Frequently Asked Questions

Warranty Returns

Okay, so you have a bottle of CA and there’s something wrong with it. Maybe it got hard; or it got “stringy” (did you know there is a shelf-life to CA?); or confusingly enough…just doesn’t stick anymore (Thin CA can actually stay liquid and stop sticking when it gets old); or it just fails to meet your expectations in some way/shape/form. How do you get a new bottle?

Every bottle of Mercury Adhesives CA has a serial number on the back label (right above the Bar Code). We need that serial number. So, to make sure there’s no abuse to the system (someone going to a hobby store and just writing down serial numbers), we need physical proof of purchase.

So, here’s a step-by-step guide to getting a new bottle of glue via warranty replace

1. Return to us the rear label from the bottle of CA. It MUST include the serial number and the bar code. This is the cheapest option for you, as it will only cost you a stamp for shipping. You can also return the entire bottle of CA to us, but your shipping costs goes up. Sorry — NO pictures will be accepted. The Label or the Bottle is required, as fraud is too easy without physical proof. Think of it like a Refund, you don’t get the check without the actual UPC code from the box. Same here. We need the physical label. Note: EPOXY has no serial number nor bar code on the bottles. Therefore, the actual bottles must be returned for warranty replacement.
   • HINT: If you can’t get the label off the bottle, use a heat gun or hair dryer to soften the label adhesive.
2. Provide to us an address to ship the new bottle of glue.
3. Write a check (or money order) for $2.75 if you’re in the US for the first item, and add $1.00 for each additional item. If you’re from CANADA, please include $9.00 USD for the first item, and $1.00 USD for each additional item (sorry Canada, but that’s our cost to get it over the boarder. If paying with Canadian dollars, please account for the current exchange rate). Include the check with the label. Make it out to Mercury Adhesives. DEALERS are exempt from this step.
4. Check your mail box.

Pretty simple.

There is an unconditional warranty, without time limit, on all NEW glue purchases.

Thank you for using Mercury Adhesives!

Hard or chunky epoxy

Every once in a while we get questions about Epoxy hardening, or getting chunky. Let’s see if we can answer that question, and address this concern

What it looks like:

Crystallization shows up as cloudiness, free floating crystals, crystal masses, or as a completely solidified mass.

Cause:

The hardened resin is due to the purity of our epoxy and most likely a result of temperature. Whether that is a temperature change, or from being stored in a cold place.

Why it happens:

The Crystallization that occurs is the same process that causes honey to crystallize in your home. The crystallization phenomenon is possible in all epoxy resin and hardeners that is very pure. Epoxy crystallization is very similar to other crystal growth. High purity, low viscosity, impurities, extreme cold, and temperature cycles all increase the probability of occurrence.

Fix:

The fix is the same as it is for crystallized honey — heat it up. You can heat the resin in hot water, or microwave it for a few seconds (duration depends on the power of your microwave — GO SLOW and BE CAREFUL!). This will dissolve the crystals and restore the epoxy to a useful state.

Company Information

Mercury Adhesives is an American Glue Company, that is veteran owned, and located in Atlanta, Georgia. Mercury Adhesives is absolutely committed to producing only the highest quality adhesives that are manufactured and bottled in the the United States. It was founded in 2007 by Cliff Whitney, and is now run by Eric Fether.

Mercury recognized that quality is of the utmost importance and we are proud that our adhesives and processes are all accredited by ISO9001-2000 and QS9000 standards. The medical division supporting Mercury products is USP Class VI approved, and the Mercury manufacturing facility posses numerous military and original equipment manufacturer approvals.

Mercury has put in place the technology and a global supply infrastructure to get things done. The Mercury line of high quality adhesives and sealants are simply the best, and we serve industrial and consumer clients all over the world.

The Mercury product themselves are proudly made in the USA! All of our products are 99.9% pure and are absolutely NON-TOXIC without any harmful ingredients. This cannot be said of other super glues in the world. Asian manufactured adhesives can contain:

• Chloroform: 2012 recalls on glues produced in China contained 230x the legal limits
• Formaldehyde and Praformaldehyde
• Tetra chloromethane / Carbon Tetrachloride
• Triethyl Phosphate
• Acrylonitrile
• Dichloromethane

Mercury prides ourselves in making nothing but the best adhesives on the planet. Try them and see for yourself. There is a difference!

What is Debonder?

Mercury M68DB Debonder is a solvent, typically acetone based that dissolves dried up CA. It can also be used carefully to separate 2 parts glued together with CA.

What are Threadlocks?

Threadlocks are anaerobic adhesives, this means that they cure in the presence of metals and the absence of oxygen. To use threadlocks you simply apply them to the threads of a bolt and tighten the bolt. Once the threadlock comes into contact with the metal bolt and the oxygen is removed during the tightening process it will cure on the threads and prevent the bolt from loosening.

