Our VA 30 Rubber Filled Super Glue is by far our most popular black super glue, and one of our best sellers generally. In this article I’ll explain why it’s black, what it’s great at and the reasons I think it’s been so popular in Australia these last few years.
What is VA 30 Black Rubber Filled Super Glue?
As the name suggests, the glue is black in colour which is pretty rare. The reason it’s black is it has an amount of rubber added to its mixture which helps it get around one of the pitfalls of many cyanoacrylate adhesives; their lack of elasticity when cured.
This little bit of rubber helps VA 30 remain a bit more elastic than most super glue. This lets it tolerate more movement of the bonded parts. It also makes it a great choice when bonding in high humidity environments, or those where temperatures fluctuate quite a lot.
This rubber content is by far the glues defining feature, but there are more. These are summarised below:
VA 30 Black Super Glue Key Properties.
| Initial Adhesion (on Test Rubber) | 5-10 Seconds |
|---|---|
| Continuous Temperature Resistance | -50° to +140°C |
| Shear Strength Adhesion to Nitrile Rubber | >8 N/mm² (the rubber breaks before the bond). |
| Metal Bonding | Compatible |
| Plastic Bonding | Highly Compatible (except with low surface energy plastics like HDPE or PTFE). |
| Rubber Bonding | Highly Compatible |
| EPDM Rubber Bonding | Compatible |
| Wood Bonding | Compatible |
| Glass / Ceramic Bonding | Compatible |
| Leather Bonding | Compatible |
What is VA 30 Used For?
One of the keys to this glues popularity lies in the wide range of applications it has. I’m not even going to pretend I know about all the uses people have found for it, but just some of the ones we hear about often include:
- Bonding of rubber cords, seals and pieces
- Making rubber O rings
- Bonding and fitting rubber sponge and rubberised foam
- Sticking rubber seals, door trims or strips to metal frames
- Bonding rubber components to plastic casings
- Anywhere black super glue is required for appearance purposes
- Bonding and fixing parts used in areas with large changes in temperature
- Bonding jobs that require a super glue with higher tolerance of movement of the bonded components
What Sizes Does It Come In?
At the moment, we stock just the two sizes of VA 30 Glue: 12gm & 30gm.
Other sizes (specifically 60gm Pens and large, 500gm Bottles) are also available upon request.
Both use the special Weicon Pen. This specially shaped container is designed to help you apply the glue with less wastage and better accuracy through a strikingly simple innovation: it’s shaped like a pen.
This simple fact lets you apply your glue with a more natural movement than many other shaped containers out there.
It’s also pretty handy for reducing wastage as the base can be removed. This lets you remove the glue-pen, apply, and put back into the base so it’s sitting straight upright. No chance of spills.
Anything Else I Need To Know?
Like all super glues, VA 30 Black does have a shelf life. Specifically, it’s about 9-12 months.
One tip for extending this: store your super glues in the fridge. You’ll notice that all the cure times we quote for super glues mention the environment that they have been measured in. Typically, this is something like 20°C and 50% humidity. The reason we mention this is because these factors play a big role in how quick the glue cures.
Higher temperatures make super glues cure faster. Colder ones slow them down. Same thing with humidity. This extends to when they’re in their tube. Keep them in a cool, dry environment (i.e. a fridge) and they’ll last a lot longer.
Apart from that, there’s not much more to say. For those of you who would like to read more about the technical properties of this glue, we’ve got a comprehensive Technical Data Sheet for our VA 30.
For those of you who have questions or need a little more information than we’ve been able to provide here, please do get in touch. We’ll be happy to help in any way we can.
Products Mentioned In This Post.
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| VA 30 Black Super Glue |
Related Resources & Information.
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| Super Glue Buying Guide | Super Glues for Plastic Part 1 Tips for Identifying Different Types of Plastic |
Super Glues for Plastic Part 2: Choosing a Super Glue for Plastic |