I wanted to add some extra USB ports to my desktop PC, so I bought a cheap, generic 4 port USB hub. Excellent value, works perfectly, but – it’s another piece of clutter on my already busy desk.

I didn’t want to glue the hub to my PC, it felt too permanent a solution, I may want to use the hub with my laptop. Fortunately my PC has a pressed steel case- the perfect subject for magnets. I bought some rare earth magnets and super glue and set to it. As always, when working with superglue, I made sure my debonder was handy before starting out.

The magnets I used are very powerful and you need to be careful when using them to avoid them smashing together. Before getting crazy with the glue it’s worth spending a few seconds to investigate if there are any ‘hot-spots’ on the hub. These magnets are powerful and if there are magnetic components in the hub they will home onto them. If possible it’s better to go with the flow and allow the magnet to find its natural home. If it’s not possible at least you’ll know what to expect when you try to glue the magnet in place. Of course, if you’ve got a strong magnetic attraction you can maybe skip the glue entirely.

Place a tiny amount of glue on the back of the magnet, carefully place it in position, and hold for 10 seconds. If you’re feeling really conscientious you might want to remove the barcode label first – any adhesive is only as strong as its substrate. Repeat with the second magnet and you’re done.

The finished result will hold securely to any steel PC case and can be easily re-positioned as the mood takes you.

Flushed with success from my magnet success I set about upgrading a Mk1 prototype detachable USB hub which had made use of self-adhesive Velcro. The Velcro worked well and is particularly suited to laptops, printers, etc., where there may not be much in the way of available metal work, but it’s inherently slightly less secure when adding and removing USB devices. For this hub I used smaller magnets (~10mm diameter) to fit between the two strips on its base.

While the smaller magnets are perfectly strong enough to secure the hub I’d advise going for the slightly larger (~20mm diameter) magnets. The small magnets are tricky to handle, doubly so when they have superglue applied to one face – keep that debonder handy!

Superglue is amazing stuff, if you use the good stuff it really will bond just about anything to just about anything else. The flip side of its astonishing property of near universal stickiness means that you too qualify as a bonding candidate. I’ve been waiting to do some little jobs around the house until I had my supply of anti-glue at hand. I try to keep the glue and the anti-glue together at all times. I’ve rarely had call to use it but it’s nice to know it’s there.

I’ve used a number of superglues over the years and l was always left somewhat underwhelmed with their performance. A couple of years ago a colleague recommended Zap-a-Gap and I’ve never looked back. If you’re only going to buy one super glue from the dazzling choice of cyanoacrylates, and you don’t have super specialist requirements, Zap-A-Gap is an excellent all round performer. It is well suited to general purpose household repairs and fixing duties. It really does do what it says on the bottle. It doesn’t need specialist surface preparation, its gap filling properties allow for slight mismatches in the surfaces to be bonded and critically it gives a short but usable ‘open’ period during which pieces can be adjusted for precise fit.

Whichever glue you choose, do yourself a solid and buy some debonder to go with it. Even if you don’t need it to avert comedy capers it’s useful for unpicking mistakes and cleaning up surplus glue.