Questions About Gorilla Glue

[GrayFox]

I've never used Gorilla Glue. I have a couple of questions.

1. Is Gorilla Glue gap filling?

1. Can you use Gorilla Glue for biscuit joints?

2. I'd also be interested in anyone's comments and/or warnings.

Thanks.

[Morris Dovey]

| I've never used Gorilla Glue. I have a couple of questions. | | 1. Is Gorilla Glue gap filling? Yes, when used as directed it foams and expands.

| 2. Can you use Gorilla Glue for biscuit joints? I've never used it for that - but would suppose so.

| 3. I'd also be interested in anyone's comments and/or warnings. Cleans up nicely with paper towel and acetone.

-- Morris Dovey DeSoto Solar DeSoto, Iowa USA

[Duane Bozarth]

Leaving a bunch of air holes. It is not gap filling in the sense I suspect OP means.

I would say the answer to the question is "no".

Certainly? However, it's only real advantage is the waterproof result.

Makes a hell of a mess and takes several hours clamping time to cure. Will not work as a "slide 'n glide" joint w/o clamping for things like corner blocks, etc., like white or yellow glues can.

Harder than a rock once dry so cleanup is a bitch. Having to use a solvent is a pita (as compared to water).

Has no real advantage and many disadvantages other than for the waterproof nature or for some oily woods such as teak, etc., which don't work well w/ other types.

Three times the cost roughly of yellow aliphatic, roughly twice the cost of Type III waterproof. Type II is in between Type I and III for cost.

[Leon]

Yes absolutely it is. BUT is does not add any strength to the joint at that point. This type glue foams and expands and will fill voids.

Probably not a good idea as biscuits need to expand as does the wood that you put the into. Gorilla glue does not have water in it but does cure faster if water is added. The more water you use the more foaming you will see and perhaps you will see a bigger mess.

Keep acetone handy to immediately remove the glue from you hands. Once cured it has to wear off.

[Leon]

No Gorilla glue is not harder than a rock when dry. It is VERY Easily chiseled, scraped or sanded.

[Lew Hodgett]

IMHO, the stuff is strictly overpriced and under peckered.

Lew

[Unquestionably Confused]

It will fill the gap but won't provide strength through the gap - if that makes any sense to you.

It could and would hold quite well, I imagine. However, proper application requires that you WET one side of the glue joint. What's that going to do to your biscuit. I guess the answer to this one is MAYBE

Cost vs benefit vs ease of use - Don't think I'd be using it to glue up panels. Any of the Tite-Bonds (or similar) would serve you as well and cheaper.

Haven't tested this out yet but supposedly Gorilla Glue has a 180 day shelf life after opening. I have had one open longer than that and it still appears usable.

Can anyone comment on that?

[ben]

IMHO any glue that is in liquid form has a decent bonding but when it comes to glue there ain't nothing better than Horse glue(bones),where you have to melt it in a pot.

Just my op. :-)

[Doug Miller]

Ummmm.... no, they don't "need to expand". Biscuits are principally for alignment, not structural strength, and as long as you get a snug fit in the slot, Gorilla Glue is just fine. In fact, you can make a case for Gorilla Glue being *superior* to PVA glues for biscuits, precisely because it does *not* make them expand -- just read the occasional thread here about biscuit-shaped

*depressions* along a glue line (caused by sanding too soon after glue-up with a water-based glue) to understand why.

Unless you live in an _extremely_ arid climate, there's enough moisture present in the wood already for Gorilla Glue to cure, without need of adding any more.

Paint thinner (mineral spirits) works, too, and it's a lot cheaper than acetone.

[Leon]

That is the popular view but from the books that factually address biscuits alone they are indeed structural especially when used on 45 degree miters and on end grain applications such as when attaching shelves with biscuits to cabinet walls. They do indeed need to expand to make a solid and tight contact.

[Thomas Bunetta]

\

Classic, LMAO. T

[Thomas Bunetta]

In other words, hide glue? Tom

[Andy Dingley]

Then don't waste your money. I've never made _anything_ with PU glue where I haven't regretted it afterwards, usually a year or two later when the joint fails.

No. it fills them, but there's no strength.

No. It would be a real nuisance to assemble and the lack of water would fail to swell the biscuits adequately.

Avoid the stuff. Gorilla is reputedly one of the good ones, but I won't touch PU woodworking glues again.

[Duane Bozarth]

OK, so I exaggerated... :) I don't much care for the stuff so I got carried away--don't suppose you could tell, though! :)

[Leon]

Well I can attest that it is a product that requires more attention. LOL

[HMFIC-1369]

I wouldn't use it where I want a flush finish. it could expand enough to screw it up

Don't use the cows brand! Gorilla appears to be the best of the best. It still isn't an epoxy strength. Use it to augment screwed and glued joints. Wouldn't use it for any type of lamination.

[Dan]

On Mon 05 Sep 2005 07:25:22p, Andy Dingley wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Andy, what do you use when you want a glue with a slower setup time? Every time David Marks is doing a complicated glueup he says use something with a longer working time and it sure looks like a bottle of Gorilla glue he's got there.

[Robatoy]

It fills the gap with a foamy version of itself, but has no strength that way. The stuff works really well when gluing aluminum to balsa wood

Part of the attraction of using biscuits is that they are compressed mechanically during manufacture. Then the water in regular glues will expand them and form a tight joint. Only water-based white glues will make the cookies work like they should. Even the yellow won't work as well.

Use white glue when you can, and clean up afterwards.... when that doesn't work, there's always WEST system epoxy..and with micro balloons, you can make them gap-filling.

The whole glue business is full of marketing ideas; yellow, gorilla, waterproof, yadda, yadda, yadda.

White PVA or WEST... the rest is just a waste of time. Oh... and propane powered Imperial adhesive for laminating and Lockweld

8215 for everything else ( see WEST).

[CW]

Nope. Plastic resin glue is what he calls it. Urea formaldehyde, I believe.

[CW]

What's your choice in white glue?