Thread: CA glue accelerators?

Have any of you who do CA finishes tried this?
TowerHobbies.com | GPMR6035 Great Planes Pro CA Foam Safe Activator w/Pump 2 oz

Looks like it might speed the process significantly when using thicker CA.

You really don't want to speed up the set time, believe me... you want all the open time you can get.
I think many of these accelerators will make the glue opaque, as well.

Not only are they more apt to blush they are apt to cure too quickly causing bumping and permanent bubbles on the surface. I keep mine next to my lathe for other purposes.

Besides what the guys already mentioned, the accelerators are really good at doing exactly what Tower Hobbies is selling them for...

Imagine you are gluing together two parts on your R/C airplane you want a strong bond so you are using a thick CA, but you don't want to sit there holding the pieces for all that time for it to set... The accelerator hardens the outside of the glue so it holds the pieces in place but the under layer of glue still needs to set ....

But to answer your question directly "No I haven't ever used the to speed up the finishing process"....

I use accelerators all the time when repairing dentures and have noticed that they will leave the finish discolored instead of clear, leaves bubbles, and if you're not aware of what you're doing (like me) the stuff will give you a wicked chemical burn since the accelerator will heat up the CA to nearly 200 degrees. As others have said, there's a lot of good places to use it, but not for finishing scales...

Thank You all for your advice. I will avoid using it on scales. I noticed that I had some on the shelf from a previous project and wanted the wisdom of the group before I ruined a set of scales.
Thank you all

Also from a practical pov, I applied CA with a latex glove over my index finger. I put a couple of drops on the surface, rub it across the entire scale in the couple of seconds I have before it sets. If you rub it real thin, obvisouly it will 'stick' after a couple of seconds.
I can apply the next coat 15 minutes later.

With accelerants, I think I would not even have a second before the latex stuck to the scale.