# Removing Superglue **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 29, 2004, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-superglue/277090 "2004-11-29T04:09:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-superglue/277090/1 "2004-11-29T04:09:58Z")
I managed to get some superglue drops on my desk. I would really like to take it off, however, I can’t think of anything handy that will dissolve cyanoacrylate. Any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-superglue/277090/2 "2004-11-29T04:11:29Z")
Acetone is the standard solvent, but that might damage the finish of your desk. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-superglue/277090/3 "2004-11-29T04:13:18Z")
What is the desk surface composed of? Is it a finished wood, a laminate, or something else? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-superglue/277090/4 "2004-11-29T04:30:33Z")
Unless your desk has a (real) wood, metal or glass top finish you’re pretty screwed. Acetone is going to beat up most plastics used in desktop finshes and laminates. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-superglue/277090/5 "2004-11-29T05:02:09Z")
I’m not sure what exactly it is. It’s standard dorm room furnature, so I’m sure it’s not exactly high quality. I doubt anyone will care, but I’m still trying mostly because it annoys me. I already treied acetone, and while it didn’t ruin the finish, it also didn’t work. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-superglue/277090/6 "2004-11-29T05:37:37Z")
Careful scraping with a razor will work on many hard surfaces. Also, the dried glue is rather brittle (depending on formulation), so you can often get it to crack and flake by applying pressure to the surface with a hard, blunt object. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-superglue/277090/7 "2004-11-29T07:08:25Z")
I’ve had success removing cyanoacrilic glue with fingernail-polish remover, which I suppose is mostly acetone. But astro is right: The solvent will spoil the finish and you’ll have to do it over. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-superglue/277090/8 "2004-11-29T07:17:59Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > I managed to get some superglue drops on my desk. I would really like to take it off, however, I can’t think of anything handy that will dissolve cyanoacrylate. Any suggestions? Fine sandpaper? Anything that will remove the glue will probably also remove the finish so you have to refinish the spots anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Harmonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonix)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-superglue/277090/9 "2004-11-29T11:33:48Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > I’ve had success removing cyanoacrilic glue with fingernail-polish remover, which I suppose is mostly acetone. But astro is right: The solvent will spoil the finish and you’ll have to do it over. check your bottle. I hardly see see acetone based nail polish remover anymore. Then again, i’m not a girl. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-superglue/277090/10 "2004-11-29T11:47:25Z")
You can buy acetone at beauty supply stores. Non-acetone nail polish removers seem to be the norm at Walgreens, but professional-catering stores still carry the real stuff. It’s what they use to disolve acrylic fingernails, as well as the glue that holds them on. It does take a long time to disolve (15 minutes or more on the nails), so maybe you just didn’t have it on long enough. But, if you have tried real acetone and it hasn’t worked, than physical force is probably your best bet. If you hold an ice cube to the glue spot it will get cold enough to become more brittle. Then a \*quick \*scrape with the side of a credit card should flick it off. Same technique works for chewing gum in the carpet, just so’s you know. ---
**Author:** ![matt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@matt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-superglue/277090/11 "2004-11-29T16:55:30Z")
I seem to recall a superglue remover that would debond the superglue from surfaces and was itself removable with water. This could be the stuff. [http://www.loctiteproducts.com/products/detail.asp?catid=15&subid=35&plid=197](http://www.loctiteproducts.com/products/detail.asp?catid=15&subid=35&plid=197) ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-superglue/277090/12 "2004-11-29T17:15:53Z")
> [@matt](#): > > I seem to recall a superglue remover that would debond the superglue from surfaces and was itself removable with water. > > This could be the stuff. > > [http://www.loctiteproducts.com/products/detail.asp?catid=15&subid=35&plid=197](http://www.loctiteproducts.com/products/detail.asp?catid=15&subid=35&plid=197) looks like an [acetone gel](http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/household/brands?tbl=brands&id=13010023) . Cool!