looking for a fast setting wood glue

[Joe Hillmann]

I use my laser to cut out letters from thin plywood then glue the letters to the back of matboard. When I make them in the shop I just use gorilla glue or titebond and let it sit clamped over night. But this summer I plan to do a lot of craft shows and want to assemble them at the shows and am looking for a quicker drying alternative. I have played with hot glue and it works but often times at shows electric either costs $10 more per day or isn't available at all.

Can anyone suggest a fast drying or at least fast setting wood glue that isn't a two part mix that requires mixing?

[Steve Kohn]

How about superglue? Them make various viscosities and spray accelerants

[Joe Angrisani]

Yep... There's Superglue brand as Steve said. But also many brands of cyanoacrylates or "CA" glues including Titebond and Zap. Titebond makes four thicknesses, I believe.

[Joe Hillmann]

Ok, anything a bit slower than CA glues, It looks like the thicker glues dry in seconds. I guess I am looking more for something that drys or tacks in a minute or two so I have a bit of time to align everything.

[frank shic]

i use the titebond trim glue for doing raised panel glue-ups and assembly.

[Ron Natalie]

3M Super 77 Spray Adhesive. It's sort of like contact cement in a spray can.

[Sam Murdoch]

3M Super 77 Spray Adhesive. It's sort of like contact cement in a spray can.

Yes, this is great stuff. Spray a light coat for removal or spray 2 coats and you are STUCK! Can be messy though - you need to account for overspray - maybe a cardboard box as a spray booth. There are different 3M spray adhesives with different tack strengths associate with each. The Super 77 is a good general purpose.
Check out the options: http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/3M-Super-77/Super77/SprayAdhesive/Product-Information/?PC_7_RJH9U5230GE3E02LECIE204A00000000_assetType=M MM_Article&PC_7_RJH9U5230GE3E02LECIE204A00000000_assetId=1114 284885132&PC_7_RJH9U5230GE3E02LECIE204A00000000_univid=11142 84885132

[John Piwaron]

that white gorilla glue sets up pretty darn fast. too fast for me. I went back to the usual brown kind.

[John Lanciani]

The syrup thick CA glues I've used take about a minute to go off if you're not using accelerator. Probably just the ticket for what you're trying to do. The only real downside is cost, $10 - $12 for 2 oz.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31J5igpCJ-L._SL500_AA300_.jpg

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Google starbond glue. It brings you to CPH international. They know CA glue. Tell them what you want to do and they have a CA for you. They do have CA that set in a few minutes. You can get large bottles from them, if you got a "lot" of projects to glue up. Better than spending money on those tiny bottles.

No affilitation, I just like thier products.

[Joe Angrisani]

.....I am looking more for something that drys or tacks in a minute or two so I have a bit of time to align everything.

That pretty much eliminates the contact cements like 3M Super 77 that Ron and Sam suggested.

Sounds like you think CAs are instant bonding. As John said, the thicker CAs give you at least 30 seconds to a minute before they lock solid, maybe longer. Give 'em a try.

[Sam Murdoch]

Great link Kyle, as you write - "they have a CA for you" :http://www.starbond.com/

[Sam Murdoch]

That pretty much eliminates the contact cements like 3M Super 77 that Ron and Sam suggested.



Not necessarily, if you go to the 3M site that I linked you will see that they have lots of options for different applications and if you use a light spray you can put down and pick up - so not a true contact cement. You just need to study the product line.

[Peter Quinn]

Check out the hi-pur polyurathane hot adhesives. It's a battery charged system, you could keep it going all day with a small inverter. They have formulas from 30 seconds to several minutes, and it's real real permanent. Made by tite bond, sold at wood craft, amazon, my local building supply has it too. Haven't used it but tried it at a demo, very impressive.

Well, disregard this post. Its not a battery powered device, must be plugged in, memory didn't serve me well. Its "cordless" for 20 minutes after its plugged in and heated up for 15 minutes! Maybe the inverter pack could still work though, of course they aren't cheap, and neither are these hi-pur kits.

check these out...http://www.amazon.com/Xantrex-802-1500-XPower-Portable-Powerpack/dp/B00005RHQQ/ref=pd_sim_auto_5

Won't be cheaper than $10/day, but it solves the not available at all problem.

[Jim Finn]

I use a lot of elmers white glue and it sets up in minutes, Try it. $1.29 at Walmart. (School glue)

[Ronald Blue]

Are these indoor craft shows? If not maybe a small generator. Some of them are very quiet. Just one other option for electric.

[Howard Acheson]

3M Super 77 Spray Adhesive. It's sort of like contact cement in a spray can.

