Glue+Finish combo for scout projects

You might try one of the low temp glue guns for your adhesive. Somewhere back in my mind is a picture of a girl scout troop using them to make scrapbooks. The scrapbooks were made and finished in a night.

Give it a dry run with your own young scout and see how it goes.

I can only imagine the fun of a lot of little boys squirting glue out of a "gun".

Robert

I wouldn't worry about the glue not drying under a finish. If the are nailed or screwed so they will hold together they are good to go.

I would get a can of zinseer bullseye shellac. Pretty much non-toxic and dries in 5 minutes if you put it on thin. You could even get some alcohol and thin it down a bit and it will dry even faster. You could have them sand the first coat with 400 and do a second. Just apply very thin coats. Give each scout a dixie cup 1/2 full and one of those

Gel stains would be pretty easy and they even dry quickly.

Krylon would also be a possible solution but little boys with paint bombs could be problematic.

Richk wrote:

I don't think it would be a problem if mechanical fastners are doing most of the holding.

I like oil finishes myself for the simplicity. You might want to use something like Tru Oil though, which dries really fast (2 hours or less). If that sounds interesting, you should experiment with it a bit first to see how it dries. In particular take care not to apply it too thick, as that can leave a rough surface after it cures.

I can easily imagine a number of kids getting their fingers stuck together if they're using CA glue. 5 minute epoxy would set quickly, but you'd likely need to be mixing up a lot of small bathces for them and then they'd have to apply it with a small stick or spreader. I'm not fond of the polyurethane/foaming glues.

So it does seem like something simple like Elmer's white glue would be the way to go. The only issue that comes to mind here is making sure they don't squeeze out too much and make a big mess of things.

I do samples all the time...a quick wipe with some Minwax-type stain (let it set for a bit) works with a couple of coats of spray lacquer...wood glue should set up within 15 or 20 minutes and if it's nailed too it should be fine to go over with stain or, like the previous poster said, Krylon (same cavaet, tho!). Make sure the excess glue is wiped off pretty quickly so just a little sanding will get rid of the remaining residue...especially if you're staining. Paint is best here...glue residue then is not much of an issue.

cg

I went with the shellac - shouldn't have worried about the drying issue. It was pretty busy in my garage this evening . . we got the woodwork done, but didn't get to the finishing . . next weeks project. Now I'm relaxing and having a beer. The kids had fun and the only injury was one of the dads when a kid slipped with a screwdriver.

Thanks for the info.

Rich

Very cool.

Ouch on the screwdriver. One good lesson I always give is about sharp tools. It doesn't really relate to the screwdriver accident but it does remind me of the safety issue.

Whenever I pick up a sharp chisel especially, but any sharp tool. Or if I have them out on the table, I remind my self not to try and catch them if they slip out of my hand or get bumped off the table. Grabbing them can be dangerous. That little reminder always keeps me thinking "slow and safe".

Fun fact... You can tint the shellac with Transtint liquid dyes. Reds, oranges, browns or even blackish. Just need to be more careful about overlap to get an even color. The kids might like that little bit of customization. Do one drop at a time and test the color. Mix and match and all the mistakes just come out brown ;^) Of course one little spill of the dye and the kid will have a brown hand for weeks. Maybe better to go natural.