CA glue or hot glue gun?

[Tony Kent]

Hello all,
Been a long time since I have been here or turned anything. I hope ya'll are doing well. I set up an old HF lathe I had (eesh the refurb on it and my tools took a lot of elbow grease) Anyway all set up now except a proper sharpening system. Working on that since I have a wolverine already, but it's 1000 miles away in CA. Here's my question though... I usaully use ca glue for gluing waste blocks to blanks...ca glue is expensive for me now. What are your thoughts on hot glue? I have never used it before, is the set time reasonable? Is it safe to turn a blank at 600 rpm? The HF's slowest speed (I miss my delta, it's in storage too)
Thanks for any replies and glad to be almost turning again.
Tony
Ps any turners near Gig harbor, key pen. WA?

[David Reed]

Tony
I have not used hot glue, but since many folks use double sided tape for smaller turnings, I would think it would hold at least as well. I use 5 minute epoxie. Cheap, quick and so tough, it needs to be turned or cut away.
Welcome back to the Creek and welcome to Gig Harbour (up the lane near Olalla).

[Peter Blair]

HI Tony and welcome back. Sounds as if you have had a major move.
I often use hot glue depending on the size of the piece. Never have had one come loose but I recently purchased some turners two sided tape and like it better.

[Jeffrey J Smith]

Hello all,

Ps any turners near Gig harbor, key pen. WA?

Tony: Welcome back - can't give reasonable advice on glue blocks, but as for turners near you, there are many. There are clubs in Bremerton and Fife - both reasonably close, and Olympia and Seattle as well. All are very active. I believe the current president of the Fife club - South Puget Sound Woodturners - lives and works in Gig Harbor.

[Tony Kent]

Hello,
Sorry took so long to reply, I will try the hot glue as well as the turners tape for some smaller items I need to make. yeah Ollala is right up the road. I'm out on the KP. Lakebay. or so they say, it's a zip code. Perhaps years ago there was an actual town of Lakebay? I will look into the Fife and Bremerton clubs when I can. Thank you all for the welcome back and advice on glue etc. Hope ya'll are doing well and turning safely. A quick note on some great customer service. I oredered two spindle gouges from PSI....paid for UPS ground and this is why I like this company, they sent it USPS priority mail and I got it in 2 days which is amazing considering how for out in the sticks I live. Plus they didn't charge me for it. That's first class CS in my book.
Take care all,

[Brian Ashton]

the biggest limiting factor for hot melt glue is getting a big enough surface area adequately covered and the two pieces bonded together before the glue cools too much to give a good bond. For small pieces where the button of glue is less than an 1 in diameter the limiting factor of times isn't an issue but try to spread hot melt over a 3 inch diameter area in adequate time, spread it out and get the pieces together fast enough. The only way to determine if the bond is adequate is if it holds or lets go in the middle of turning...

Ambient temperature will also be a significant factor.

It also isn't a glue that has longevity.

That being said I really like hot melt glue. When two pieces of what ever are pushed together while it's still really hot it will bond anything really well. But I use it with caution. I used it all the time as a turner and especially as a cabinet maker to hold drawer fronts in place so they could be easily screwed on or if I was along and needed a quick hold fast for a piece of crown moulding...

You can also break the bond fairly easily to if needed simply with a long box cutter knife.

[Clint Merrill]

Hey Tony;
Glad you're back. Hot Melt is an ideal glue for turners, easy to apply, inexpensive and it works !!!! Get it good and hot, dab some on your waste block, push the blank to it and apply a little pressure if you can, C-clamp, tailstock is ok too. When it turns cloudy it is ready to use, usually 2-3 minutes is enough. To separate use a metal paint scraper and ply apart. You can also pull the excess off and re-use the blank many times, you will quickly learn how much is sufficient to hold properly, doesn't take as much as you might think.
Good luck with your new, old , hobby.
Clint