Selleys Super Glue Single Shot 5x1mL Pack

What is Selleys Super Glue Single Shot 5x1mL Pack, and where should you use it?

Selleys Super Glue Single Shot is a fast-setting, clear-drying super glue supplied as five single-use 1mL tubes. It sets in 10 seconds and is intended for small household jobs.

The format is the reason to choose it. Super glue's usual failure is not the bond — it is the half-used tube that has cured solid in the drawer before the next repair comes along. Five sealed 1mL tubes mean every job starts with fresh adhesive, and there is no waste from a tube you cannot open next time. Use each mini-vial once.

Where to use it

• Small household repairs
• Joints where the faces meet closely and cleanly
• Most plastics, other than polyethylene and polypropylene

Surfaces must be close-fitting and clean. This is the single condition that decides whether the repair will work: super glue bonds a thin film between two mating faces, and a break that does not close properly is not a candidate.

How to apply it

1. Snap open a tube.
2. Apply a drop to one surface. One surface only, and a drop rather than a bead.
3. Press the parts together for several seconds.
4. Allow 12 to 24 hours for full strength before the repair is put to real use.
5. Discard the tube. Each mini-vial is single-use.

Fast set, slower strength — keep the two apart

The 10-second set time and the 12–24 hour full strength figure describe different things, and confusing them is the most common cause of a repair that comes apart a day later. The set time is how long you hold the pieces; full strength is when the joint can be trusted with load. In between, the item can be handled carefully but should not be stressed.

The other thing worth knowing is that more adhesive does not compensate for a poor fit. A drop between two clean, close-fitting faces makes a stronger joint than a puddle between two that do not meet, because the excess in the middle of a thick joint cures slowly and stays the weakest part of the repair.

The other habit worth forming is checking the fit before you open a tube. Hold the pieces together dry and look along the break: if they close to a hairline, the repair will hold; if they rock or leave a visible gap, this adhesive cannot bridge it, and you have saved a tube by finding out first.

Limitations — where Super Glue Single Shot should not be used

• Not suitable for polyethylene or polypropylene.
• Not suitable for leather or paper on high-stress joins. It will bond them, but not where the join carries real stress.
• No gap filling. The faces must meet; the adhesive cannot bridge a missing piece.

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)
2-Propenoic acid, 2-cyano-, ethyl ester (ethyl cyanoacrylate)	7085-85-0	>60%
Non-hazardous or below reporting limits	—	Balance

The pack is covered by the Selleys Super Glue safety data sheet under product code 103453, so the classification above belongs to this 5x1mL pack rather than to a relative.

The single-shot format changes the exposure rather than the chemistry. The argument made for it on this page is about waste — no part-used tube curing solid in a drawer — and the safety version of the same argument is that there is no tube with adhesive dried around the neck to be picked up and worked at with a fingernail before the next job starts. Each vial is opened, used and discarded. A millilitre is the most that can be in play at any moment.

Cyanoacrylates polymerise on contact with traces of moisture, which is both why this sets in ten seconds and why H319 is treated as seriously as it is: the surface of an eye is about the most reactive surface available. The first aid below is fifteen minutes of running water and then a doctor, and that is not an overcautious version of rinsing it out.

Holding the parts together for those several seconds is also the peak of the vapour release, which is what H335 describes. Open a window, and keep your face out of the direct line of the joint. H227, combustible liquid, is the mildest flammability rung and concerns storage rather than use — not in a hot car, not on a sunny sill. The skin first aid anticipates burns and blistering, beyond what Category 2 irritation alone would imply; that is characteristic of the chemical class, whose curing reaction gives off heat and which is known to react quickly with cotton and wool.

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.
• 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 Super Glue Single Shot

How fast does it set?

It sets in 10 seconds. Press the parts together for several seconds when you apply it.

When is the repair at full strength?

Full strength after 12 to 24 hours.

Can I save a tube for the next job?

No — use each mini-vial once. That is the point of the single-shot format: no part-used tube to cure solid before you need it again.

How many tubes are in the pack, and what size?

Five tubes of 1mL each.

Do I apply glue to both surfaces?

No. Apply a drop to one surface, then press the parts together.

What colour does it dry?

It is clear-drying.

Will it stick to plastic?

Most plastics, but not polyethylene or polypropylene.

Can I use it on leather or paper?

Not on high-stress joins — those two materials are specifically excluded where the join will be under stress.

Will it fill a gap?

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

Why did my repair fail?

The two usual causes are surfaces that were not close-fitting and clean, and a joint that was loaded before it reached full strength at 12 to 24 hours.

Why single-use tubes rather than one larger one?

Selleys states the single-use tubes prevent waste. The practical benefit is that each repair starts with a sealed tube, so you are not opening a part-used one that has hardened since the last job.

Is one drop enough?

The directions call for a drop applied to one surface. If a drop does not seem to cover the join, check that the faces are meeting properly rather than adding more adhesive.

How do I open a tube?

Snap it open.

Is it suitable for big repairs?

It is intended for small household jobs. For larger work, look through the wider glues and adhesives range.

Super Glue Single Shot is part of the super glue range. The super glue guide covers how the formats differ.