What is Accelerator?

The Mercury MH16 Accelerator is a solvent that is used to speed up the cure of CA. It typically is one of three base ingredients, Alcohol, Heptane, or Acetone. Alcohol is the least aggressive and most substrate friendly product. Heptane is a very good all purpose accelerator as far as speed and substrate compatibility goes. Acetone is the most aggressive and least substrate compatible product. Most available accelerators are either Acetone or Heptane.

Mercury uses a Heptane base with proprietary additives to give us a nice blend between speed and aggressiveness. Our accelerators are foam compatible as well.

Does the use of Accelerator compromise the bond of CA?

Depending on the type of accelerator and the amount of accelerator used yes accelerator can compromise the bond. Typically accelerator shocks the CA into curing causing a more brittle joint. In some case the CA can be shocked so violently that it will actually foam up introducing air into the joint. Accelerator should never be used with thin CA and there are times, if used properly (like making fillets or filling gaps) it is perfectly acceptable to use accelerator. If accelerator is used always use it sparingly.

Mercury Adhesives accelerator has been formulated to be a bit less aggressive so as to not shock the CA but simply speed up the set time needed. The most common use for accelerators is to help with hard to bond substrates.

What is blooming (or all this white stuff)?

The phenomenon known as blooming is when the CA vapors leave a white haze behind after curing. This is typically caused by a couple of things. Too much adhesive is used, too much accelerator is used, high humidity environment, and improper ventilation around the part while the CA cures.

If an excessive amount of CA is used you will get excessive gassing during the cure process which will cause blooming. If accelerator is used in excessive amounts it speeds the curing process up so dramatically that you will get a large amount of gassing during the curing process causing blooming. The excessive moisture associated with high humidity acts just like using too much accelerator. Improper ventilation during curing will allow the vapors to build up on the surface and cause blooming.

Blooming is strictly a cosmetic issue and has nothing to do with the quality of the bond, if blooming cannot be tolerated at all than it is good to use a low odor product that will not gas or bloom.

Why do my different bottles of CA have slightly different colors or hues?

The slightly different colors and hues come from the stabilizer used in the manufacturing process. This chemical has a fairly wide color window (20aspa to 150aspa). Mercury typically sees around a 30aspa to 50aspa, which for the most part would be colorless, the spec or tolerance can go as high as 150aspa, which would still be in spec and be a slight amber color. UV light can also have an effect on the stabilizer, causing an oxidation of the stabilizer, which would increase the aspa spec for that particular bottle.

Note that his color difference or oxidation of the stabilizer has no effect on the stability or the performance of the product. Mercury has performed accelerated and real time testing on all Mercury products to the point of actually exposing them to enough UV light to oxidize them to the point of turning brown with no loss in tensile strength, set times, or increase in viscosity.

Why are some substrates more difficult to bond then others?

Not all substrates are created equally, some substrates, like foam have very low moisture content. Some substrates like light-ply have high alkaline content.

Foam, with its low moisture content can be very difficult to bond, often requiring the use of accelerator.

Light-ply, with its high alkaline content, can be very difficult to bond because alkaline is a neutralizer to CA which makes it very non-reactive. In the case of light-ply the use of an accelerator or our M100XF High Performance CA can be used.

M100XF has been specifically formulated to handle the high alkaline levels in some woods giving the same speeds and strength without the use of accelerator.

Some plastics like polyolefin’s can be very difficult to bond and may require a primer be used before applying the CA.

Why does the nozzle on CA bottles always clog and how can I keep them from clogging?

The CA in the tip of the nozzle is reacting with moisture in the small orifice and hardening. Typically once the CA hardens the user will take a pin and stick it down into the nozzle to open it up only to find it clogs up even quicker the next time. What happens is the pin scratches the inside of the nozzle, which allows even more CA to stay in the nozzle causing it to clog up quicker. This process will be repeated several times until the nozzle is no longer able to be used and gets thrown away.

Some companies have claimed to have a clog free nozzle, which in reality is only a very long nozzle that you keep snipping the clogged end off until there is no nozzle left and still end up throwing it away. Other companies simply sell you extra caps and nozzles so you can replace them after they clog.

Mercury Adhesives has actually engineered a nozzle that not only will not clog but has 3 different points of seal to assure the product inside is kept fresh and away from moisture. This cap has a blunt nose, stainless steel pin molded into the cap, which engages into the orifice of the nozzle (not scratching the insides of the bottle) to keep the orifice clean. Inside the tip is a calculated venturie shape, which pulls the CA out of the tip and back into the bottle once the bottle is stood upright. On the very tip of the nozzle is a tapered seat which engages with a tapered boss in the cap creating compression on the tip of the nozzle keeping the nozzle clean and the product inside fresh.

If the cap is replaced each time the user is finished with the product the nozzle will never clog.