Stem Repair Using Black Superglue

hooboy · Oct 30, 2015

There is a very good write up on repairing stems using superglue and deactivated charcoal .

I totally agree and have tried this methods with success . If a tooth hole is very minute I have found the Black superglue will do the trck If the damage is not great just apply and let dry file and polish.

I told one of fellow pipers this and he came back with "superglue poses a health risk if

in your mouth!... Hogwash! In fact superglue was first invented to help doctors to close wounds, and I

believe it would not contain anything harmful. IMHO

Anyway try it on a small damage and see if I am right! Your milage may vary!

hoo
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bcharles123 · Oct 30, 2015

My completely non medical opinion is that the minuscule drop of superglue is not a problem for health. First of all, all of the solvents evaporate. Second, the worst exposure would be if you ate the whole drop. If a kid ate a tiny drop of dried superglue would you call 911?
Other than eating a fresh drop every day, you are being exposed to the surface of the same drop once in a while. Totally negligible or less!

phil67 · Oct 30, 2015

There are a lot of glues, etc, including plastics, Lucite and Acrylic that would be harmful in their liquid and or gaseous state, but are completely safe once dried and cured. However, if by chance they get hot enough to burn is a different matter but of course that is highly unlikely to happen with a small repair on a stem. Puff away and don't be concerned about it.

gloucesterman · Oct 30, 2015

There is no risk once the glue has set up and cured. Even large repairs can be accomplished without risk. It's not used by professional repairmen because it's not considered durable enough, not because there is any health risk. It's an inexpensive way to make an old pipe serviceable again when you don't want to invest $75 to $100 for a new stem. That guy is probably repeating something he heard but it's far from true.

agnosticpipe · Oct 30, 2015

I have repaired rather large chunks missing on a couple of Ascorti pipe stems as well as a few others, and have had no aach, blecch, troubles smoking them. I find that black super glue is totally safe for gaack, mmufch, repairing stems. Smoking any tobacco can cause aargh, caagh, a little distress from time to time. No worries.... :D

sablebrush52 · Oct 30, 2015

Hogwash! In fact superglue was first invented to help doctors to close wounds, and I believe it would not contain anything harmful.

Correct! There was a discussion about this a year ago and I did some reading on cyanoacrylate glue and the findings were that it was completely safe once cured.

ssjones · Oct 31, 2015

Agreed, I'd be more worried about the compounds in the buffing bars verus the Superglue. The repair on this Comoys 498 has held up beautifully.

hooboy · Nov 1, 2015

Now that is the type of repair I am talking about , thanks for the pic

hoo

exibar · Nov 2, 2015

wait, what.... BLACK!?!?!?! superglue??? ok, cough it up, where can I score some?
should I mix the charcoal in with the black spuerglue still or leave it "straight up"? would the coal add strength?
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ssjones · Nov 3, 2015

Black Medium Superglue

http://www.stewmac.com/Materials_and_Supplies/Glues_and_Adhesives/Glues/StewMac_Super_Glues/StewMac_Tinted_Super_Glue.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=2015-11-gp&gclid=CILuhumU9MgCFQgXHwodl4AO7A
You do need the accelerator with this product, sold by Stew-Mac and Hobby Lobby.

admin · Nov 3, 2015

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lestrout · Nov 3, 2015

Yo Al
How long does the black superglue last once you open it? What happens if you omit the accelerator?
hp

les

ssjones · Nov 3, 2015

Les: It is so thin, it lasts a long time. My bottle is two years old and shows no signs of drying out. Unfortunately, that means two days drying time as it is so thin. With the accelerator, it dries in seconds. I just picked up another bottle at Hobby Lobby today, $4. (and a heat gun for bending stems).

gloucesterman · Nov 3, 2015

I like the results of clear mixed with charcoal. I think it blends better.

exibar · Nov 4, 2015

wow, that is fantastic repair work!

hooboy · Nov 4, 2015

I totally agree! question... how durable is the repair?

gloucesterman · Nov 4, 2015

The ones I've done have held up well. For moderate use it's a very practical way to bring an otherwise unusable pipe back into service. I don't think this kind of repair would stand up well to being soaked in caustic chemicals for any length of time but for day to day use I haven't had any issues. All it takes is few pennies worth of glue and charcoal and your time. There are posts in the repairs section that give you a pretty good idea of what's involved. It's not difficult just time consuming to get it to look right especially the first couple of times. I like certain kinds of pipes and many aren't made anymore so being able to fix them is a great skill to have. Not only can you get them inexpensively but you can also make them look like they are brand new. Give it a try. You can't make a broken pipe any worse!

jpmcwjr · Nov 4, 2015

Very nice work, G-man!

oldredbeard · Nov 4, 2015

I've used both methods, and find they both hold up really well. I do have to use accelerator with the black straight up.

ssjones · Nov 4, 2015

For a repair like Glouchesterman posed, I think the charcoal added to the glue is the way to go. I don't think the glue by itself would be durable enough for heavy use.

Stem Repair Using Black Superglue

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