by Tim Harry

Created on: October 06, 2009

Super glue is widely recognised as being one of the most versatile and strongest of all glues and bonding agents. At times though it is necessary to try and remove super glue from surfaces. This thought though instantly brings forth panic amongst some people though as they think that once something is glued with super glue that it is impossible to remove. Thankfully though removing super glue is easier than you might think.

Most people will recognise that to remove super glue from such things as clothes, surfaces and skin, then acetone, or nail polish remover, is a truly handy tool. There is though nothing easier than removing standard super glue from glass, even when two glass surfaces have been bonded together. All that is required is the use of warm soapy water. The glass should be submerged in the water, although of course this isn't always possible. The soap will help ensure that surfaces do not rebind, but the water will ensure that surfaces separate.

Warm soapy water though is only useful on normal super glue and will be without success if used on the special super glue designed for use with glass.

Acetone though can still be used on glass and objects made from glass, and is especially useful when it comes to small splashes of super glue that have come into contact with such objects. Glass will of course scratch extremely easily and so scraping the super glue off is probably out of the question. Acetone should be applied with the use of a cotton wool bud or similar product; although for larger spots of super glue it is quite appropriate to use a soft headed toothbrush.

There is though a few things to remember when using nail polish remover, the first important thing being to make user that there is actually acetone in the nail polish remover. Many removers are today free of acetone, due to the reaction it has with acrylic nails. The second point to consider when using nail polish removers that contain acetone is that it often causes irritation when it comes into contact with the skin, and as a result acetone should use only in small amounts.

Glues that claim to be for all purposes are rarely as good as those that are designed for specifics. Normal super glue is designed specifically for the bonding of hard surfaces, not fabric or glass, and as a result super glue is relatively easy to remove from glass.

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