Liquid super glue effectiveness on checks

[sleek]

I am working a bow with LOTS of deep checks. I filled them with liquid locktite brand and got to work. I even filled checks I knew I'd be removing just to see how deep the glue gets. The answer? 1/4 inch is the deepest check I removed and its filled to the bottom. It took several tunes of glue ( 3.5 ) to fill them all, but it did its job. Just for the guys who wonder how to deal with checks, this is it.

[Deerhunter21]

when i put CA glue into wood, it hardens instantly. might just need to get new glue.

[sleek]

Locktite my dude. Its great stuff.

[dylanholderman]

when i put CA glue into wood, it hardens instantly. might just need to get new glue.

two thoughts i have.

first how thick is your glue?
the CA i use for checks has the viscosity pretty much of water and because its so thin capillary action wicks it deep into the checks.

second thought what is the humidity like and how dry is your stave?
moisture reacts with CA glue, that's why you have to close it up quickly the moisture in the air is enough to start thickening the glue up making it less useful for us

[bownarra]

Yes you rarely hear people mention its inability to deal with moisture.

[stuckinthemud]

Its inability to deal wirh moisture is its biggest advantage. Lick your fingers before handling the glue- up and it sets instantly on your skin instead of sticking you to the wood.  But for our purposes the wood does need to be dry, although for a quick glue-up you can moisten one surface, put the glue on the other and pressing them together gets an instant bond. I watched a window fitter doing that with the upvc cover sheets, meant he didnt have to stand there holding 6ft long sheets of plastic together while the glue set

[Hamish]

+ 1 for what Dylan said. Thin CA has the best penetration of deep cracks. Big difference between medium or thick , they just won't flow in deeply into a fine check.

[Eric Krewson]

The el-cheapo super glue at Harbor Freight is just right for filling cracks.

[Pat B]

With deep cracks I usually do a little, let it cure and add more and so on until it's filled. On deep, wide checks and open knots I use fine saw dust and super glue and work in layers until it's filled.

[Pat B]

Do a search in Bows for "Island Girl", a bow I made for Josh Barnes back in 2015. The stave Josh sent me was on an island for 15 years after he cut and split it out. The stave was checked all to hell. I used super glue and fine saw dust in layers to fill these checks, some of which went all the way through the limbs.