NSA Super Glue

[Duds]

Hey all looking for recommendations on super glue for building my nsa for my 40 breeder. I’ve watched countless videos they all say thin and of course I can’t find anything useful in store. Just curious if anyone that has made one has first hand experience and what viscosity glue they would recommend? I’ve been looking at glue masters and they list ultra thin, thin, medium, and thick.

I was really hoping to have it done this weekend but since I can’t get glue that looks like that won’t be happening. I’m using the 50lbs of Marco foundation rock I won at fragsgiving to make it. I've already broke it up and have about two mason jars of powder ready to go from smashing some up mason hammer made quick work of it.

Bonus points if you know a local store that has it or if someone has some left over!

Thanks
Stephen

 

[littlerhodyreefs]

Hey duds, I have trouble finding good super glue too! For my rock I found the Fluval epoxy worked ok on some of my rocks I used it on.

I seemed flimsy at first but I gave it some time to dry and they held. I feel like though if I wanted ti I could crack them apart. But it’s the best I’ve found so far for my self.

 

[SteveDola]

I used the ultra thin from Gluemasters. Its basically liquid. I mixed with sand and left over rock dust but would HIGHLY RECOMMEND buying the marco rock dust for this project. I ran out of the dust I made from grinding and breaking rocks. Also I used some the BSI super glue gel to pin the small pieces together and then used the "mortar" mix of dust and glue to get that natural look.
If youre looking to really fortify the structure the 2part epoxy from 2littlefishies (or similar) is a great product to ensure that the structure never breaks its bonds. I used a couple tubes under the shelfs to strenghten the shear pressure of the material slipping away from the bonded rock (like a plate on a tac weld).

Glue Masters - Cyanoacrylate Adhesives for your Craft or your Trade.

Gluemasters

gluemasters.com

*note that some people used other glues and other vescosities of glue to achieve the bond . Its your decision. Working with the glue is troublesome. It stinks! literally has terrible fumes and vapors that will need adequate ventilation ( did in my garage with doors open and still stunk to high heaven). also get some a few pairs of gloves with rubber or epoxy coating bc this stuff is incredibily sticky. It will glue your hands together bc its very thin vescocity. Good Luck!

 

[Cooper2]

Go to any hobby shop that supports radio-controlled airplanes. Look for the brand Zap and you'll find thin, medium, and thick viscosities. Look also for accelerator spray. I use the thick version and once you have things in place give it a little spray of accelerator. the glue will go off immediately and often emit a small vapor as the reaction occurs..... do not get that vapor near your eyes! If the store you find doesn't carry the Zap line, Bob Smith, NHP, whatever brand it is, is likey the same stuff. For those near the Foxboro area, go to Hobby Quarters and tell Jeremy what you need.

Fun fact: try thin CA on a blob of baking soda.... you can actually fill huge gaps and make objects from it. it will drill and tap if needed.

 

[Cooper2]

For those with allergies or sensitivities, try Zap UFO. It stands for User Friendly Odorless.

 

[Mike Lemming]

I used this. It’s on Amazon. Wasn’t the cheapest but, it worked great. The only thing, when I ordered it, there was a coupon but, it wouldn’t allow me to add a coupon when ordering more than 1. So, I had to buy one at a time with the coupon. Good luck!!

 

[SteveDola]

The accelerator is basically baking soda and water in spray bottle. I tried the starbond but it went so fast and didnt come in big bottles when i tried it but it was good.

 

[SteveDola]

Also, in order to get that natural look of bonding rock together with the bridges being rock dust/particles, you will need the thin or ultra thin glue otherwise youre just gluing nubs of rock together. Once complete with the method I described and showed in this video, you have rock that doesnt show gaps or inperfections in the transistion. I ran out of the rock dust as mentioned above and used superfine sand which worked but was noticable for a couple months but if you look at my update in photography the rock is completely covered with coraline and looks completely natural cohesive rock structure (or as natural as crazy branching rock arms off a parapet can look).

 

[Cooper2]

The accelerator is basically baking soda and water in spray bottle. I tried the starbond but it went so fast and didnt come in big bottles when i tried it but it was good.

Sorry, but no. Real accelerator is highly flammable. A quality not found in water or baking soda....
Try the real kicker spray in combination with the medium or thick viscosities. The "nubs" will be securely bonded without any additional filler. The fillers or sand will be just for aesthetics as the original bond is structural.
I've been using Cyanoacrylate for nearly 50 years and while not a chemist, I've learned through experience.
Try the Pacer line of Zap products. I can assure you it's top notch and holds together at over 200MPH on my R/C jets.

 

[Duds]

Thanks all for the replies!! I was able to track some down at hobby quarters but only in 1/2oz and 1oz sizes in thin and medium viscosities $5.99 and $8.99 respectively. I think I’ll just be patient and order through glue masters as I can get a 16oz bottle for $33.99 and it sounds like you go through a fair amount of glue.

People that have used the superglue method how much did you use and how big is your tank/structure you built?

I have way too much rock realistically so if I run out of dust I’ll make my own but I do have about 2 mason jars full already plus some gravely bits. Now to wait for glue unless I get impatient and grab some to start at least haha.

 

[Duds]

I used the ultra thin from Gluemasters. Its basically liquid. I mixed with sand and left over rock dust but would HIGHLY RECOMMEND buying the marco rock dust for this project. I ran out of the dust I made from grinding and breaking rocks. Also I used some the BSI super glue gel to pin the small pieces together and then used the "mortar" mix of dust and glue to get that natural look.
If youre looking to really fortify the structure the 2part epoxy from 2littlefishies (or similar) is a great product to ensure that the structure never breaks its bonds. I used a couple tubes under the shelfs to strenghten the shear pressure of the material slipping away from the bonded rock (like a plate on a tac weld).

