Anyone else use Gorilla Wood glue?

[Jeff Wille]

I am NOT talking about the foaming poly glue that is brown and stains your hands!!
This is white wood glue that looks just like Titebond III. Gorilla wood glue is also supposed to be weatherproof, but I've only used it for interior work.
http://cdn.dickblick.com/items/236/29/23629-1008-2ww-m.jpg
Anyway... I worked at a hardware store during college (last 4 years) and when it first came out, Gorilla sent us a free 6-pack of this glue. No one else working there had a use for it, so I got to take all the samples :D
I was able to try it out on some cabinets and I was very impressed with it. It requires very little holding time and it's as strong as any other wood glue Ive used (mainly Elmer's wood glue and Titebond).
I'm posting this since I've heard a lot of negatives about Gorilla Glue in general - and I, too, don't like the brown stuff. It foams, makes a mess, and is dark. The poly glue's bad reputation seems to be spilling over to anything with the Gorilla name on it.

Anyone else ever use Gorilla WOOD glue? Any exterior trials?

--Jeff Wille

[Brian Kent]

I haven't used it, but I have nothing against the company - just the one gooey product, so I'll try some if the price is similar to Titebond.

[Paul Ryan]

Jeff,

I have use about 6 bottles of the gorilla wood glue. I really like it is sets up fast and dries completely clear. I have no compaints about it. The Borg around here sells it for less than tight bond and about the same as elmers. I buy it becuase it is supose to be water resistant. I will continue to use. Sometimes is you need longer open time it isn't the stuff to use because it sets up so fast. I have edge glued lots of boards with it and started working on them in 45 minutes. If your shop is warm I have sent edge jointed boards threw the wide belt sander after only an hour, but my shop is cold and glues cure slowly. If I need something for a longer assembly I use titebond III. The only property I like about that stuff is it cures brown, which comes in hand in cases. But in general titebond III takes way to long to set up for me. I really think for the price the gorilla wood glue is a good product. The fact that t cues clear is really nice for those hard to reach and clean out places. I have also used it to make patches and plugs by mixing saw dust with it. This glue works better for that because again is cures clear.

[Jim Eller]

I purchases a bottle a couple of days ago and gave it the smack test.

Yesterday, I had a couple of leftover ends of freshly milled southern pine so I thought I would give it a try.

The pieces were 1.25"T x 5"W. I put on enough glue for squeeze out and clamped them together with the grains running at ninety degrees to each other. I let it set for 24 hours.

Today I held one with a pair of unsupported channel locks and smacked the other with a claw hammer.

To my surprise........the joint separated cleanly. The glue failed. There was not one splinter of wood torn from either piece.

Where did I go wrong?

I guess it's back to Titebond III?

Jim

[Brad Wood]

... grains running at ninety degrees to each other. ...

... Where did I go wrong? ...


Jim


I think the grain needs to be parallel not perpendicular, no?

[Brad Wood]

I use titebond III. The only property I like about that stuff is it cures brown,

titebond iii cures brown?

[Chris Padilla]

titebond iii cures brown?

Yes...a dark tan might be more appropriate. Works nicely with walnut! :D

[Chris Padilla]

I purchases a bottle a couple of days ago and gave it the smack test.

Yesterday, I had a couple of leftover ends of freshly milled southern pine so I thought I would give it a try.

The pieces were 1.25"T x 5"W. I put on enough glue for squeeze out and clamped them together with the grains running at ninety degrees to each other. I let it set for 24 hours.

Today I held one with a pair of unsupported channel locks and smacked the other with a claw hammer.

To my surprise........the joint separated cleanly. The glue failed. There was not one splinter of wood torn from either piece.

Where did I go wrong?

I guess it's back to Titebond III?

Jim

Did you try your test with III, Jim? Too bad you didn't perform the test at the same time with the exact same wood. I'd be curious.

[Ray Dockrey]

I bought some and I don't like it. Maybe the bottle I got was old but it didn't have much tack and when it dried it turned white instaed of clear.

[Cody Colston]

If I had free samples I'd probably try it out. Otherwise, unless it's proven clearly superior to Titebond III I see no reason to use it or anything else.

I'll leave the testing up to other folks and stick (pun intended) with what I know works well.

