For what it's worth...

I had read this on the internet some time ago, and it was one of those things that seemed to say, "File this for later."

I just put a nice big slice in my thumb from a metal shaving that somehow stuck to my vice handle. All the band-aids had been used up, and I wasn't about to lose the better part of the day going to get stitched up.

I remembered something about crazy glue. All I had here was some thick gel type CA, so I got it, and the spray accelerant.

I poured rubbing alcohol in the cut, dried it quickly, ran a bead of the glue the length of the cut, opened the cut a bit to let some of the glue get inside, and hit it with a shot of accelerant. I had to go back to get a spot I missed, but lo and behold, it sure stopped the bleeding.

OK... back to work.

~michael

Krazy Glue is an amazing non-toxic adhesive that sheets easily, and is definitely an excellent way to seal a nasty cut, or cover road-rash or other abrasions. Flea (bassist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers) reportedly uses the stuff to fill in cracks amd sores on his bass playing thumb before every show.

Ouch!?!?

Even doctors use glue for some cuts these days. A few years ago, my son had a minor bicycle accident. We were afraid he was going to need stiches above his eyebrow, but the doctor just glued it shut.

Doctors do use glue, but it is "surgical quality" adhesive.

Although I'm not a doctor nor do I play one on TV, I wouldn't advise using household super glue for a serious cut for fear of a nasty infection. We use our hands to create props, but we also use them to create miracles. We should take good care of them!

Perhaps there's a real doctor/magician on the Café that can shed some light on the safety of this idea???


Lyndel

Not a doctor, and don't even play one on TV, but Krazy Glue is safe (when used properly) and is non-toxic. As you stated, there are preferred glues for medical uses, but small amounts of Krazy glue will not really hurt you (much). Most cyanoacrylate glues not designed specifically for medical use are formulated from methyl-2-cyanoacrylate, since it produces the strongest bond. Not only can such glues irritate the skin, during polymerization they can generate significant heat, to the point of causing skin burns.

Cyanoacrylate is the generic name for substances such as methyl-2-cyanoacrylate, which is typically sold under trademarks like Superglue and Krazy Glue, and 2-octyl cyanoacrylate or N-butyl-cyanoacrylate, which are used in medical glues such as Dermabond and Traumaseal. Cyanoacrylate adhesives are sometimes known as "instant adhesives". The acronym "CA" is quite commonly used for industrial grades.

Cyanoacrylates were invented in 1942 by Dr. Harry Coover of Kodak Laboratories during experiments to make a special extra-clear plastic suitable for gun sights. He found they weren't suitable for that purpose, so he set the formula aside. Six years later he pulled it out of the drawer thinking it might be useful as a new plastic for airplane canopies. Wrong again--but he did find that cyanoacrylates would glue together many materials with incredible strength and quick action, including two very expensive prisms when he tried to test the ocular qualities of the substance. Seeing possibilities for a new adhesive, Kodak developed "Eastman #910" (later "Eastman 910") a few years later as the first true "super glue." In a now-famous demonstration conducted in 1959, Dr. Coover displayed the strength of this new product on the early television show "I've Got a Secret," where he used a single drop placed between two steel cylinders to lift the host of the show, Garry Moore, completely off of the ground.

The use of cyanoacrylate glues in medicine was considered fairly early on. Eastman Kodak and Ethicon began studying whether the glues could be used to hold human tissue together for surgery. In 1964 Eastman submitted an application to use cyanoacrylate glues to seal wounds to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Soon afterward Dr. Coover's glue did find use in Vietnam--reportedly in 1966 cyanoacrylates were tested on-site by a specially trained surgical team, with impressive results.

Although cyanoacrylate glues were useful on the battlefield, the FDA was reluctant to approve them for civilian use. In part, this was due to a tendency of the early compounds (made from "methyl-2-cyanoacrylate") to irritate the skin as the glue reacted with water and cured in the skin, releasing cyanoacetate and formaldehyde. A compound called "butyl-2-cyanoacrylate" was developed to reduce toxicity, but suffered from brittleness and cracking a few days after application. Finally an improved cyanoacrylate glue was developed for medical applications called "2-octyl-cyanoacrylate." This compound causes less skin irritation and has improved flexibility and strength--at least three times the strength of the butyl-based compound. As a result, in 1998 the FDA approved 2-octyl cyanoacrylate for use in closing wounds and surgical incisions, and in 2001 approved it for use as a "barrier against common bacterial microbes including certain staphylococci, pseudomonads, and Escherichia coli" (reference 2). This latest incarnation was marketed under the name Traumaseal as well as the more popular Dermabond.

