Ever since the first “super glues” – cyanoacrylate adhesives – became widely available there have been attempts to adapt them to woodworking applications with varying degrees of success. We have previously reviewed entrants from FastCap and Franklin (http://www.cabinetmakerfdm.com/478.html) in this space, but the latest entrant is from a relative newcomer to the arena, a company called Bioformix. It won some attention and a Visionary Award at the AWFS Fair in Las Vegas this summer for its Nexabond 2500 instant adhesive, and we decided to try it out.

Why instant glue?

The potential attraction of so-called instant glues is obvious. You can speed up the gluing process and in some cases eliminate clamping. Faster set times also mean getting to the finishing process or next assembly stages faster. Of course, if the glue sets too fast, it might make complex assemblies more challenging.

Nexabond 2500 seems to address those issues with a compromise formula that sets quickly but not so fast that you have rush most common assemblies. According to the manufacturer the initial bond is achieved in 3 to 5 minutes and full strength in about an hour. Our tests seemed to confirm those numbers.

Sticking to it

The samples of Nexabond 2500 we tried were of a medium consistency in the CA glue spectrum. This is not the watery instant glue you might have used to (accidentally) glue your fingers together. But neither is it the thick gel CA that is also on the market. Coming out of the bottle the Nexabond glue is clear and about as thick as common water-based PVA glues. All of the instructions suggest using it sparingly, applying to only one side of the joint. Specific instructions available from Bioformix offer tips for dovetail, fingerjoint, mortise and tenon, cope and stick, and biscuit joinery.

One of the things we found interesting is the glue seemed to bond problematic oily woods such as ipe almost better than it glued more common hardwoods like maple. The fact that this CA glue contains no water and bonds at the same rate in any humidity probably has something to do with that.

Another advantage of this glue is its ability to bond other materials such as metal, ceramics, plastics, and leather. We successfully repaired a broken plastic hand crank by gluing thin splints of wood on either side of the break using Nexabond 2500, and it worked well.

No one glue is the solution for every gluing need, but if you are looking to add a CA glue to your adhesive arsenal, Nexabond 2500 is worth checking out. For more information, visit www.bioformix.com.