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Hurried: We use modern quick-setting adhesives that make
the building process much faster than in the past and the final product
lighter. The risk is caused by the release of chemical and heat energy
as the glue sets. In addition, you could glue something that should not
be glued.
Cyanoacrylate glue comes in various thicknesses: thin, medium,
and thick. The thinner it is, the faster it sets. The thin stuff sets in
five to 10 seconds.
To attach balsa pieces using thin cyanoacrylate, we
would normally pin waxed paper over plans on a building board (which
could be the back of a 2 x 4-foot ceiling tile), and then cut, position,
and pin the balsa pieces in place. Then we would place a small drop of
cyanoacrylate on the joints of the balsa.
Sometimes you may be tempted
to hurry and hold the balsa pieces together with your fingers rather
than pin them, such as when laminating balsa pieces or gluing fuselage
sides at the tail post. You may think pinning takes too long.
Such
hurrying places you at greater safety risk. The thin cyanoacrylate wicks
through balsa easily and can reach your fingers. If you have only a
couple minutes before an appointment and think you can quickly finish
that gluing job by using your fingers to clamp the work, reschedule the
modeling work for another time. You would look kind of funny going to
that appointment with a fuselage glued to your fingers.
Sometimes a drop
of glue will harden in the delivery spout of a cyanoacrylate glue
bottle. Before using the cyanoacrylate, check to make sure that the
delivery spout is unclogged. Otherwise, nothing happens when you squeeze
the bottle to deliver a drop of glue.
I know of someone in a
model-building class who tried to push a pin down into a clogged tip of
a cyanoacrylate bottle while tightly gripping the bottle. When the clog
cleared, the pressure he was applying to the bottle caused adhesive to
squirt across the room.
Fortunately no one was in the glue-wetted path.
After that occurrence cyanoacyrlate was applied by an instructor if it
needed to be used.
To clear a clog in the spout of a cyanoacrylate glue
bottle, it's better to carefully unscrew the cap to work on removing the
clog. Be careful not to spill the glue from the open bottle if you use
this technique.
When using cyanoacrylate glue, you need a backup—or a
third level—of safety defense. Have a bottle of debonder readily
available to unstick your fingers if the need arises. The debonder won't
help your clothes if you spill glue on them; they will be ruined. The
debonder should be available at any hobby shop that sells cyanoacrylate.
A final level of safety defense—a barrier—is necessary when using cyanoacrylate. Wear glasses or goggles for eye protection. Some of the
glues get hot and fume as they set. If you drop the bottle, glue will
splatter everywhere. If you get a drop of cyanoacrylate in your eye,
your condition will require medical help.
I wear prescription glasses.
As careful as I am when I use cyanoacrylate, I have still had to clean
my eyeglass lenses with debonder. It may attack some of the new coatings
on plastic lenses, so if you wear glasses you may want to use goggles to
protect you and those expensive lenses.
Click on photo to view large image with caption
• Stressed: Have you ever had a
problem with soldering? You may be stressed out because you can't get
that wire lined up correctly with enough solder on the connector. And
after three tries of holding the wire with pliers, the solder joint
still isn't right.
You decide to hold the wire with your fingers for
better control. However, 30 seconds later you are frantically looking
for the burn ointment because you overheated your thumb and forefinger
with a hot wire or a hot blob of solder.
There is a better solution. If
you are getting frustrated, recognize it and don't push your luck. Don't
reach for that soldering gun again; take a break. Find a path to relieve
your frustration. Beat on a punching bag. Ride your bicycle around the
block.
Come back to the shop work when you are not feeling frustrated.
You will be much less likely to hurt yourself and much more likely to
succeed.
By the way, there are better ways to hold pieces to be
soldered, as shown in the soldering-station photograph.
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