What's the best glue for nylon?

General Discussion
1

I tied a double star knot in white nylon line for the end of a bell rope and unfortunately used super glue on the cut off ends. It turned it brown and hard as a rock. :-[ A friend recommended I varnish it so as to not lose the line and work I put into it. I don’t think I can get a concentrated heat source to it as it’s the ends I cut off close underneath the knot. I got some craft glue at Wally World that is white and dries clear so it should be fine for indoors but I don’t think it would hold up outside. What glue would you all recommend for exterior use on nylon line? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

2

Has anyone ever tried the “Odorless CA” seen in the link Vince gave in another thread "
Fancywork suplies: recommendations?"? I wonder if this would work on white nylon line? I think it would probably still get really hard but it may not change the color to brown.

http://woodenwonderstx.com/WWBlue/NewGlueWS.html

Type: Alkoxy-Alkyl Cyanoacrylate
Excellent gap filling capabilities. None whitening or blooming occurred on electrical component. Also safe on white foam & plastic.
Curing Speed: 15 seconds

3

I use a soldering iron to melt the ends of nylon. The business end of most soldering irons is pretty narrow, and might fit into the space inside your knot. If the space is too small to get a soldering iron in there, you can get a wood burning tool at craft stores that might have a sharper point to get into tighter spots. Some wood burning kits have different tips to get different effects, and might offer one that would work for you.

Pat

4

Thanks Pat. I’ll give it a try. Do you delicate the tip you use for this purpose only or does the nylon clean off fairly easy?

I’ve seen some of your pics and read a lot of your posts and I just want to say I’m really impressed. You do awesome work and thanks for all the info you’ve shared.

5

I have used super glue - gel - and not experienced your problem, maybe a different brand would give better results. I also use a woodburning tool and find it works well but it can turn the nylon black if you are not careful. Have seen a sewing tool called a Thread Zapper recommended but have not tried it.

6

Hello Skyout,
having looked for the same thing before and wanting an adhesive with a small applicator tip I found this >
http://gshypocement.com/
Check it out.
As for being able to handle the elements for years?
Won’t cause you to have webbed fingers either.
Scott

7

Thanks Scott.

Sounds really good for outdoor use as they use it for Fly Fishing Lures.
I had no idea what Ophthalmic Applications were so thank goodness for quick google searches and Wikipedia, too. lol

Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine which deals with the diseases and surgery of the visual pathways, including the eye, brain, and areas surrounding the eye, such as the lacrimal system and eyelids

8

Thanks capt larry.

I think I used too much, probably a squirt instead of a drop.
Here’s some pics showing how brown it turned.

http://216.77.188.54/coDataImages/p/Groups/225/225215/folders/250406/23439291039729(Medium).JPG

http://216.77.188.54/coDataImages/p/Groups/225/225215/folders/250406/23439301039734(Medium).JPG

9

You do have a very tight spot if you are going to use heat to seal the ends between those star knots. When I use my soldering iron, after it cools, any residual nylon just breaks off. I like the soldering iron because as I melt the nylon, I can push it into the shape I want it in. This works especially well when melting the ends of a nylon bracelet installed on someones’ wrist. The iron doesn’t get as hot as fire, so it doesn’t leave as much black char on the ends, and is much easier to control. Like Capt Larry says, you have to be careful, you might want to test it out on some scrap line before trying it out on finished work.

Pat

10

Thanks Pat. I’ll have to find my iron and give it a try!

11

I use DucoCement when the soldering iron is too agressive. The downside to DucoCement is that it leaves the cord very brittle and requires a decent amount of force to get it to hold (I use hemostats to secure the end in place while drying)

12

Thanks for the tip Matt.

13

I think maybe you used too much also…super glues can produce a great amount of heat as they cure under certain conditions. I have used super glues or cyanoacrylates a LOT on r/c aircraft. Large amounts of glue sprayed with a special super glue accelerator will actually give off a good deal of heat and a vapor or smoke as they cure rapidly.

My humble theory is that the wicking properties of the rope spread the surface area of the glue you used and enabled it to cure at a very rapid rate (super glues react with moisture in the air to cure), maybe heating and/or burning the rope in the process and discoloring it. A thicker, gel type of super glue and/or a smaller more controlled aplication of the glue you already have may give you better results.

Kenny <>{

14

Thanks Kenny and welcome to the forum.

I was really bummed out after all the work of learning and tying the double star (it was my first one) and then not paying attention when applying the glue. I think I just gave the bottle a squeeze. I won’t do that again. From what I’ve been reading there are probably boxes of old discarded knots laying around, even the masters have them. lol

See link (about 3/4 the way towards the bottom of the page) for a 40 strand wrought mat sennit made by Skip Hipps, Master Knotter, that wound up in the closet:
http://www.frayedknotarts.com/individual/hipps.html

15

Thanks for the welcome!!

I’m just getting into knotting so am no expert by any means.

BTW, I meant to tell you nice work on the bell rope. I hate it ended up like it did.

16

Thanks Kenny.
I’m hoping it won’t be a loss as I have plans to try staining the rest of it to match my “uh ooo” and then varnish it. The handle I can reuse irregardless as it’s overhand grafting (also my first attempt) on the cheapest paint roller handle I could find and can be separated from the star knot. It’s hard to see in the pics but the handle has a molded shape I found appealing for this application. It’s also hollow so I was able to feed some of the strands from the double star knot thru and tie off tight at the bottom of the handle. I know the ole’ timers will probably get a snicker out of doing it this way, but at the time I had no idea about this forum or others on the net that show a “traditional” way and was just “winging” it, trying stuff I thought would look good. So your “ataboy” really makes me feel good. Thanks again.