Every prepper learns one critical lesson: the importance of having suitable materials available when SHTF. Regardless of what is in your stockpile or safety bag, it should always contain some super glue.
Although preppers may argue about what to include in a preparedness pile, not many will dispute that super glue is one essential you should not overlook.
Super glue is one of those valuable resources that can do so many amazing things. The tiny bottle goes a long way and can be used in ways you may not have imagined. In fact, some of the uses listed below may save your life someday.
Super glue is one product that I can’t live without. I always ensure that a small bottle of the stuff is stored in a cupboard or cabinet should the need arise.
Sure, it is sticky, messy, and sometimes leads to mishaps like my fingers being glued together, but it has so many uses around the house that it would be careless not to have it on hand.
Below are some of the ways super glue can help you out of a sticky situation if SHTF.
Patch A Tent
Having a dry, safe shelter is a vital aspect of survival.
Nothing will damper your safety and survival like a leak in the tent you rely on for protection. While tent leaks are commonplace, you can keep your family warm, dry, and safe by patching a leaky tent with super glue.
How you patch a leak will depend on the cause, but you will usually pinch the exposed sections together and apply a small amount to hold them securely in place.
Note: You should only repair your tent while it is open and set up to avoid mistakenly causing damage or preventing use.
Craft A Weapon
In a survival situation, superglue is essential. Along with various survival uses, superglue can be used to help you create, construct, or repair weapons.
Related: The Best Natural Weapons That You Can Find In The Wild
Add a bit of super glue to a sharpened stone and fasten it to a stick to create a makeshift weapon during difficult times, or use it to reattach the blade of a broken knife.
Close A Wound
It can become serious if unforeseen circumstances or accidents cause injury when SHTF.
Superglue can be used (sparingly) to close wounds and promote healing.
The use of super glue is especially effective on shallow wounds.
To use superglue for healing, clean the wound, pinch it shut, and apply superglue to hold it in place.
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Note: It is important to note that superglue should not be used internally or on deep, exposed wounds. Superglue has also been known to cause skin irritation.
Therefore it is best to use medical-grade superglue, such as Dermaflex or Surgi, to close wounds on your skin. However, this tip can help during a crisis.
Repair Broken Shoes
Staying mobile during a crisis becomes vital to survival. Moving around will help you avoid detection and disaster, keeping you and your family alive.
To be mobile, you will need a solid pair of shoes on your feet, and extensive walking will definitely take its toll on your soles.
Luckily, superglue comes in handy for repairing the soles of shoes and boots and can easily be used to fasten broken footwear in a crisis.
Fill Cracks
Super glue is surprisingly effective at repairing cracks in various objects. Everything from phone screens to floors can be fixed with a bit of this bottled magic.
The process for using super glue to repair a crack is pretty simple. Clean the surface, and fill the gap. That’s it.
Super glue also reacts with baking soda. Combining the two can be effective when filling larger cracks, such as those found between floorboards or boats’ hulls.
Note: Depending on the surface, there are different types of super glue. Plastic, for example, creates a more difficult bond. Thus, whenever possible, seek a glue that specifies the type of surface you are looking to repair.
Remove A Splinter
Getting a splinter can be more than a mere annoyance. The type of splinter, its location, and its size can all impact the discomfort it causes.
While certain types of splinters are more likely to cause infection, even a standard wood splinter can leave you in bad shape.
To avoid the risk of infection, use super glue to quickly remove a splinter from your skin.
Apply a thin layer to the area with the splinter, let the glue dry completely, and pull it off. The adhesive should quickly pull the splinter from your skin, allowing you to focus on survival.
Repair A Ripped Backpack
As with many things, having super glue on hand to repair a broken backpack can be vital to survival when SHTF.
Use super glue to repair a broken strap or clasp, or use it to reattach a dislodged handle or repair a tear.
Keeping your items stored on your person will be essential in a survival situation, and a tear in your backpack or a damaged strap could slow you down and leave you vulnerable.
Mend A Frayed Rope
Nothing is more useless than a frayed rope.
In a survival situation, a frayed rope can become a matter of life or death.
Dab some super glue on the ends of the frayed rope to stop the fray from spreading.
Patch A Water Bottle
Having a consistent source of water during a crisis is imperative to survival. With stores closed, and travel limited or dangerous, you will need to be able to access clean water at any time.
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Having access to clean water also means having a container to hold it. If your water bottle springs a leak, your situation could quickly go from bad to worse.
In a pinch, you can use super glue to repair a leaky water bottle. To repair a leak in your water container, apply a thin layer to the affected area and allow it to dry thoroughly.
Attach Feathers To Arrows Or Create Lures
Super glue is perfect for attaching small, delicate feathers to arrows or constructing lures for fly fishing.