Yup, that's the stuff to use. A quick spritz on each part, wait a couple of minutes and place the part in position. Only caveat, you only get one chance to place the parts. The joint is instantaneous.

[David Hawxhurst]

just going to throw this out there since it wasn't mentioned yet: 5 minute epoxy.

[Barry Richardson]

Hide glue would fit the bill. Titebond makes a pre-mixed version. Of course if you lived here in AZ with the heat and low humidity, yellow glue will set up in a couple of minutes:)

[Chris Fournier]

Go to an industrial adhesives supplier in your area and ask about quick set PVAs, they exist! Veneer Systems in Naigara Falls NY comes to mind.

[ian maybury]

My guess is that the trick is going to be to find something fast curing that isn't quite expensive.

To pick up on Chris' suggestion of PVA. Might there be an option to use the heat re-activation capability of one of the old style basic 'white glue' PVAs? (not the fancy 'waterproof' ones) Coat both surfaces in advance (making parts at home?), and let them dry. Use an electric clothes iron or use some sort of hot laminating press to stick the parts together? It won't necessarily be a very strong joint by structural standards, but that may not matter.

If coating and sticking have to be done shortly after each other it's possible that one of the specialist post forming PVAs used by those making counter tops and the like might make this possible. These guys come up on Google: http://www.wilsonartadhesives.com/products/ProductSearch.aspx I'm not sure, but I think some of the variants they use air dry in a few minutes (in warm conditions), and the parts are then laid on top of each other and the bond is made as above using moderate heat and pressure.

These guys came up too, they might be a better supplier for smaller quantities of specialist heat activated stuff: http://www.basicadhesives.com/heatact.htm

Two part polyurethane or epoxy that can be dispensed from a twin cartridge pack or twin syringe hand gun through a static mixer nozzle might be another option - you would need a good supply of spare nozzles though.

Hot melt won't allow much time for positioning.

Superglues are not waterproof, quite brittle and fume/cause blooming on smooth surfaces unless a low odour version is used. They are fast with an activator.

There are various polyurethane, acrylic and epoxy glues from industrial suppliers that cure when hit with the right frequency of UV light, and there are small hand lamps available for this. These get used mostly in electronics assembly, are not necessarily suited to larger bonds/thick glue films and a bit specialist.

ian

[Jim Finn]

[QUOTE=Joe Hillmann; I have played with hot glue and it works but often times at shows electric either costs $10 more per day or isn't available at all.
QUOTE]
I run one of my scroll saws , a fan and a sander at street fairs using a battery and an inverter. Got them localy at a "Battery Joes"
...................I run it for 10 hours or so and recharge when I get home.

[Sid Matheny]

Back when I did a lot of scroll sawing I used Aleene's Tacky Glue. It seems to dry rather quickly and worked well for me.

Sid

[Joe Hillmann]

What are you using for a battery?


[QUOTE=Joe Hillmann; I have played with hot glue and it works but often times at shows electric either costs $10 more per day or isn't available at all.
QUOTE]
I run one of my scroll saws , a fan and a sander at street fairs using a battery and an inverter. Got them localy at a "Battery Joes"
...................I run it for 10 hours or so and recharge when I get home.

[Jim Finn]

I computed the amp. draw of my equipment and length of time I wanted to run it, and bought a deep cycle battery capable of running my stuff. I also sized the inverter that way. The battery I ended up with is a bit smaller than a car battery is and a little larger than most motorcycle batteries. It measures 8"x 5" x 6" tall and is rated at 35 Amp hours. 12 volt. (Universal brand UB12350) The inverter will run 3.3 amps.(400 watts) To double check my computations I told the guy at the battery store what I wanted and he confirmed what I had figured. I had a 6 amp charger to recharge the battery, already.

[Joe Hillmann]

I computed the amp. draw of my equipment and length of time I wanted to run it, and bought a deep cycle battery capable of running my stuff. I also sized the inverter that way. The battery I ended up with is a bit smaller than a car battery is and a little larger than most motorcycle batteries. It measures 8"x 5" x 6" tall and is rated at 35 Amp hours. 12 volt. (Universal brand UB12350) The inverter will run 3.3 amps.(400 watts) To double check my computations I told the guy at the battery store what I wanted and he confirmed what I had figured. I had a 6 amp charger to recharge the battery, already.

If doing the shows this summer go as well as they did last year I plan to eventually have a similar set up, running the laser from a pair of deep cycle batteries, I realize that that is completely off topic from my original question but since it is my thread I think it is ok to hijack.