[Paul Ryan]

I have been using the gorilla wood glue for some time and have been writing about it. After reading about the test that Jim did, I went and did my own test. I have just finished a silverware box that is assembled with gorrila wood glue. While designing the box I was trying to decide what wood or woods to use. I glued a piece of walnut and mahogany together to see what they would look like together with a natural finish. In the end those are the woods that I went with. So anyway I went and got my pieces that had been glued together. Now they have been glued together for about a week, not a few hours. This was not a scientific test I have now idea how much force I used. I just tightend the walnut in the vise and smacked the mahogany with a hammer. I hit it with a good smack. Look at the pictures they should speak for the strength of the glue. I did 2 tests. After the 1st I moved the wood farther into the vise so the glue line was only 1/4" above the vise jaws. The 2nd and 3rd pictures are test 1 and then test 2.

[Brent Leonard]

I've wondered about the gorilla wood glue.

I have never had reason to use anything other than Original Tightbond and TightBond III. I really like TB3 and use it 80-90% of the time, but use Original flavor for a shorter open time.

[Howard Acheson]

>> To my surprise........the joint separated cleanly. The glue failed. There was not one splinter of wood torn from either piece.

What happened when you did the same test with the TBIII?

[Jim Eller]

I have not tried it with TB III. I will try to do that tonight.

Maybe it was the southern pine that did it. It does have some heavy pitch lines in it. I didn't even get a single splinter like Paul did even after having it clamped for 24 hours.

It's no big deal to me one way or the other. I've always been happy with TB III so I will just "stick" with it. I just tried the Gorilla Glue because it was something new.

Thanks,
Jim

[Jim Eller]

Follow-up:

I just did the same non scientific test with Titebond III.

The results were that I could not break the glue joint. All of the surrounding wood gave way first.

I used the same two boards that I used with the Gorilla Wood Glue. I just turned them over so that the Gorilla Wood Glue sides I used before were on the outside.

Not scientific but I have no reason to stop using Titebond III. The Gorilla just didn't work for me.

Jim

[Ray Dockrey]

I emailed them about the issue I had with Gorilla Glue. The reply I got back was if you use the glue below 50 degrees it will have no tack and it will dry chalky. I was using it at about 40 degrees. So I will give it another try when it is warmer.

[Jim Eller]

I emailed them about the issue I had with Gorilla Glue. The reply I got back was if you use the glue below 50 degrees it will have no tack and it will dry chalky. I was using it at about 40 degrees. So I will give it another try when it is warmer.

Ray,

I don't know where you are, but I don't want to be there:) I use to live in northern lower Michigan and I can remember those days.

I am currently east of Knoxville, TN and the day I did the Gorilla Glue thing, it was 65 degrees outside. My walkout basement shop is also heated.

So, temperature was not the problem.

Thanks,
Jim
Kodak, TN

[Paul Ryan]

Most of my glue ups occure in my basement. The room that I use for finishing and glue ups is usually unheated. When I finish I have space heaters but I don't run them constantly. A couple of odds and ends projects I made this winder were glued up when that room wasn't warmer than about 50. I did see the chalky white residue a couple of times it cleans off real easy and doesn't seem to effect strength. The 2 pieces I tested were glued up when the temp was about 55 in that room. As you can see from my pictures that didn't effect the strength. I have built all sorts of things with that glue and really like it. I have done my tests on it and it performs better than the titebond glues do. As I have written before I like it because it cures clear which no other glue does. To be honest I have never used regular white glue so I don't know how that would cure. The only time I use titebond III is when I need a longer open time. The gorilla glue sets up very fast which in most cases is nice. I dont know what occured in Jim's test but I have had very different results. I glue it and clamp it like any other glue. The 2 pieces I tested didn't have much glue on them because I didn't plan on trying to break the joint. I just wanted to see what they looked like together when stained a natural color. As you can kind of see from the pics there was really no squeez out, and I didn't clean them. I have no reason to not continue using the glue.

[Mike Hedges]

I have used it , works great , not any problems . Used on Small cherry clock and jewelry chest of cherry and worked great >

[John Sanford]

Open Time: Best open time is TiteBond II Extend (15minutes), although the new Roo EcoClear claims a 20 minute open time!! :eek: Roo also dries clear. RooWood is a fast tacking woodglue, so my guess would be 5 minutes or so.

Conversely, if you want fast tack and setup, then Original Titebond is your friend.

Chalk Point - Best is TiteBond III, 45 degrees IIRC. Polyurethane glues are about 40*. Titebond II is 50*, Gorilla Wood is 50*. Original Titebond is 55 or maybe even 60*.

[Bob Genovesi]

I've used the polyurethane glue and like it allot for outdoor work. The dried foam scrapes and sands easily and stains pretty well too.

For all others I use TB1 and TB3, no desire to change.