ADHESIVE TROUBLES

When adhesives are manufactured, they are distilled and produced in facilities that are aware of the impact that the humidity in the air around us has on it. The chemists who formulate and make it don't just whip it up, toss it into bottles and sell it. There is a very lengthy manufacturing process that hopefully includes multiple distillations, and the environment in which this happens is moisture free. They are very respectful of the harmful effects the product can have on their health, and are clothed in such a way to protect themselves from harm. Most SDS’s (or MSDS’s, if you haven't yet gotten the memo that it has changed yet) share some pretty serious outcomes for adhesives that are spilled onto, or inhaled by the chemists who work with large quantities of Cyanoacrylate based products. It is a top notch process which provides us with a product that is virtually foolproof. As long as it in the manufacturers hands, it is being kept at the exact temperature and level of humidity it needs to be to keep from deteriorating.

Once it leaves the manufacturers facility, it becomes exposed to heat (at least warmth), light, and the breathable bottles can also be exposed to minute levels of humidity in shipping. It is the distributor’s job to take that shipment and store it according to the manufacturer’s guidelines. The distributors that I have spoken to and compared notes with all have very strict guidelines for storage and rotation of product. There is very little room for error. The reputable distributors that I have spoken to also have their own method for marking the batches as they come in so they are able to know with certainty that the adhesive they are selling you is fresh. Some distributors (we are one of them) will actually open one bottle of each size, colour, and type and work with it before we start distributing that batch to our clients. Distributors tend to value their reputation, and do everything in their power to rule out trouble with the adhesives we sell before we ever add any adhesive from a new batch to a customer’s order. They tend to know when a batch was ordered, when it started selling, and when they changed over to the newer product. (I personally do not believe there is any truth to the "bad batch" theory, due to following every complaint of every problem, with every bottle of adhesive and tracking it to the batch it came from.) 

     If you are experiencing difficulty with a particular bottle of adhesive, it is so important to look around at everything that could possibly have been a factor in the loss of retention, and troubleshoot every aspect of it to figure out what the problem is, especially if this is a trusted product that you have used through at least all four complete seasons successfully in the past. (Try to remember that occasionally your area can experience unseasonably humid weather, which can mess with your application, and a hygrometer will help you to identify this.)   If you are new to the adhesive, my first bit of advice for you is NEVER USE THIS ADHESIVE ON YOUR PAYING CLIENTELE AND EXPECT THAT THE OUTCOME WILL BE A POSITIVE ONE. Every adhesive works differently, and even the best review you get from a trusted friend isn't enough to make an adhesive behave the way you will be expecting it to. Adhesives comes in a little bit different viscosity and will need to be tweaked before exposing your valuable clients to it.  Always try it on a few trusted friends and family first. 

     Get in touch with your distributor, and make time for a voice chat to troubleshoot what might be going on with it. Please don't assume that you have X number of years trouble free experience with that adhesive and you know it isn't you or the environment you are working in. Remember that the distributor is just as invested in sorting out your adhesive issues as you are and are ready to work with you to figure it out. I have personally never seen a batch where there was the exact same issue with every bottle. Most adhesive issues are very isolated and can be figured out with a little patience and a little help from your distributor.