Superglue - Does anything remove it?

I just used the cheapest generic cyanoacrylate "superglue" I could find to repair a small statue here at work. Unfortunately, as I was opening the tube the darned glue shot out onto my desk and all over my hands @&^$# leaking applicator!

Other than picking at myself for the next 3 days, will anything remove it?

Acetone, or fingernail polish remover.

superbleu said:

Acetone, or fingernail polish remover.

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superbleu removes superglue

Paint thinner?

White vinegar will remove it but not any damage done from it.It is dissolved by the acids in vinegar.

superbleu said:

Acetone, or fingernail polish remover.

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Definitely this.

Acetone, paint thinner, maybe gasoline or Goo Gone.

The nail polish remover is confirmed. And keep it somewhere where you know where it is, because if you do anything with Super Glue (and who doesn't) you will eventually need it again.

Several years ago, I was actually using Super Glue to repair some vintage wallpaper in a room in an old bungalow I had bought. I had found about four yards of the stuff that was apparently left over and a previous owner had stashed it in the attic, and I was trying to cut patches from it that exactly matched the big 1940s florals on the wall. Well, somehow I glued three fingers and my thumb together on my right hand. You would have thought I did it intentionally, they were so thoroughly adhered. I played with getting them apart for a minute or two, and realized I needed industrial help. Off to CVS pharmacy to buy some nail polish remover.

My car had a manual 5-speed transmission on the floor, so luckily I could "cup" my new webbed right hand over the knob and shift well enough to get to the drug store. I went straight to the only employee I could find, showed her what I had done and asked her exactly where the nail polish remover was. We went and got it, and she was also running the only available register, so we went straight to the checkout. Then a new problem arose.

I use a very thin credit card holder as a wallet (driver license, a couple credit cards, etc.), and therefore have always kept my folding money in my front pocket. My right front pocket. I could not for the life of me get my Super Glued clump of a claw into my pocket. I wasn't going to use a credit card for a $.89 bottle of remover, either. When the cashier saw my predicament trying to first stick my claw into my pocket, and then me reaching my left arm across and trying to get into the pocket, I think she took pity on me and my glued self.

She took a quick glance around the front of the store to see if any customers were approaching the register. Then she turned to me and asked if I would like her to try and get my folding money out of my pocket. I had never seen this woman before in my life, mind you. But we Americans take care of our own, apparently. I said if she truly didn't mind, I would be most gracious, since my hand had now been glued together for about 45 minutes. I took a deep breath and held it in, trying to make my body as thin as I could, and lo and behold, she worked her hand into the pocket of my work pants, and quite deep, mind you, and was able to snag my bills with a couple of fingers and get it out. In the nick of time, too, because a woman was walking forward to check out and I could tell she thought she saw something going on, but wasn't sure. I could tell she was puzzled.

I paid for my nail polish remover, thanked the cashier (to a fault), and went out to the side of the building and took about ten minutes getting my fingers separated. I never went back into that particular pharmacy. Fortunately, the woman was fairly elderly. Unfortunately, so am I. No harm, no foul, I say. To this day, I still have that same bottle of polish remover.

And my memories.

In a pinch, some plain old warm water can also help peel the superglue off - not as fast as the nail polish remover, but it works.

lovely story there Crixus, made me chuckle

Crixus said:

she worked her hand into the pocket of my work pants, and quite deep, mind you, and was able to snag my bills

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For a second I thought you said she snagged something else that is spelled very close to bills.

I'm finally free of all this glue!

The nail polish remover worked... kind of. It was a 15 year old bottle, so maybe that's why it only seemed to soften it, but not remove it. The majority came off in a vigorous washing with Soft Scrub cleanser, which also left my hands soft and exfoliated. The last bits seem to have fallen off while I wasn't watching.

Thanks for your helpful suggestions!

Oh, and I got quite a chuckle out of your story, Crixus. You'll be telling that one for some time, I would think.

I'm glad that these suggestions worked and that you are free from superglue. I fear that the only other option for removing superglue is Chuck Norris.

I use the vinegar to disassemble fishing lures and the like or rc helicopter repairs gone wrong. Its just not instant like the glue itself.

Super glue.........great stuff. That's what they used to close up my chest. No big scars or railroad tracks.

@ Crixus
I had a comparable experience in accessing cash when, as a twelve year old, I broke both arms and had them in plaster. Regrettably the opportunities for skulduggery that this situation presented were wasted on a twelve year old.