Re-sticking tiles? Is it possible?

[Nuber Cuber]

Ok, one of my favorite 3x3x3's (was my primary cube) is tiled with cubesmith smooth tiles. I really like the tiles, but I have a problem. My mistake was keeping the cube in a backback with a book next to it, the pages of the book would slip underneath the tiles and I would find the tiles later while reading the book.

Now I have 1 or 2 blue tiles that have been peeled off 3 or 4 times and will not stay back on. Is there anything I can use to stick the tiles back on? I don't want to use superglue, because I might not be able to ever get the tiles off then.

Any advice on what I could use to stick my tiles back on would be great. Thanks.

 

[Vulosity]

Tape them on?

 

[Kiel0]

Spray Adhesive

I put mine back on using some spray adhesive that I stole from my wife. She got it at the hobby store. -- It is marked as being "removable" but holds pretty strong. I just spritzed the back of the tiles and stuck 'em on!

 

[Nuber Cuber]

If I have to, I will go out and buy some spray adhesive, thanks. It would be nice if there is something more household, though, that I might have that will do the job.

 

[Athefre]

I don't want to use superglue, because I might not be able to ever get the tiles off then.

When I made plastic tiles for my old cube last year, I used superglue. A month ago I peeled a few off and they came off easily, but not so easily that they come off by themselves. The only bad part was that they left thin superglue spots on the cube. But those are easily covered up with more tiles

I'm not sure how well your tiles would come off because it may be a different plastic.

 

[blgentry]

I've hooked my cubesmith tiles with my fingernails a few times during solves. In addition to the pain of a tile going under a nail, I managed to bend a tile, and eventually cause it to fall off.

A friend put it back on for me by first masking off the cubie face, and then spraying it with spray adhesive. He also sprayed the back of the tile and let them both sit for a minute or so, then pressed them together. That lasted for 3 or maybe 4 months until the tile came off again.

This time, I examined the cubie face and found a raised "line" on the face of the cube from the mold that it was cast in. I removed it with an Xacto blade, and then repeated his procedure, masking off the cubie with tape and spraying both it's face and the back of the tile. It seems very solid after a few weeks, but only time will tell.

So the bad news: The "best" spray adhesive is 3M "Super 77". It resists heat well, and has been an industry standard for many, many years in a wide variety of applications. I used to use it when I built custom subwoofer boxes for cars, but that's another story. So the bad news part of this is the price: Locally, a (huge) can of 77 is just under $10. It's not a lot of money in any sense, but, on the other hand, you can get a whole new set of tiles for $4.50. A can of 77 will cover a ridiculous amount of surface area: Far more cube surface than you could use in a lifetime... but is it worth it? For me it wasn't. I just went to my friend's house and used his again.

I hope this helped some.

Brian

 

[blade740]

Basically any kind of glue that will stick to plastic will work, spray or not. Just make sure not to get any in the cube.

 

[SH4]

I've hooked my cubesmith tiles with my fingernails a few times during solves. In addition to the pain of a tile going under a nail, I managed to bend a tile, and eventually cause it to fall off.

YES! This happens to me quite a bit on my cubesmith tiled cubes. Hurt so bad one time, I had to check to see if I was bleeding.

Somewhat unrelated, but: I've had silicone spray (CRC specifically) completely destroy some of my cubesmith tiles before...mainly the green ones. (permanently turned them white in many spots) A few drops of silicone from a routine spray made contact with some tiles, and they were done. Not saying this will always happen, but I'm saying it *could* happen. Anyone with a cubesmith tiled cube should use extreme caution when using silicone spray.

 

[Nuber Cuber]

After a little bit of thinking, I decided to try hairspray. I found some old can of Aussie instant freeze hairspray that my mom had. I shot the tile and then wiped it off so a thin layer remained. I stuck the cube on and let it dry for about 30 mins. It hasn't fallen off yet (I've only done around 20 solves or so).

 

[desiboi101]

just use superglue. it workes like a charm. try not using that super glue where you squeese the superglue out. this type of glur will make some undesired bumps on the tile. instead, use the super glue that comes with a mini brush to apply on. then apply the glue to the cube and let the tile sit for about 1 minute and your good to go. just make sure you always want to keep that tile because if you try to take it off, the super glue residue will run your speedcube. hope that helps

 

[Athefre]

just use superglue. it workes like a charm. try not using that super glue where you squeese the superglue out. this type of glur will make some undesired bumps on the tile. instead, use the super glue that comes with a mini brush to apply on. then apply the glue to the cube and let the tile sit for about 1 minute and your good to go. just make sure you always want to keep that tile because if you try to take it off, the super glue residue will run your speedcube. hope that helps

I used the squeeze glue and used a toothpick to spread it around. The bad part (other than having superglue permanently on your cube) is if you use translucent tiles you can see the glue through it.