Rock Art > Tutorials for the Rock Art Area
Super Glue Dopping - Screws instead of Nails
jerrysg:
Hi, I have seen the reposts of the discussion of super glue doping of cabs in this folder. I tried nails once! :dontknow: These old arthritic hands just don't work well with the nails. One of the other monitors at our lapidary club teaches newbies to start with nails and they quickly complain about how uncomfortable they are.
I have switched to using the superglue with flat head wood screws and a short length of dowel as a handle. Much more comfortable than nails and just as cheap. :icon_scratch:
Since I can only work 1 stone at a time, it's a simple matter to change the dowel from one cab to another. Maybe not as fast as picking up another nail but what's 5 seconds among friends. And my hands thank me for it. :headbang:
The first photo shows what I use. The second photo show a couple of dowels attached to cabs. The screws are #10 1-1/4" square drive (Robertson) screws that I had left from my woodworking hobby. There are a number of cabs shown with the screws attached to the back. Any flat head wood screw will work and Lowes and HD sell them in small packets. I use the #10 because the heads are larger. Normal slotted screws will probably work best because of the maximum surface area. Just make sure the top surface is flat. Phillips heads are probably the worst. The screws (as well as the nails) can be reused. An overnight soak in acetone and they are as good as new.
I use woodworking high viscosity superglue and accelerator from a local woodworkers supply store. It's seems to be cheaper than the lapidary stuff and it works.
I have 2 sizes of dowels (1/2" and 3/4") and they do need to have the pilot hole drilled in the end. Best to use a drill press for this step but if you're good (I'm not) a hand held drill will work also. I use the smaller dowel with smaller stones but most of my work uses the larger dowel. A three foot length of dowel at HD is just a few bucks and you can get a lot of handles out of it. Cut the length to fit your hand. I am still using the original dowels that I made 3 years ago and I have given a few away.
Like everyone else, I use alcohol (91% isopropanol [rubbing alcohol] from Walmart) to clean both the back of the cab and the screw head. A drop of superglue on the cab and a spritz of accelerator on the screw head. After about 10 seconds contact, another spritz of accelerator to set the glue and then a rinse under running water. I always use the accelerator outside with the wind behind me. Don't get it in your eyes! :sad:
Jerry
vitzitziltecpatl:
Gotta' love it. I swear, lapidaries and smiths are some of the most innovative people on the planet. I like the look of setting the screws without the handles attached. Looks like this will much easier than dopping them with the handle already attached. The screws look like they sit there easily all by themselves this way.
Thanks for posting this.
womanwithatorch:
Do you have to use a solvent to release the superglue?
Greg Hiller:
When I use nails I cover the outside with a piece of flexible plastic tubing to make it easier to hold.
Greg Hiller:
When I remove the dops I just heat the end of the nail near the stone with a torch until the superglue softens. Of course you have to be careful not to heat the stone, but I've never had a problem. I do use gel type superglue so the layer of glue between the stone and the nail is thicker, and therefore less likely to transfer any significant amount of heat to the stone during this process.
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