Gorilla Glue

[Betsy Yocum]

I'm working on gluing up panels for a few table tops. Have wondered about using Gorilla glue for the job. I've searched the site and have found lots and lots about the glue. However, I've not found any definite answers about whether the foam outside the joint will keep the wood from accepting a stain.

I generally use Titebond and for small tables I'm sure that's ok - but am wondering if Gorilla Glue would add anything to the longevity of my pieces. (This is especially important as about everyone in my family at one time or another finds it necessary to sit on the tables as opposed to a chair like civilized people. :rolleyes: )

I've also seen several posts where people say they use Gorilla glue to set their brass tubes for pens. I'd like to know how much Gorilla glue you would use. Do you put on a single line of glue then twist the tube as you put it in the blank or do you put glue all around the tube?

And here's a just because - while searching out my Gorilla glue answers, I've seen several posts about gluing up pen blanks and getting the glue on your hands. I use a sharpened pencil and place the tube of the sharp end - apply the glue and push it into the blank - I never get glue on my hands. When the pencil gets to much glue build up I just nip off the end square and resharpen.

Thanks for all the anticipated help!:D

[Wes Bischel]

Betsy,

I tried GG on a few projects and it worked fine - though I learned to use gloves :eek: . The foam came off easily with an easy swipe with a sharp chisel. But I have to admit, I'm right back to using Titebond II for my wood projects. If I need to adhere dissimilar materials, or for use outside, I'll use GG again (or new Titebond III for outside stuff).

I'm no expert, but for the price and ease of use, Titebond has never let me down.

Wes

[Keith Outten]

Betsy,

I use Gorilla Glue for pen blanks and I use a center punch to hold the brass tube while applying glue and inserting the tube into the wooden blank. My center punch has a perfect taper and holds the tubes perfectly, any glue that gets on the surface of the punch wipes off easilly. I usually apply about a one inch line of glue and twist the tube while inserting. Once the tube is in the blank I remove it and insert it from the other end, this will assure that the opposite end isn't dry and the brass tube is covered completely from end to end with glue.

[Mike Cutler]

Betsy. I use Gorilla Glue quite a bit for projects. In some ways I like it a lot better than traditional wood glue. Any excess glue outside the glue joint will inhibit the staining process, as will most glues. Here are some tricks and tips I've learned.
Lightly dampen both pieces of material to be joined, at the glue line. Mask the area around the glue line with blue masking tape to prevent excess glue from leaching . Apply the gorilla glue with acid brushes, you are looking to get a thin even coating on both pieces of material. With Gorilla glue you are not looking for the "squeeze out" of traditional glue, you may get a thin line of squeeze out , but don't worry. Be very neat with this glue, and you'll reap the benefits 24 hours later.
As the glue cures it will make a foam line along the glue joint, depending upon how thick the application will dictate the amount of foam. Don't freak out at this point. and resist the urge to clean it up right away, it will be much easier to clean up in 24 hours.
Leave your material in the clamps for 24 hours minimum. At the end of 24 hours the excess foam should be kinda squishy, but firm ( about the texture of a gummy bear). Using a wide chisel, or paint scrapper remove the excess glue, and pull up the masking tape. You should have a nice clean glue line at this point, if you didn't use masking tape, no worries, just scrape along the glue line, while going with the grain.
Don't wait too long to remove the excess, if you wait more than a few days you will need a hammer and a chisel too remove the excess glue. damhikt!
Don't buy any more glue than you need. I haven't had success storing it for long periods, it starts too set up in the bottle and makes a skim coat on top of the glue.pita
Some people like this glue, and some people hate it. It has about a 15 minute "open pot" time, so you do have to go fairly quick. hope this helps.

[Jamie Buxton]

Betsy --
Try the following experiement. Edge-glue two boards together with polyurethane, and two with PVA. Stress the joints until each panel breaks. When I did this on the PVA sample, the wood broke, not the glue. When I did it on the polyurethane sample, the glue itself broke. That is, polyurethane is not as strong as PVA. That, plus the messiness issue, plus the shorter shelf life, steered me away from using polyurethane for wood-to-wood bonds.

Jamie

[Howard Acheson]

Jamie, you may want to get the current issue of Wood Magazine. The issue contains a test of the most common adhesives. The tests were well designed and performed. Lots of good info about the different types of adhesives.

One of the tests was edge to edge joints. For these, all the tested adhesives developed enough strength for the wood to break before the glueline. There were even some PVA's that when glued END to EDGE, produced gluelines stronger than the wood.

[Jamie Buxton]

......There were even some PVA's that when glued END to EDGE, produced gluelines stronger than the wood.


No, really?! I'll look for the article, but whose PVA does that?

[Michael Perata]

Betsy

I stopped using poly glues because they are REALLY messy, don't fill gaps, and aren't all that strong and way over priced for what you get.

I was up at David Marks shop (gloat) for a seminar on bent wood laminations a couple of weeks ago and he used a plastic resin glue called Urac 185 http://www.cytec.com/pdf/URAC185.pdf Another brand he would recommend would be DAP Plastic Resin Glue http://www.dap.com/retail/retail_detail.cfm?subcatid=103&catid=28&prodhdrid=42 The DAP product may be easier to find.

