# What's the most powerful adhesive? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 9, 2008, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-powerful-adhesive/448742 "2008-05-09T21:18:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2008, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-powerful-adhesive/448742/1 "2008-05-09T21:18:39Z")
How strong is it? And what’s it used for? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2008, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-powerful-adhesive/448742/2 "2008-05-09T21:28:32Z")
The bonding “strength” of an adhesive depends to a large extent on how powerfully it can bond with the material(s) you are attempting to adhere. There is no one “most” powerful adhesive for all materials. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2008, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-powerful-adhesive/448742/3 "2008-05-09T21:54:21Z")
Love. Or, alternatively, lust. ---
**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:** [May 9, 2008, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-powerful-adhesive/448742/4 "2008-05-09T22:00:35Z")
[QUOTE=Exapno Mapcase] Love. [/quote] Don’t know many divorce attorneys, do you? [QUOTE=Exapno Mapcase] Or, alternatively, lust. [/QUOTE] Lust is an adhesive in the same way that the stuff on the back of a Post-It Note is. ---
**Author:** ![mwbrooks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@mwbrooks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mwbrooks)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2008, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-powerful-adhesive/448742/5 "2008-05-09T22:06:40Z")
[QUOTE=Exapno Mapcase] Love. Or, alternatively, lust. [/QUOTE] I was going to say “debt.” But one often follows the other. Offhand, I’d say brazing metal is the strongest glue I know about, in the sense of an adhesive bonding filler. Probably most people don’t think of it as glue, but if you exclude it you also have to exclude plastic hot-melt glues. ---
**Author:** ![dynamitedave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed655f/32.png) [@dynamitedave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dynamitedave)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2008, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-powerful-adhesive/448742/6 "2008-05-09T22:11:53Z")
Calf poo, while they’re still on an all milk diet. That stuff sticks like… well shit to a blanket 😛 Truly, it is a pain to get off anything once it’s dried. Calves that got pooped on, their hair would have to grow out, if I tried to pull off the poo once it dried, I’d pull the hair out. Cleaning out the calf shed at the end of spring was a job I quite happily delegated. Now if I could only bottle it and sell it… ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2008, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-powerful-adhesive/448742/7 "2008-05-09T22:18:30Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.] Don’t know many divorce attorneys, do you? [/QUOTE] None, as a matter of fact. But I’ve lived a whole longer than you. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2008, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-powerful-adhesive/448742/8 "2008-05-09T23:44:54Z")
Welds. Very close behind is Jolly Ranchers. You won’t be able to open your mouth ever again if you chew one. ---
**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2008, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-powerful-adhesive/448742/9 "2008-05-09T23:49:47Z")
[QUOTE=Shagnasty] Welds. Very close behind is Jolly Ranchers. You won’t be able to open your mouth ever again if you chew one. [/QUOTE] Sure you will. Of course, you will need to get those fillings replaced. (But you were going to do that anyway, weren’t you? 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2008, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-powerful-adhesive/448742/10 "2008-05-09T23:56:35Z")
[QUOTE=Shagnasty] Welds. Very close behind is Jolly Ranchers. You won’t be able to open your mouth ever again if you chew one. [/QUOTE] Strictly speaking, a weld isn’t a glue. I’m not even sure that brazing counts (the filler material dissolves that base metals). Jolly Ranchers count. The strongest glues in common use are probably epoxies. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2008, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-powerful-adhesive/448742/11 "2008-05-09T23:59:48Z")
Gorilla Glue is the strongest glue I’ve ever handled, but I am sure there are stronger ones. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2008, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-powerful-adhesive/448742/12 "2008-05-10T00:05:23Z")
[QUOTE=FoieGrasIsEvil] Gorilla Glue is the strongest glue I’ve ever handled, but I am sure there are stronger ones. [/QUOTE] That’s what I was thinking. Are there like super-industrial ones you can’t get in the stores? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2008, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-powerful-adhesive/448742/13 "2008-05-10T00:06:18Z")
Gravity seems to stick to everything. ---
**Author:** ![WoodenTaco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/45deac/32.png) [@WoodenTaco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WoodenTaco)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2008, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-powerful-adhesive/448742/14 "2008-05-10T00:09:40Z")
Brown paper, white paper, sticking together with the tape, [the tape of loooove](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fycGFGSeKpc). ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2008, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-powerful-adhesive/448742/15 "2008-05-10T00:15:44Z")
[QUOTE=Love Rhombus] That’s what I was thinking. Are there like super-industrial ones you can’t get in the stores? [/QUOTE] There are no “super” industrial glues, what there are, are versions of everyday adhesives very precisely formulated for specific types of materials, temperatures and application methodologies, and they will typically have better performance for the specific material bond they are engineered for than more generic glues. ---
