And don’t get me started about super glue....

 

[StarGirl]

You got distracted for 5 hours? Don't worry we have all been there at some point. I don't do the super glue for that reason. I would be mad if there was white glue marks on stuff. I use small rubber bands on stuff like that!

 

[Skrabbitskrabbit]

You got distracted for 5 hours?

Guess so lol. This was a few days ago (I needed time to work through the emotions &accept it) and I should have gone back after 10-15 minutes but I ended up forgetting and leaving to work a few hours. And my kids are 3 and the baby is 8 months and they do not slow down ever so I’m sure that’s what distracted me in the first place. Come to think of it it’s likely one or both of their fault. LOL

 

[StarGirl]

Guess so lol. This was a few days ago (I needed time to work through the emotions &accept it) and I should have gone back after 10-15 minutes but I ended up forgetting and leaving to work a few hours. And my kids are 3 and the baby is 8 months and they do not slow down ever so I’m sure that’s what distracted me in the first place. Come to think of it it’s likely one or both of their fault. LOL

There you go! Blame the childrens! It wasn't your fault!

 

[dwc13]

I feel your pain, lol. I use several different types of adhesives including super glue (CA) while working on my model railroad. Mishaps with CA -- usually involving gluing detail parts before thinking about how & when to paint them -- happen now and then.

Hobbyist versions of CA come in various viscosities and often with fine/very fine applicator tips. IMO, they're more user-friendly.

CA De-bonder -- just in case soap & water, lemon juice, nail polish remover, etc. aren't working.
Premium Adhesive for Hobby, Hardware and Recreation (bsi-inc.com)

 

[The_fishy]

If you have just superglue, you can pour some water on it or stick it in a bucket to get it to cure faster! Just something to keep in mind if you try this again.

 

[pagoda]

I always use the gel version of super glue....its more controllable so doesn't go wandering all over the place whilst hardening off.....learnt that lesson the hard way too...

 

[mattgirl]

Not laughing at you but am laughing with you although I am sure it didn't seem like fun while it was happening.

If in the future, should you attempt to do this again, be sure to get the gel version of super glue. Put one tiny drop of it where you want the plant to be. Then use a toothpick to mash a couple of the roots down into the drop of glue. Once done pour water on it. The water will cure it almost instantly and it is ready to go back in the tank.

The first time I tried gluing java fern to a terracotta pot I didn't use the gel. Oh my goodness, what a mess. It ran all over the pot and left a white mess on the pot. Thankfully the plant grew well and covered the mess up.

 

[BigManAquatics]

I used to use Zap-a-gap on my miniatures. I spent a lot of my high school days with my fingers glued to each other.

 

[carsonsgjs]

The white plastic backing used to reflect the tube lighting on my main tank came unstuck one day and was left hanging in the tank. Picked up some glue which claimed to ‘bond in seconds’ - thats good news, ill go for that one i thought.

ended up gluing my thumb and finger together in the form of the OK hand signal. I wasnt OK as it turned out, and nor was the thing which i tried to glue in the first place, which didnt bother to stick anyway. Apparently there was a video recorded of me swearing profusely trying to carefully ration the tiny amount of nail polish remover i had found.

 

[Catappa]

Retired artist/designer here and all too experienced with having fingers stuck together with Super glue. Until I learned by trial and error. Tips: Always work on a disposable plastic surface, such as a trash bag. If you really want to play it safe, also wear Nitrile surgical gloves. As suggested above, always use the gel version and apply with toothpicks and be aware that where it is visible, it will dry white. So try to work neatly. I always use the gel to glue plants and moss to wood, rocks and the caves I make from terracotta flowerpots. Works like a dream! Make sure that pets and children are nowhere in the vicinity.

 

[Flyfisha]

Handy tip.
When using superglue on plants and wood etc. have some dry dirt ready. As you glue the plant toss dirt into the wet glue. This solves most of the white glue issues.

 

[Skrabbitskrabbit]

This is awesome so many good tips. I haven’t tried glue again but haven’t really needed to either.
My solution on this “ruined” wood was to turn it around and use rubber bands, which I still have on there because my java fern doesn’t look too “grown on” yet..?

 

[V1K]

Not aquarium related but still. At my work in amber shop, we sometimes make beads, and we glue the clasps with superglue. So, I'm basically a pro with it at this point. One time while visiting my parents, my mom was struggling to fix a bobber for her fishing rod. I'm like, give it to me, I've got this. And what do you think happens? For a first time in MONTHS I fail to apply an appropriate amount of glue and basically bathe that bobber in it . I did fix it and I didn't glue my fingers, but my mom was unimpressed by my technique, to say the least . I blame this incident on the fact that unlike the glue I use for work, this tube wasn't used by me up until that point, and they squeezed it differently than I do so the internal pressure was different than what I'm used to or something.