Glue Masters - Cyanoacrylate Adhesives for your Craft or your Trade.

Gluemasters

gluemasters.com

*note that some people used other glues and other vescosities of glue to achieve the bond . Its your decision. Working with the glue is troublesome. It stinks! literally has terrible fumes and vapors that will need adequate ventilation ( did in my garage with doors open and still stunk to high heaven). also get some a few pairs of gloves with rubber or epoxy coating bc this stuff is incredibily sticky. It will glue your hands together bc its very thin vescocity. Good Luck!

If you were to do it again would you use the ultra thin again or would you try the thin for a bit thicker glue?

 

[SteveDola]

I used almost an entire bottle of 16oz glue plus a few BSI tubes of gel. I like the ultra thin glue for making the mortar paste and stick the rocks together. You want to place the rocs together with the dust around the crack and then pour over the liquid glue to make the bond. It drys within 10-15 secs. I would definitely buy a jug of the dust...I found out after they have it available (even though it was OOS when i found out) because you go through so much. There are videos on YT that describe the method better than me. Also, ime the rock dust goes quick with the voids you have to fill.

NSA Powder

MarcoRocks NSA Powder is the perfect aquascaping tool for covering or reinforcing any visible joints in your rock work. Because this powder is made from 100% pure, powdered MarcoRocks; it provides the perfect color match to any rockscapes created from MarcoRocks Dry Rock. It can be used with any...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

I have a 3 ft tank and made a 40lb rock structure.

 

[Duds]

I used almost an entire bottle of 16oz glue plus a few BSI tubes of gel. I like the ultra thin glue for making the mortar paste and stick the rocks together. You want to place the rocs together with the dust around the crack and then pour over the liquid glue to make the bond. It drys within 10-15 secs. I would definitely buy a jug of the dust...I found out after they have it available (even though it was OOS when i found out) because you go through so much. There are videos on YT that describe the method better than me. Also, ime the rock dust goes quick with the voids you have to fill.

NSA Powder

MarcoRocks NSA Powder is the perfect aquascaping tool for covering or reinforcing any visible joints in your rock work. Because this powder is made from 100% pure, powdered MarcoRocks; it provides the perfect color match to any rockscapes created from MarcoRocks Dry Rock. It can be used with any...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

I have a 3 ft tank and made a 40lb rock structure.

That’s incredibly helpful thank you very much!! I’ve watched a lot of videos including yours that have given me the motivation and confidence to give it a go.

I’m aiming for two separate structures that come together almost in the middle but leave a nice open middle for whatever I want on the sand bed. It’ll be a mixed reef with plenty of shelf style spots and places for corals and hopefully tunnels and arches for fish. It all sounds great now I gotta make it. P.s. you do not want to see my drawing of it lmfao

I’ll make a build thread for my 40 breeder and update with progress in there when I get started. I’ll have to show of my stand my other half and I have been building as well!

 

[cablez]

So using ground up marco rock dust is basically the same thing as using baking soda. They are both bi-carbonate. Both are usefull for the applications. Infact I would mix baking soda into ground dust/marco dust sand stuff. This way you get the bonus of having the look of a filled joint. And the baking soda can penetrate into the bond a bit more. The smell that is created is because it chemically accelerates the process, but traps in the baking soda and dust to become almost concrete on its own. Make sure to rotate the pieces, and glue the underneath's also. REALLY make that joint strong.

 

[Miran2782]

I did also do what cablez suggested and mixed a little baking soda into my sand mix before applying. Make sure to watch some of the NSA youtube videos before you start. Think I used a whole 16oz bottle for a scape for a 25g tank. The baking soda in water does work pretty well as an accelerator in a spray bottle. Not as well as the real acetone based retail sprays. You are basically just trying to neutralize the acid stabilizer in the glue for it to set. The benefit of the retail accelerators is that the acetone evaporates very quickly. It is worthwhile to have some gel glue on hand too. You can use the gel to make the initial connection to hold it all in place then follow up with sand/dust and then pour on the thin glue for the structural support. On any high stress areas epoxy putty or emarco mortar would alleviate any worry about long term durability. And like Cooper2 said above the acetone in the retail accelerator is highly flammable and I believe the CA glue vapors are too (and you get a LOT of vapors when using a large amount of the thin CA glue).

 

[cablez]

I did also do what cablez suggested and mixed a little baking soda into my sand mix before applying. Make sure to watch some of the NSA youtube videos before you start. Think I used a whole 16oz bottle for a scape for a 25g tank. The baking soda in water does work pretty well as an accelerator in a spray bottle. Not as well as the real acetone based retail sprays. You are basically just trying to neutralize the acid stabilizer in the glue for it to set. The benefit of the retail accelerators is that the acetone evaporates very quickly. It is worthwhile to have some gel glue on hand too. You can use the gel to make the initial connection to hold it all in place then follow up with sand/dust and then pour on the thin glue for the structural support. On any high stress areas epoxy putty or emarco mortar would alleviate any worry about long term durability. And like Cooper2 said above the acetone in the retail accelerator is highly flammable and I believe the CA glue vapors are too (and the get a LOT of vapors when using a large amount of the thin CA glue).

As for durability....I use this in unrelated hobbies. I attatch crystals to ring bands. With this method. As a base to electroforming. I use this essentially to weld the stone to the metal ring band. Also I know an old mechanic who used to use this to patch radiators

 

[Duds]

Sweet I’m excited to get going on it. I’ll try mixing in some baking soda to my dust as recommended. I love the seamless look and would love to not use epoxy or anything else just the superglue method. From everything I’ve read heard and watched the joint is stronger than the rock itself when done right. So in theory I shouldn’t need anything else haha. Fingers crossed. Thanks for all the tips and tricks everyone!