Something new...to me...

[HickoryBill]

So today I was working with some professionally tanned and dyed rabbit fur...In my project I needed to apply super glue. So I applied the super glue for a size coat to stiffen up the hide...Now the weird part..After about 30 seconds after the super glue was applied the hide began to rapidly shrink and smoke..I  touched the hide and it was very hot..After more shrinking,smoking, and turning brown I dowsed the hide with water( Scared it was going to burst into flames ....I was indoors) Any one ever have this happen before/Know why?

[osage outlaw]

That is wierd.  It must have been reacting with one of the chemicals used to tan it.

[Badger]

I used a glue rag that i had cleaned up some stain etc with and threw it in the rag bin. It did catch fire. Not sure what it reacted to but I think it was the oils in the stains I was using.

[osage outlaw]

I think I remember hearing that rags with boiled linseed oil on them can ignite.  It might have been something else though, I can't remember for sure.  I know a rag or paper towels soaked in strong bleach will get really hot and start smoking if they are crumpled up.  I've seen that in person.  And while we are on the subject, don't ever get any metal in strong peroxide.  That's a bad combination. 

[criveraville]

That's intersting. A chemical reaction that gives off heat due to a chemical reaction is an exothermic reaction. The chemicals in the glue must have reacted to the tanning chemicals in the hide.

Cipriano

[Pat B]

I've had super glue bubble and put off visable fumes when filling a void in a stave. I was adding a little saw dust a little glue and so on in layers as not to have any voids in the patch. It never ignited but I don't doubt it would.

[criveraville]

Jack London's home the night before he was to move into it burned. Didn't have insurance on it because "nothing" could harm it. It burned supposedly because of a pile of a few rags with cleaning chemicals on them.

Anyway... Just an interesting fact..

Cipriano

[HickoryBill]

Thanks guys..glad I'm not going crazy...or imagining things

[JW_Halverson]

Nope, hate to break to you, but you are sane.   

I have had tanned leather get "excited" in contact with cyanoacrylic glues, too.  Nothing unusual.  Just use hide glue, any of the TiteBond glues, or rubber cement instead.