Told you it was strong stuff! #-o

You can make the CA bottle nozzles last longer and avoid clogging them up if you never touch them to anything. Instead of touching them to my model, I let a drop of CA glue drop onto a piece of scrap styrene - dont let the tip touch anything - just drop the glue onto the scrap. Then use a pin or a CA glue tool to transfer a controlled tiny amount of the glue to the work.

Also, after you've squeezed the drop out onto the styrene, turn the bottle upright and tap it on your work surface, to get the glue back out of the nozzle and make sure the tip stays clear.

I've found that by using these two techniques, I can prevent my glue being thrown out because the bottle tip is all clogged up.

Now my problem is not using the whole bottle up before it goes off. NOW I throw out a quarter-filled bottle that's solidified because I havent used it all in time. (Sigh)

Welcome to the group! :=)
CA is great, but it can be a pain sometimes. I always get the small bottles, because of its short self life. I set up a flat board of balsa (about 3" by 6"), with wax paper taped on at one end. I made up a dowel with a small pin stuck in the end. I just drop a small amount of ca onto the paper, use the pin tool to pick up a drop, and apply it to a piece. After a while, I change the wax paper, and keep going. Fortunately, replacement tips are fairly cheap.

As a newbie to the hobby, I'm glad to see new members coming on and giving some more tips. It helps to have all these different ideas and suggestions.

I've had an open (yes, OPEN) bottle of CA glue on my workbench for three weeks now and it has yet to dry out. The secret to using an entire bottle with no waste is to keep it in an air-tight jar (I use an old mason canning jar) when not in use with a package of silca gel.
This type of glue is moisture activated and the silca gel keeps any moisture out of the jar.
Also, I don't use the fine tip applicators. Instead, I use a gumline probe dental tool to place the glue exactly where it's needed. As the glue dries and forms on the tool, it can be scraped off with a hobby knife. I've used this same tool for ten years.

I think everyone would like to know that acetone will clean all your CA equipment. If the (removable) top, nozzle, tip, bulb, whatever clogs or gets messy with the CA, just soak it in acetone and it will come out good as new. I almost never have to buy new tips, tops, etc, I just recycle them into and out of the acetone.Yes, acetone works quite well. Just make sure you have a source of fresh air (fan, etc). It's nasty stuff. I wear safety glasses too. Once got a drop in my eye. :yikes:
Another thing I do is while holding the bottle (or other container) of CA upright, I squeeze some air out, then turn the bottle for use, and squeeze even more until my "drop" comes out. Then turn back upright, let go of the pressure, and the incoming air will suck all the CA down out of the tube or tip or top and into the bottle.Good idea! Never thought of this one.

When and why do you use CA glue, I rarely use it. Metal part are fixed better by pinning them to the model using a little construction glue. I think that regardless the quality of the glue, the bond will never beat the pin, when it comes to durability.

So im only using a good quality wood glue and pin all parts next to glueing. For example fixing the keel to the false keel, i use 2mm metal rods and drive them through both the keel and the false keel and I never have to worry about these parts coming ever seperated again. Same goes for the planking or deck constructions.

CA glue may be usefull, easy and fast. But is it really the best bond for fixing certain parts together? Or is it just easy?

Nico - I like your way of thinking (solid connections). I don't trust glue no matter what. I recently cut-off pins and used them as small nails to fasten small bits of styrene to resin. I did CA the pins in place, tho. I usually work with styrene, and I do a dotted line of CA with a dotted line of solvent in between. The CA can be good for seam filling to, it makes a nice clear, hard bead which can be filed.

Personally I don't like the way CA interacts with wood. It can make a subsequent finish look blotchy.

I also am leery of "brittle" bonds, because wood "moves" with changes in humidity. If I expect my model to outlast me, I'd like it to do so gracefully.

I'll stick with yellow glue.

- Tom