A small amount of super glue goes a long way, so use it sparingly when applying it to delicate materials like feathers and fabrics.
Seal A Hose
Like many other small leaks, super glue can seal cracks in your garden hose.
Related: 10 Off-Grid Water Systems You Should Have On Your Property
Simply coat the garden hose crack with a thin layer of super glue and get back to what matters most.
Easier Woodworking
Woodworking is one of those skills that will come in handy when SHTF. Unfortunately, woodworking comes with its own risks. Splinters, scrapes, and cuts are common when woodworking, but you can protect yourself with super glue.
Coat the tips of your fingers with super glue and allow it to dry to protect them from the tiny slices that occur when woodworking.
Aside from protecting your skin, super glue is useful when working with wood because it can be used to hold two pieces of wood together, allowing you to screw them in place with ease.
Repair Damaged Dishes
When SHTF, a trip to Walmart may be off the table for extended periods. Limited access means you must ensure the basics are in working condition.
Broken plates and damaged cups are essential everyday items you will not be able to replace on a whim. Instead, use super glue to piece them back together and ensure you have what you need to survive.
Fix Broken Eye Glasses
If you wear glasses, you know how serious the situation can be if they are lost or broken.
Related: Supplies You Can Buy With Your HS Account
Use super glue to repair your glasses so you can see what is going on at all times.
Fix Snagged Clothing
More than a simple run in your pantyhose snagged clothing during a crisis can be catastrophic. While super glue is commonly used to fix runs in nylon, it can also be used to repair other fabrics.
Stop snags in clothing by dabbing a small amount of super glue onto the spot where they appear. The super glue will harden and prevent the catch from expanding.
Heal A Hangnail
A hangnail is not usually a big deal, but sometimes tearing it off can cause unnecessary cuts on the edges of your fingers or toes. Cuts of any kind are a hazard in a survival situation.
Instead of pulling that annoying hangnail, try placing some super glue on it to hold it in place until you can safely trim it.
Stop Fraying Laces
Shoelaces are known to fray at the ends and eventually fall apart. Faying laces are not a concern in everyday life since they are cheap and readily available at most stores.
However, a trip to the store for a simple item like laces may not be an option if SHTF.
Protect laces, stop fraying, and make them solid with super glue. A small drop on the end of a fraying lace will pull it back together, giving your shoes the support they need to survive.
Fix Almost Anything
Super glue truly is one of those products that can do almost anything. From car to clothing repairs, it covers you as long as you have it on hand.
Along with the suggestions listed above, you can try using super glue to fix a cracked phone screen, repair hair clips, stop snagged stockings, fasten handles, secure loose furniture pieces, or repair leaking pipes.
Super glue is a phenomenal product with endless possibilities for survival or everyday use. The things super glue can do are too plentiful to list here. However, I would love to hear your amazing super glue hacks. Please share them in the comments at the end of this article.
For now, stay safe, and be prepared.
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Superglue while a fast contact cement it not flexible.
Also, when you open it, the clock is ticking until the rest of that tube isn’t useful.
Fixing flexible items like soles on shoes or patching a tent will fail soon.
Shoe goo or barge cement are very useful in these repairs.
Be very careful about using superglue for cuts and wounds. Glue inside the wound prevent healing there, leading to an infection.
Sealing a wound without proper cleaning (painful involving soap and clean water, or lots of sterile saline) seals IN a serious infection. Often with dirty wounds we clean the wound, pack it with sterile gauze soaked in sterile saline with an adsorbent dressing over it for repeated dressing changes as it needs. Thus, allowing several inspections and wash outs to get that last bit of nastiness out before closing it.
If you can filter water, boil it and add salt you can make decent saline.
For wound repair, is there a medical grade superglue to use? Then using a standard grade superglue.
bob
Yes, they do have skin glue for medical use. I have prepped some. You can find it at many stores. Unless they have banned it, because it works.
Hey everyone, look up CHRISLAM. blow your mind…
There’s a veterinary cyanoacrylic glue on amazon. Supposed to sting less than SG brand and way cheaper than “medical grade” CA glue. You don’t need rx for it.
you can use superglue as a temporary wound closure .. it will slogh off after 48-72 hours. Absolutley clean the wound first. The glue does not prevent healing and will not cause infection, in fact it has antibacterial properties. I’m a nurse, so yes I speak with an educated background. We frequently see people who’ve accidently put it in their eye, there is no treatment as the body expells it on it’s own after a few days with no lasting effects.
Perhaps as a busy Nurse you read quickly. If you seal an improperly cleaned wound, you will indeed enjoy an infection.
If as I wrote, you put superglue inside the wound you will not have proper healing there.
