Does urea formaldehyde glue bother you?

Maybe the correct term is Urea Resin. I found some in the Woodworker's Supply catalog. Doesn't it have formaldehyde in it?

Dave

Before the Titebond and Elmer's type glues there was the Weldwood Plastic Resin glues. They come in a powder form, mix with water, have a long open time, and don't get it on you or your clothes. It has to wear off. Very strong.

Thanks, Leon. I'd prefer to buy a small amount like in the link you included. The W.S. cat. sells a larger amount of another brand for $23. Now all I have to do is see if I can get the Weldwood at a local store. I looked yesterday at HD for any type of UF and found zilch.

Dave

Le>

I found some locally. $6.99 for 1 lb.

Thanks again, Leon.

Dave

Le>

How long do you leave the clamps on with this glue?

Dave

Le>

How about a slow setting epoxy? In most ways it is superior to PVA glues. I just picked up a supply of the slow setting #3 hardener for System 3. It gives 40 min of open time before gelling at 90°. The #2 hardener was setting too fast. IMO, the only disadvantage is that it is too runny for most glue jobs without a thickener, and maybe slightly higher cost. Other than that, it is a dream. It will glue just about anything, there is less need for clamping, it is gap filling, it dries clear, and it scrapes and sands away much easier than any other glue, except for maybe hide glue, which is my second favorite. It does a good job of filling small surface imperfections like planer tearout and freezing in place unsound knots. Once they are shellacked over, the repairs look very good. You can get a quart of System 3 resin and a pint of hardener for about $45 at Woodcraft. Rockler and Lee Valley sells West Systems for about the same price. That isn't a whole lot more than Titebond ounce for ounce.

I like the Titebond liquid hide glue better than PVA glue, and it has a slightly longer open time. What's really nice is that if you do screw up, you can undo just about anything with an iron and a few drops of hot water. That saved my ass recently. I put a piece on upside down and since it was hide glue, I had it apart and reglued in minutes. Any other glue, and I would have been doing a much more radical repair. A big disadvantage is short shelf life. BTW, for PVA glues, you can get Elmer's brand for a lot less money than Titebond.

Forever... :)

Like Duane said, for ever. Actually I left it 24 hours.

It'll say for the particular variety on the can instructions but it will be in hours, not minutes. After all, you want a long open time... :)

Also note these glues don't "tack up" like pva glues--they need the compression to build joint strength until fully cured.

Thanks, Duane. Guess I can forget about using it for a rubbed joint! :)

Oh, does it dry about the same color as titebond?

Dave

Duane Bozarth wrote:

All I've seen are amber/brown....

different types of glue. It is fairly thin and likes tight joints. I put two pieces of 1/2 ply together for my RAS about 30 years ago. Still going strong ( i.e., the pieces never separated).

BTW, it has no smell when mixed that I could detect.

David wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:

Check the temperature requirements for curing as well. While it may not be a problem this time of year, there is no way my shop will be 60+ degrees for 12-24 hours during the winter season.

Patriarch

The one I got says 70 degrees. Most of the time, that'll be ok.

I just read the fine print. At 90 degrees open time is only 5 minutes!! What did I gain over Titebond?

Dave

Patriarch wrote:

David wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:

Have you looked into using Titebond Extend?

Patriarch

Until it's dry. :)

Yup. I've had a gallon in stock for more than a year. I don't find it all that useful and dislike it's consistency. Too runny.

At 75 degrees, I glued up some oak with the plastic resin and will leave it clamped until tomorrow. I also left glue spread out on some scrap for over a 1/2 hour; they were still wet, so at moderate temps it looks like this stuff will suit my needs. According to the label, around 90 it isn't gonna give much working time.

Dave

Patriarch wrote:

To point out the obvious, if you have a major glue-up requiring such a long open time and have such a problem w/ shop temperature (and I certainly understand that :( ), get it all ready and to the dry fit in the evening then hit the glue-up first thing next morning. Has the added benefit of being fresh for the high-tension process....