These glues have a very long open time, are EXTREMELY strong, fill gaps nicely, the mess is easy to control and the glue line color can be controlled. (Wear work gloves cleaning the joints after glue up, David sliced a thumb badly on the dried squeeze out :( )

[Jamie Buxton]

Betsy

I stopped using poly glues because they are REALLY messy, don't fill gaps, and aren't all that strong and way over priced for what you get.

I was up at David Marks shop (gloat) for a seminar on bent wood laminations a couple of weeks ago and he used a plastic resin glue called Urac 185 http://www.cytec.com/pdf/URAC185.pdf Another brand he would recommend would be DAP Plastic Resin Glue http://www.dap.com/retail/retail_detail.cfm?subcatid=103&catid=28&prodhdrid=42 The DAP product may be easier to find.

These glues have a very long open time, are EXTREMELY strong, fill gaps nicely, the mess is easy to control and the glue line color can be controlled. (Wear work gloves cleaning the joints after glue up, David sliced a thumb badly on the dried squeeze out :( )

I use urea-formaldehyde a lot. (My preferred brand is Unibond.) On the good side, it doesn't creep, and it is waterproof when cured. On the bad side, you have to mix two components together, so it is a hassle if you're doing a small task. Also on the bad side, it won't cure below 65 degrees F (or so -- this depends somewhat on the brand), so people who work in unheated shops in the winter must somehow apply heat to the assembly.

Jamie

[Dennis Peacock]

I have used Poly glue on several furniture projects and found that you can seperate the poly glue joint a LOT easier than you can with PVA glue. I too have tested the poly vs. pva glues via edge gluing. The PVA won the test 3 times out of 3. Needless to say...my poly glue now gets used for making pens only. Besides that....the squeeze out from poly can not be stained over if you don't get is ALL cleaned up before it sets. I ruined the finish of two chairs that way.!!!! Never again.

Not my opinion....just my experiences with it.

[Jerry Olexa]

I've used Poly (Gorilla)glue a lot for generally OUTDOOR projects. I find it messy, hard to clean up and pretty expensive. For most furniture projects, I prefer Titebond. You could use the new Titebond 111 where outdoors use is possible, One man's humble opinion!!

[Tom LaRussa]

Betsy

I was up at David Marks shop (gloat) for a seminar on bent wood laminations a couple of weeks ago and he used a plastic resin glue called Urac 185 http://www.cytec.com/pdf/URAC185.pdf
Highland Hardware carries it:

http://www.tools-for-woodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1659

:)

[Howard Acheson]

No, really?! I'll look for the article, but whose PVA does that?

Elmer's ProBond Interior
Loctite Professional Wood Worx
Titebond Moulding and Trim
Elmer's Carpenter's ProBond Interior/Exterior

The consumer brand PVA's did not do anywhere near as well on this type of joint. Nor did the poly adhesives.

It's an excellent article. The tests were well designed.

[JayStPeter]

I did like the wood magazine test. It seemed pretty thorough and was informative. Some of the results I expected, some were surprising. It will definitely lead to me trying out some different glues.

My experience with poly is much more positive than most here. I haven't ever used it for end/edge gluing, but all my edge/edge joints have been stronger than wood. I brush poly glue on one side only and clamp up. No damping of the other side unless using MDF. Otherwise, the glue tends to foam up lots and makes the joint weak. If you don't overglue the joint, I find cleanup much easier than PVA after an overnight dry.
I'll admit that I'll first turn to PVA. But, if I'll be unable to clean the squeezeout within an hour or so, I'll use poly. I've actually found that sanded poly takes stain a little and doesn't leave the big white blotch that PVA will. It does take the stain differently than wood and is still noticeable. But, it is less noticeable in those difficult corner cleanouts than PVA. I somehow manage to get it off my hands (although it is difficult), but many have problems and recommend using gloves. I guess I'm just willing to sand a layer of skin off to remove it :eek: .
In all my projects, you'll find a mix of PVA and poly glued joints. It depends on the part and when I glued it.
I have been using probond, but based on the Wood test, I'll try gorilla glue again. In the past, I've had problems with it thickening/hardening in the bottle. I attributed that to the junky cap they provide. Once that process started, the joint strength was terrible.
BTW, I'm pretty anal. I test every glue joint I run a saw through and end up with a scrap. I think this has taught me lots about proper clamp pressure etc. I almost never have a glue joint fail anymore. I had 1/4 fail when I first started doing it (mostly from clamping too tight).

Jay

[Betsy Yocum]

Thanks for all your replies - I'm thinking that I'm going to stick with my titebond for now - I'll experiment with another project. The having to wear gloves thing with the poly's kinda pushes me away - I'm not much on using gloves even when staining things. I don't mind a day or two for stain to wear off. But by the sounds of things it takes a lot longer for the poly to wear off. I may change my mind after experimenting a bit to see how I like the glue.

Thanks again for all your opinions.:)