Or at least the folks that end up in my Operating Room for a wound debridement because they misused superglue has such issues.
Could you point out where I can read about Superglue’s antibacterial properties? I’ve searched without finding that data.
Michael: You’re right and so is the nurse. Clean the wound, first, and use the glue. Superglue is antibacterial. niio
Red thanks
Matthew 5:8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Praying for wisdom as we suffer from Isiaha chapter 3 “leadership”.
yes, I came here to post about Shoe Goo Shoe Glue to fix almost anything. Especially footwear, backpacks, tents, all kinds of straps and other kit. Many conditions where I don’t think cyanoacrylate(super glue) wouldn’t last long.
I used shoe goo several times on shoes. It does NOT last at all.
It peels off after a week or two.
Depending on the type of repairs, the glue type (gel vs. liquid) may make things easier.
Play with both types to get familiarize, before you are in an emergency situation.
Also, opened containers don’t last forever, once opened keep remaining tube/bottle in the freezer. Or, buy packages of single use tubes.
Have you used expired superglue, does it work just as good as freshly opened one?
Wonder if USA made superglue is better than China made superglue?
Another optional use;
Not a good cure, not FDA approved, to keep politicians from putting their foot in their mouths or saying dumb things.
On the recent news, example; at the podium calling out for a long dead politician not being there. Forgetting that the politician was already dead. Or an VP, at a podium making a speech at the DMZ saying the USA & N.K., are buddies.
Only problem with above statement is that the politicians, being creatures with head and ass interchangeability built in, often glue the wrong hole shut, causing them to, over time, become full of $#!+, while still being able to spew unintelligibilities out of their upper orifice… 😉
Agree, as said before not a total cure. They do speak out of both sides of their mouth and probably the south-end too. LOL!
Putting baking soda on superglue makes it very solid. You can add layers of superglue and baking soda to fill in gaps of missing plastic pieces. It hardens harder than the plastic, and can be filed, ground down, shaped, or cut with a saw.
Putting baking soda on superglue makes it very solid. You can add layers of superglue and baking soda to fill in gaps of missing plastic pieces. It hardens harder than the plastic, and can be filed, ground down, shaped, or cut with a saw.
Yes there is medical grade super glue both for humans and animals. It can be bought online many places. So can surgical staple guns and sutures. The sutures are generally listed as “practice ” sutures but are exactly the same as “real” sutures. There are also videos of how to use sutures and staples. THESE ARE FOR EMERGENCIES NOT JUST TO SAVE MONEY BY NOT GOING TO THE DOCTOR!
As for super glue drying out they make “single use ” tubes that come in multi packs of about 10 I think. You can get them the same place you get bottles of super glue or Gorilla glue. It’s better to use medical glue so get it ahead of time and put it in your medical kit. I would only use it in a SHTF scenario but I have used it to see if it works—it does and I had no problems using it. Again look up the videos on all of these items BEFORE the SHTF happens. There are also very good books you can get about emergency medicine on line. One I have is by Dr Alton and it has easy to read and use and almost anyone can understand it.
Gorilla Glue is better for a lot of those things, it now comes in small tubes as well.
Patching with super glue can be done, used single-use bottles can be cut easily to make a patch. (I’ve repaired my Oxo measuring cup that cracked on the bottom that way; it lasts about a year before I have to do it again.)
I have always carried a small tube in my ditty bag. I once used it to reattached a crown on my tooth while on mission status until I could get to my dentist. Great stuff!!!
We’ve used super glue many a time patch our hog dogs up. Never had a problem and it works better than staples or sutures unless the wound is large.
Motion would be limited, but staying power would increase.
Fine saw dust is excellent for filling gaps (in anything) with cyanoacrylate. Especially if the gap is larger than, say, a 64th of an inch. Unlike baking soda, the wood fibers absorb the CA more quickly and thoroughly. The result is the same strong bond and can easily be sanded to shape. I save sawdust and keep a container on my workbench. It works even better than Micro Balloons.
I got some gorilla glue. I’ll make a human centipede from the looters I catch during the apocalypse. Got some sutures to make it all secure too.
I for one, do not like super glue. It’s expensive, messy and it’s not dependable. I’d rather do something else or use something else.
Another way for repairs on tents, rubber/plastic buckets, canvas, and others is to take Styrofoam, break it up in small chunks, mix it with a little gas and stir it well till you get a consistency of a little bit thicker than pancake batter not real runny, then spread it on like you’re spreading frosting on a cake, It works, we repaired a rubber bucket, a plastic bucket, and many years ago when I had a 20′ pool, on the liner was around a 1″ cut on the seam. That pool held just over 8000 gal. of water and it still worked.