Two Outstanding Uses for Super Glue

There are probably a thousand different uses for super glue. It is versatile and bonds well to many different surfaces. You might have used it to mend Grandma's teacup or build a model airplane. It works superbly on non porous surfaces and has a quick dry time of mere seconds. The more common uses for this glue are well known but there are two other uses that are popular yet not as well recognized.

With the advent of CSI and NCIS type shows on television, many people are recognizing yet another use for super glue. It can be used in criminal investigations for collecting latent fingerprints. Fingerprints have long been recognized as important physical evidence in crime scenes for clues and convictions due to their uniqueness.

If the fingerprints are hidden and not obtainable via the regular method of dusting, super glue can be invaluable. The process is conducted in a crime lab and appears to be fairly simple in the methodology.

Often called the super glue method, cyanoacrylate fuming consists of putting the object with the latent fingerprints into an airtight container with a small amount of liquid glue. The liquid is placed on a small heater and slowly heated to the boiling point (between 120 and 150 degrees Fahrenheit). After it boils it creates an environment of gaseous cyanoacrylate. If there are any fingerprints in the container they will now be visible. This can take up to two hours if no other accelerant is used in conjunction with the super glue. Many police departments employ at least one other accelerant used in conjunction with glue, if not two.

What if you were the officer involved in a case requiring super glue fuming for your evidence? What if you fell down and gave yourself a nasty wound while chasing the criminal? What good would super glue do for you then? Actually, it could benefit you medically.

Super glue can be used to close wounds instead of stitches or staples. It is called Dermabond and the FDA approved it in 2002. Hospitals use it and many patients report less pain and scarring. There is no need to return for getting stitches out, Dermabond will simply dissolve. It seems to work at keeping bacteria out, infections are not as common.

Superglue rates right up there with duct tape for many different types of use. It is a fair assumption that there is a tube or two up at the space station. If there isn't any, perhaps they should consider it on the next restock mission. The sky's the limit for super glue.

Sources: Maine Medical Partners http://www.neurosurgeryandspineassociates.com/52/super-glue-wound-care

The Cyanoacrylate Fuming Method by Eric Brown http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/feneric/cyanoacrylate.html