Popular Woodworking 2009-04 № 175, страница 13
purpose is hide glue. Hide glue is made, as you might expect, from animal hides (and it smells like it, too). The great thing about this stuff is that it can be reactivated again and again over its lifetime. So if a joint becomes loose Dra part needs to be replaced, the entire project can be taken apart and reassembled with the help of a little heat and moisture. In addition, hide glue binds very well to itself, so there is no need to completely remove the old glue from the joints. Hide glue comes in two forms, a dry form that has to be mixed with water over heat, and a newer pre-mixed liquid variety that is ready to use. Many folks shy away from hot hide glue because it can be messy and time consuming. Fortunately, the pre-mixed liquid forms are now available and we have hide glue ready to go at a moment's notice. Not only are these pre-mixed glues just as strong as their hot brethren, they are also competitive with the modern PVA glues that we know and love. The Joint is Just a Bit Sloppy Despite your best effort, you will on occasion produce a joint that is just a bit too loose. To make the joint again is one option, but using gap-filling glue could very well save you a lot of time and effort. Remember though, not all glues have gap-filling abilities, and some are just downright terrible at it. (I'm talking to you, polyurethane glue!) Glues such as epoxy and urea resin are my favor te glues for this task. Each is capable ol filling occasional small gaps and making loose-fittingjoints structurally sound. Superficial Repairs There are two glues that I turn to whenever I have to repair knots, digs, scratches or tear-out: cyanoacrylate (CA) glue and epoxy. CA glue, also known as Super Glue, isa fast-drying brittle glue that doesa fine job of filling small holesand cracks as well as reattaching small pieces of wood that may have torn out. And if you have a little bubble in your veneer, CA glue is great for that, too. Just use a syringe to inject some glue under the veneer and clamp it down for a few minutes. If you're really in a rush, like I usually am, pick up a can of quick-set activator. When sprayed over the CA glue, it instantly causes the glue to cure. Another great trick is to mix the glue with a little sawdust to serve as a color-matched filler. Epoxy, particularly the five-minute variety, Best old glue. Hide glue is great for joints that are likely to need repair in the future. A fill-in filler. CA glue and sawdust make great homemade filler. is also great for quick repairs, but it does take a full five minutes to cure. I typically use it for filling holes and knots on horizontal surfaces. Its self-leveling nature and ability to take dye make it perfect for this type of thing. Aside from the dye, you can also add sawdust to the mixture to create nice homemade filler. Weather the Storm If you build any ou.door furniture, you should definitely be concerned with your choice of glue. Standard Type I PVA glue is not adequate for this task, as it has no water resistance. Fortunately, Type II PVA is water-resistant and Type III is waterproof. But there are other glues to consider as well, including epoxy, polyurethane and urea formaldehyde. These glues excel in their"water-proofness" and take just about anything Mother Nature can dish out. However, each of them has its own unique working properties, shelf life and usefulness in other projects, so you'll have to decide which one best suits your needs. These are just a few examples where specialized glues can get you out of a sticky situation. Of course, thereare many other scenarios and numerous other glue options, but these are the ones that I rely on lime and time again. A quick fix. Accidental chip-out can be reattached in seconds with quick-drying CA glue. No longer loose. Stabilize knots end make them look natural with epoxy and dye. I am sure they'll work for you, too. Now, I realize that keeping all these different types of glue on hand at all times can be expensive and wasteful, so it's good to know that our traditional PVA wood glues suffice for most woodshop tasks. But it's like the old saying: It's important to use the right tool lor the job. And glue, after all, is nothing more than a tool in our woodworking bag of tricks. PW Marc is a professional woodworker as well as the creator and host of The Wood Whisperer (thewoodwhisperer. com). The Wood Whisperer (an instructional Internet woodworking show) represents Marc's three passions: woodworking, technology and education. About This Column Our "Wood Whisperer" column features woodworking thoughts and ideas, along with shop techniques from Marc Spagnuolo. Each column has a corre- ____ sponding video related to the techniques or -ft views expressed in fiB&r^-i^"^^ the column available V V ry^B atpopularwoodworking. / com/video. * popular wxxiworki ng.com ■ 21 |
