Assuming I put a tiny amount of super glue in the hole and not on the magnet, and then I move the magnet close to the hole, wouldn't it naturally get sucked in the right way, in terms of polarity?

Polarity probably does not make a difference in this application as you are not using the magnet to attract, or repel, to another magnet. There is a hand grinder that uses polarity to help pop off the cup by giving the cup a twist till the magnets line up with opposing polarity. Sounds like a really nice feature, never tried it myself. I know I would appreciate it on my Kinu!

I never saw the decent funnel, I assume there are a good amount of magnets. If you are curious about the polarity and if you can identify one side of the loose magnet from the other then you can move that magnet to the ones still on the funnel to see if they are all the same. My guess is that it will randomly attract or repel from the other magnets. If they are all the same just put it in the same way.

Not sure about the safety issue of super glue, but it is probably a good choice as far as the thickness of the glue. If the one you glue on is higher than the others it will increase the gap of the other magnets, maybe not enough to make a difference though?

Slightly surprised that Decent didn't just offer to send you another one. Are there consumables that necessitate repeat orders? If so then I guess it does make sense.

The Wikipedia article on "Cyanoacrylate" discusses, in some detail and with references, the safety of cyanoacrylate glues. The formulation used in super glues may cause skin irritation and allergic reactions (in some people) but that seems to be limited to exposure to uncured glue and fumes. Of course it can cause a lot of damage if you get it in your eyes or swallow or inhale the liquid form. The cured stuff is not known to have any toxicity at all, though you can choke on it if you try to ingest a large enough gob of it.

I wouldn't worry about using a small amount of glue to fix a broken coffee mug or even repair a small break in dentures...in fact I did use it to fix my mother's upper denture plate years ago, and it worked fine.

Probably a good deal, if not all of the publicly expressed "concerns" about the toxicity of super glue is not due to the glue's actual toxicity but to: 1) CYA behaviors (eg all of those signs in commercial establishments (even in hospital pharmacies!) about the presence of "substances known to the State of California to cause cancer, reproductive harm, etc; 2) Commercial/business interests, like all those dentists who post websites "warning" folks not to try using crazy glue to fix their dentures, but to bring them in for "professional" (and not cheap) repair; or 3) General chemophobia.

Pressino wrote:General chemophobia. :)

I don't think it's phobic to be conservative about ingesting things you don't fully understand. I think that's a rational approach. But in this case it seems we're all in agreement that using a tiny dot of super glue is pretty darn safe. You're gonna die... but not from that.

On a slightly different topic, I've had this notion that E6000 was kind of a nasty adhesive, definitely something to keep away from food. But while searching the net for information on super glue I came across references to E6000 as being benign once dried. Is that your understanding as well?

Or to put it another way: What cured adhesives would you be comfortable with in contact with food (or your espresso water) on a daily basis?

Didn't mean to imply anyone here is chemophobic, but clearly some people are. I think E6000 is definitely more toxic than superglue. Just read the published MSDS for both glues. E6000 consists of a solvent, terachloroethylene, and styrene 1,3-butadiene (polymer) and has warnings for carcinogenicity along with several other specific hazards. Certainly the solvent vapors are very hazardous, from both the carcinogenic and irritative/inflammatory potentials, as well as being directly neurotoxic. The other components are also known to be carcinogenic. In comparison, there is no evidence at all that superglue (polyethylcyanoacrylate when cured) is carcinogenic or has any significant toxicity risk except for skin and respiratory tract irritation (when vapors from the liquid unpolymerized form are inhaled...or when the stuff is heated in forensic labs to reveal latent fingerprints). Superglue polymerizes without the use of a solvent.

So in E6000 that is a definite health hazard and potentially remains so even after it is cured. In any case I'd be more concerned about using it than superglue.

Oh, okay. Thanks. I guess I can't use E6000 as a substitute for peanut butter. It's a very useful adhesive. It sticks to so many things.

I know that cyanocrylates are used in dentistry and also for skin wounds (I've used generic super glue to repair skin injuries while on a multi-day rock climb). But I wonder about the other ingredients in the different brands. I have a several different ones and it seems possible that there are differences. Do those other ingredients affect toxicity?

One of the super glues I have is more of a gel and also has different properties in terms of what it will adhere to. I tried to glue the arm of a broken wooden figure with one of the more regular super glues and it just wasn't sticking at all. Had the same experience gluing a piece of plastic onto the button of a guitar tuner. This other super glue (the label says "Cyanoacrylate Resin") worked like a charm in both cases. Is it just as safe to ingest?

I have the same sorts of questions about silicones. I have different sheets of the stuff as well as a number of tubes of silicone adhesive. They are all different in both name and performance. I think silicone is pretty inert. But as for these sheets and the adhesives I cannot say... except for the ones that are actually labeled as FDA food safe.

Problem solved!

https://sworksdesign.com/Seamless-Magne ... p432524031

Finally got mine a week ago after Canada Post "misplaced" it for a couple of weeks, but worth the wait. Great for me especially as lately (though it may not be best practise) I've been banging the funnel sharply on the basket after WDT to get any clinging grounds to fall, a process that I think would tend to dislodge glued in magnets.
It's got about the right grip for my E&B basket but a bit much for my go-to Pullman. Apparently some of the magnets can be removed from the silicone ring to lessen the grip, which I may do eventually - though it does looks like that could degenerate into an hour of annoying fiddling with an unruly clump of magnets.