Seeking suggestions on how to dispose of cyanoacrylate glue

[Perry Underwood]

I can never finish a bottle of CA glue before it goes bad. For this reason, I have several bottles that still have a lot left in them.

Does anyone have suggestions for disposing these bottles and their contents? I've read to let it absorb into something like sand or to polymerize with water.

Any real-life experiences.

Thanks in advance. Perry

[Barry Daniels]

I would spread it out on a piece of cardboard and lay it outside to cure. Then into the trash.

[David King]

You could also dump it into a pile of baking soda out doors.

[John Sonksen]

wouldn't simply taking the cap off the bottle set the glue within a day or so? Then just chuck the bottle?

[Nate Scott]

If you do pour it out to cure, outside is key, and have some water ready.

I once had a bottle of CA that had glued itself to the top of my bench (a drip made it's way to the bottom and went unnoticed). When I went to remove it, the bottom of the bottle ruptured and all 2 oz or whatever went pouring out suddenly into a wide puddle. What I learned was that CA curing in large quantities is very fumey and also generates a lot of heat. The puddle was giving off visible fumes like white smoke which were extremely potent when I accidently caught a whiff (cyanide, right? yeah probably lost a few brain cells on that one). I threw a couple paper towels down in an effort to wick up the wet CA and those started smoking too such that I thought they may even ignite, so I threw those into the sink and ran water over them.

I reckon it was an issue of quantity. I've used CA for pore filling in small puddles with no issues (though the fumes are certainly very strong).

[John Sonksen]

Nate, pretty sure it's not cyanide gas, they use this stuff as a liquid suture in certain applications. Paper towels are a definite no-no from what I've seen. As far as I can tell it only really heats up when it's accelerated, and I think paper towels expose it to a large quantity of oxygen all at once which acts as an accelerant. Baking Soda will too, as David said, best to do outside.

[Doug Shaker]

The safety sheets I was able to read on-line said:
-the vapor is irritating, but not poisonous
- NOT to use rags or paper towels to mop up a spill
- to flood the spill with water, wait for it to harden, then mop it up
Apparently water is one of the things that causes CA to sure, so flooding with water will
make it cure and absorb the heat given off as it polymerizes.

To dispose of, pour on to an inert substance (sand was given as an example) and dispose of
the sand in the trash.

[Rick Rosenberg]

unfortunately, most of the CA's we see come from overseas and require stabilizers in them to keep them fresh. Problem is that even with the stabilizers, often by the time you get the product it is already a year old and on its way out. Try putting the unopened bottles in the refrigerator until use but don't put them back after opened or they will spoil. This will at least increase your shelf life. There are products made fresh and stored properly around though.

[Perry Underwood]

I'd like to thank everyone who replied to my question. I now have a better idea how to dispose of my old bottles of CA glue.