What is Selleys Fix & Go Super Glue, and where should you use it?

Selleys Fix & Go Super Glue is a fast setting super glue that dries colourless and sets within 10 seconds. It is made for small, precise repairs around the home, and it is heat and water resistant once bonded.

The instruction that matters most on this product is also the least intuitive: apply a single drop only, because excess slows curing. Most people reach for more glue when a repair feels marginal. With this adhesive that makes the joint worse, not better — a thick layer takes longer to set and the extra glue simply squeezes out along the break line.

Where to use it

• Small, precise repairs around the home
• Joints where the two faces meet closely and cleanly

Surfaces must be close fitting and clean. That requirement does most of the work in deciding whether a repair will succeed: this adhesive bonds a thin film between two mating faces, so a break that closes properly is a good candidate and one that does not is not.

How to apply it

1. Pierce the tube seal.
2. Apply one drop to one surface only. One drop, one side.
3. Press the surfaces together.
4. Hold until bonded. It sets within 10 seconds.

Why a single drop works better than several

Super glue cures fastest in a thin film between two close-fitting surfaces. Piling on more adhesive puts material in the middle of the joint that takes considerably longer to cure, so the repair stays soft for longer and the excess ends up as a visible ridge along the break. If a single drop does not wet the whole join, the answer is usually that the faces are not meeting properly — check the fit rather than adding glue.

Being heat and water resistant, the cured bond copes with the ordinary conditions a household repair lives in. That is a property of the cured adhesive, so it applies once the joint has set, not while you are still holding the parts together.

Limitations — where Fix & Go Super Glue should not be used

• Not suitable for polyethylene, polypropylene or Teflon.
• It will not permanently bond glass. A glass repair may hold initially and then let go, which is worse than not attempting it — choose a different adhesive for glass.
• No gap filling capability. Where a chip is missing and the faces cannot meet, this adhesive cannot bridge the space.

Safety

Selleys gives one specific first-aid direction for this product: in the event that fingers get stuck together, apply a solvent such as acetone to the contact areas and wash off with water. Do not use solvents near eyes or open wounds.

Hazard classification

Classified as hazardous under Safe Work Australia GHS 7, with the signal word Warning.

• Flammable liquids — Category 4. H227: combustible liquid.
• Skin corrosion/irritation — Category 2. H315: causes skin irritation.
• Eye damage/irritation — Category 2A. H319: causes serious eye irritation.
• Specific target organ toxicity, single exposure — Category 3, respiratory tract irritation. H335: may cause respiratory irritation.

Not classified as Dangerous Goods for transport by the Australian Code for the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road & Rail or New Zealand NZS5433. It is classified C1 (combustible liquid) for storage and handling under AS 1940, and is Poison Schedule S5 (Caution).

What is in it

Chemical entity	CAS number	Proportion (w/w)
Ethyl cyanoacrylate	7085-85-0	>60%
Non-hazardous or below reporting limits	—	Balance

The safety data sheet covers the 3mL liquid (product code 103448), the Single Shot 3x1mL pack (103449) and the stand-up tube 2x3mL (103450) under the same composition — a cyanoacrylate liquid of specific gravity 1.1 and viscosity 80–120 cps.

More than sixty percent of the tube is ethyl cyanoacrylate, and that single fact explains both the product's behaviour and its hazards. Cyanoacrylates polymerise on contact with traces of moisture — the moisture already present on almost any surface, including skin. That is why this glue sets in ten seconds, and it is why the safety data sheet's skin advice is written as firmly as it is.

This page already carries the direction for the situation people actually meet: if fingers get stuck together, apply a solvent such as acetone to the contact areas and wash off with water, and do not use solvents near eyes or open wounds. That last clause is doing real work. H319 classifies this adhesive as causing serious eye irritation in its own right, and adding acetone to an eye makes matters worse rather than better. If adhesive gets into an eye, the answer is water — continuously, for at least fifteen minutes — and then a doctor.

The instruction to use a single drop is on this page for a performance reason: excess slows curing. It has a safety dividend too. Excess adhesive squeezes out of the joint, and squeeze-out is what ends up on fingers and evaporating off the workpiece — the source of both the skin contact under H315 and the vapour under H335. Getting the fit right and using one drop is the same discipline seen from two directions.

The skin first aid anticipates burns and blistering, which is more than skin irritation alone would imply. That is characteristic of the chemical class: the curing reaction gives off heat, and cyanoacrylates are known to react quickly with cotton and wool, so a spill that soaks into a glove or a sleeve is treated more seriously than the same drop on a fingertip. H227, the combustible liquid classification, is the mildest flammability rung and is a storage matter — keep it away from heat, not away from your bench.

Protection

• Eye protection — chemical goggles.
• Gloves — nitrile rubber, suitable for intermittent contact. The safety data sheet notes that glove construction and local conditions vary and the final assessment is the user's.
• Respirator — a suitable respirator where vapour inhalation is a real risk, which in practice means enclosed spaces or prolonged work.
• Ventilation — natural ventilation is adequate under normal use. Use outdoors or in a well-ventilated area, and avoid breathing the vapour.
• Storage — cool, dry, well ventilated, out of direct sunlight, container upright and tightly closed, away from food and from sources of heat or ignition, and stored locked up.
• Do not eat, drink or smoke while using it, and wash your hands before you do.

First aid

Exposure	What to do
Eyes	Hold the eyelids apart and flush continuously with running water for at least 15 minutes, or until the Poisons Information Centre or a doctor says to stop, then go to a doctor or hospital.
Skin	Remove contaminated clothing and flush the skin and hair with running water for at least 15 minutes, or until advised to stop. For a skin burn, cover with a clean, dry dressing until medical help is available. If blistering occurs, do not break the blisters. Seek medical assistance if swelling, redness, blistering or irritation develops.
Inhalation	Move the person to fresh air without becoming a casualty yourself. Loosen clothing, let them settle into whichever position is most comfortable, keep them warm and at rest until fully recovered. Seek medical advice if effects persist.
Swallowed	Rinse the mouth with water. Do not induce vomiting. Give a glass of water. Never give anything by mouth to an unconscious person. If vomiting occurs, give more water and seek medical advice.

If poisoning occurs, contact a doctor or the Poisons Information Centre — 131 126 in Australia, 0800 764 766 in New Zealand — with the container to hand. Selleys emergency line: 1800 220 770 in Australia, 0800 220 770 in New Zealand.

Common questions about Selleys Fix & Go Super Glue

How fast does it set?

Within 10 seconds.

How much should I use?

A single drop, applied to one surface only. Excess slows curing.

Do I put glue on both surfaces?

No. One drop to one surface only, then press the surfaces together.

What colour does it dry?

Colourless.

Will it hold up to heat and water?

The cured bond is heat and water resistant.

Can I use it on glass?

It will not permanently bond glass.

Will it stick to plastic?

Not to polyethylene, polypropylene or Teflon. Those three are specifically excluded.

Will it fill a gap in a break?

No. It has no gap filling capability, and the surfaces must be close fitting.

Why won't my repair hold?

The two usual causes are surfaces that are not close fitting and clean, and too much adhesive. Check the fit first and use a single drop.

What do I do if I glue my fingers together?

Apply a solvent such as acetone to the contact areas and wash off with water. Do not use solvents near eyes or open wounds.

How long do I hold the parts?

Hold until bonded — it sets within 10 seconds.

Is it suitable for big repairs?

It is described as suitable for small precise repairs. For larger jobs, or where the surfaces do not fit closely together, look at the wider glues and adhesives range instead.

Fix & Go Super Glue sits in the super glue range; the super glue guide explains how the formats differ.