Cyanoacrylate glues also find use in medicine for orthopedic surgery, dental and oral medicine (marketed as Soothe-n-Seal), veterinary medicine (Nexaband), and for home use as Band Aid brand Liquid Bandage. It even has been explored as a potential treatment for emphysema, where it can be used to seal off diseased lung passages without the need for invasive surgery.

Cyanoacrylate is a tenacious adhesive, particularly when used to bond non-porous materials or those that contain minute traces of water. As such it is very good at bonding body tissue, and while this can be a bothersome (or even dangerous) side effect during everyday use, it has been exploited for the benefit of suture-less surgery.

Cyanoacrylates bond skin and eyes in seconds. Studies have shown that methyl-2-cyanoacrylate (SuperGlue and KrazyGlue) degrade fairly rapidly upon contact with living tissue. This leads to the release of formaldehyde and a toxic response. 2-octyl cyanoacrylate degrades much more slowly due to its longer organic backbone which slows the degradation of the adhesive enough to remain below the threshold of tissue toxicity. Due to these toxicity issues, 2-octyl-cyanoacrylate is used for sutures.

Cyanoacrylates give off vapor which is irritating to eyes, mucous membranes and respiratory system. ACGIH assign a Threshold Limit Value exposure limit of 0.2 parts per million. On rare occasions inhalation may cause asthma . There are a wide variety of adhesives of which different cyanoacrylate formulations may be a component. It is wisest to obtain and consult a manufacturers material safety data sheet for a product in order to consider the specific hazards associated with exposure.

Here is the MSDS info for Krazy Glue:
http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/safety/......GLUE.htm

When I was an EMT out on the firelines, we often toted tudes of super glue around in our line packs to put on small cuts and often for blisters. If you didn't have mole skin, it toughened the skin fast and made a "scab-like" layer over the wounded area.

It's great stuff!

Marvello- Excellent write up!

-Bryan Gilles

I've often heard of the whole super glue thing, but have never tried it myself. I always considered getting my hands on some dermabond, but never felt like looking for the stuff. I'm always working with knives, swords, razors, broken glass, and the occasional chainsaw and table saw, and am always hurting myself, so it's good to know super glue works. Now I can stop wrapping my fingers in paper towels and duct tape. Though, maybe with my luck I should still avoid any kind of saw. I don't think that stuff glues limbs back on....Maybe someday though...maybe someday

I can attest to doctors using super glue... about two years ago I had a very deep cut into my thumb. Rather than using stiches, the ER doctor simply glued it shut and sent me on my way. I never had any problems due to the glue.

Just a heads up, as mentioned in the great article...WATER is the accelerant!
I have used it to put a few torn up animals back together too <a cat now called SG-Super Glue>. Handy stuff.
k

Then what the heck is this stuff I am paying the hobby shop for?

They market cyanoacrylate (Crazy Glue) as a canker sore remedy - Colgate Orabase is one brand - it seals off the sore so it isn't painful. If you're concerned about household super glue, you could keep some of that around.

I put a NASTY slice into the tip of my finger as an X-ACTO blade jumped my ruler edge. This sucker was a deep cut. My sink looked like a bad B-Movie scene. My son thought all the blood looked pretty cool...sick kid. I remembered this trick, quickly cleaned the cut with alcohol, pinched the wound tightly and ran athin line of Super Glue. To this day it is near impossible to see the scar. It is a hairline scar at best.
Must have saved about $500 on an emergency room visit.
Chance

Ouch!

I did that a couple years ago, cutting a chunk off the tip of my left index finger. I didn't have the presence of mind to search for the CA, because I was freaking out knowing that I had to lecture and perform at a magic convention in 2 days.

What I did do after stopping the blood flood was to get a Vernet finger tip, put a small amount of Neosporin soaked cotton in the end of it and tape it in place. It kind of gave me that E.T. look, but it made sure the audience of magicians didn't think I had Turrets Syndrome if I stuck my hand in my pocket the wrong way.

There's another random shop tip! (Ya like the pun?) We can start our own Howiedidits for Instantfixits!

~michael

You guys are so high tech...I just stick in Peanut Butter. mmmmm.

Probably very very clean (or maybe not) water! Ask to see the MSDS for the stuff! In Ca. at least it is required that they provide it (Prop. 65)

Just as a heads up, CA glue will usually permanantly fog some plastics (like the clear bits used for model plane canopies) so when using it in the shop for it alternate intended use, check first with scraps of plastic before use!
k