**Author:** ![Can\_Handle\_the\_Truth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Can\_Handle\_the\_Truth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Can_Handle_the_Truth)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2008, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-powerful-adhesive/448742/16 "2008-05-10T01:17:21Z")
From the [McMaster-Carr](http://www.mcmaster.com/) Catalog > [@](#): > > \*\*Metal-Filled Epoxies \*\* (pages 3314-3315)— Uses: Bonding, sealing, plugging, patching, repair, and rebuilding worn and eroded metal back to original dimensions. Also called liquid metals, these are similar to regular epoxies with the addition of powdered metal fillers. They bond iron, aluminum, brass, ceramic, glass, and some plastics. Reach full strength relatively slowly, but can be machined afterwards. Nonrusting and resistant to most chemicals, water, and temperature. > \*\*Epoxies \*\* (pages 3316-3321)— Uses: Bonding, filling spaces between surfaces, laminating, and encasing items in adhesive (potting). One-part and two-part adhesives provide high-strength bonds to metal, rubber, fiberglass (FRP), urethane, wood, glass, ceramics, concrete, and some plastics. Time required to reach full strength can range from a few minutes to several hours. Good resistance to high temperatures, solvents, and impact. They’re useful for filling spaces between surfaces when parts don’t fit well. > Two-part epoxies require mixing, which begins the strengthening process and results in limited time to apply after mixing. > **Acrylics** (pages 3317-3318)— Uses: Bonding. These two-part and two-step adhesives begin to harden within minutes (sometimes seconds when used with an activator) and provide high-strength bonds; especially good for plastic to metal, rubber to metal, and plastic to plastic. Acrylics are more tolerant of moisture and oily, dirty, and unprepared surfaces than super glues. They’re also good for filling spaces between surfaces, but not as good as epoxies. Two-part acrylics require mixing. Two-step acrylics don’t need mixing, but are used with a primer/activator (usually a liquid) that’s sprayed or brushed onto the surface being bonded. > **Urethanes** (pages 3317-3321)— Uses: Bonding. Urethanes form more flexible bonds than epoxies and acrylics, and are often used on films, foils, and elastomers. They bond well to metal, rubber, PVC, polycarbonate, and especially wood. Time required to begin to harden ranges from a few minutes to 48 hours. > \*\*Super Glues \*\* (pages 3322-3325)— Uses: Bonding closely mated parts where exposure to weather is minimal. Also referred to as cyanoacrylates, crazy glues, super bonders, and instant adhesives, these one-part adhesives begin to harden very quickly. They adhere to a wide range of substrates including rubber, plastic, and metal. Not recommended for use on glass. Viscosities range from water-thin liquids to gels. Super glues are not good for filling spaces between surfaces and have poor resistance to impact, temperature extremes, moisture, and solvents. A white residue called blooming can sometimes form on the bond. > **Anaerobics** (pages 3325-3329)— Uses: Locking threads, sealing, gasketing, bearing retention, and bonding/retaining cylindrical assemblies. Also called threadlockers and retaining compounds, anaerobics reach full strength in the absence of air and the presence of metal, such as when confined between the threads of a nut and bolt assembly. Bonds can be permanent or not, as needed. Excellent resistance to solvents, water, weather, and temperatures up to 400° F. They reach full strength rapidly at room temperature and come in various viscosities. When combined with other materials, they can be used as a sealant for pipe joints and threads. They have limited use for filling spaces between surfaces. > **Silicones** (pages 3330-3331)— Uses: Low-strength bonding, sealing, filling spaces between surfaces, encasing items in adhesive (potting), and gasketing. Most are one-component room-temperature vulcanizing (RTV) liquid rubbers that keep their rubber properties under almost any conditions. They reach full strength in 24-72 hours through exposure to moisture in the air. Excellent resistance to temperature extremes (-60° to +450° F), as well as chemicals, UV radiation, ozone, and weather. Silicones make great gap fillers and sealants for low-stress applications. They adhere to rigid and flexible substrates including metal, glass, fiberglass (FRP), cement, canvas, rubber, plastic, ceramics, and wood. Since they don’t run, they’re good for vertical and overhead applications. > \*\*Construction Adhesives \*\* (pages 3333-3334)— Uses: Installing paneling, drywall, foam, and flooring. Also called panel adhesives. Made of a viscous formulation of natural or synthetic rubber in a solvent or water carrier. They begin to harden quickly, are excellent for filling spaces between surfaces, and remain flexible when dry. > \*\*Contact Cements \*\* (pages 3335-3336)— Uses: Laminating and bonding. Made of synthetic rubber (usually neoprene) dispersed in a solvent or water, these cements form permanent bonds. Apply to the two surfaces you want to join and let air dry. Then, bring the surfaces together—they’ll stick instantly. > \*\*Hot Melts \*\* (pages 3337-3338)— Uses: Bonding, sealing, filling spaces between surfaces, caulking, packaging, and parts holding for nailing and other final assembly. These thermoplastics melt when heated and solidify as they cool. Ideal for rigid-to-flexible, low-strength bonds that begin to harden quickly. They’re excellent for filling spaces between surfaces. Good adhesion to most substrates, especially porous surfaces such as wood, paper, and leather. Hot melts have low solvent resistance, limited temperature resistance, and require dispensing equipment such as glue guns. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2008, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-powerful-adhesive/448742/17 "2008-05-10T01:49:32Z")
Nobody mentioned boogers yet? This (non-booger) bacterium is said to be [nature’s strongest adhesive](http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/3258.html). ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/59ef9b/32.png) [@Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_fight_the_hypothetical)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2008, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-powerful-adhesive/448742/18 "2008-05-10T02:56:13Z")
The stuff that they stick “city titties” down with has got to be some powerful stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2008, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-powerful-adhesive/448742/19 "2008-05-10T04:43:30Z")
> [@](#): > > Anaerobics (pages 3325-3329)— Uses: Locking threads, sealing, gasketing, bearing retention, and bonding/retaining cylindrical assemblies. Also called threadlockers and retaining compounds, anaerobics reach full strength in the absence of air and the presence of metal, such as when confined between the threads of a nut and bolt assembly. When properly applied red Loctite (271) is stronger than a grade 8 bolt. IOW if you apply and cure it properly, disassembly without the use of heat is impossible. If you try to disassemble the bolted joint, you will either break the bolt, or strip the threads off of it. That’s pretty strong. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2008, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-powerful-adhesive/448742/20 "2008-05-10T04:54:18Z")
Barnacle sticky… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-powerful-adhesive/448742.md?page=2)