Yellow glue or ??? for Adirondack chair?

I presume you mean that he split a piece off of one of the arms?

Personally I'd get out my old can of Weldwood Plastic Resin Glue. The stuff's hard to find nowadays and you have to buy a pound of it for ten bucks or so (that pound will likely last you the rest of your life) but it's good stuff. As for durability, it's FAA approved for structural use on production aircraft. Epoxy has all the glamor these days but the old workhorse is cheap and good. Do read the label though and use it exactly as directed.

Another alternative, find the nearest Woodcraft and see what they've got--they should have T88 epoxy in a 1.6 ounce syringe for 20 bucks or so--that should do the job nicely.

Or Titebond III--it's not going to be immersed and there should be enough irregularity in the split to serve as a key and prevent creep.

Reply to
J. Clarke
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Use carpenters "waterproof" wood glue. Titebond or Elmers. I have two redwood Adirondack chairs, going on their 16th year. I use a clear "Flood" product, goes on milky and dries clear. (The instructions say it dires in 24 hours, but it remains sticky for a week.) You can bring back the red color if you clean it.

Reply to
Phisherman

While epoxy may be the best solution, if you're hesitant to use it I think you'd do fine with Titebond III. Unless you're storing the chair underwater :-).

Reply to
Larry Blanchard

OK. The T-88 just arrived. I couldn't find it in anuy local stores, so I ordered it online.

A couple of questions:

The wood is very VERY dry. It was never finished or sealed in any way. It's been sitting in the sun for 4-5 years. The entire chair weighs next to nothing.

Should I dampen the surfaces before applying t6he T-88?

If so, how much and how long beforehand?

Any other preparation? The surfaces are clean and (very) dry.

I was planning on using a cheap brush to apply the epoxy. Any better suggestions?

Thanks

PS: The bottle says to wear rubber gloves. Is that necessary for one little patch?

Reply to
Prof Wonmug

A very good epoxy, and probably well suited to this job because it's a bit thicker than some and won't soak into the wood like water. It also cures in a reasonable amount of time.

NO. This is epoxy, not polyurethane glue.

You mean like sanding or the like? You could, but I doubt it would make a lot of difference. I would brush an initial coat on both surfaces and let it soak in for a while (10 minutes or so; if memory serves, T-88 takes a good half hour or more to start getting thick), and brush on more if the wood drinks it up; you don't want the mating surfaces starved of glue. I still think the Titebond III would have been the easier choice, but I think you'll be fine.

Nope, that'll do it.

Your call; I probably wouldn't. As I recall, the cleanup solvent for this epoxy is white vinegar, so I would have some of that handy.

Reply to
Steve Turner

I thought I read somewhere that dampening the surfaces a bit will keep very dry wood from soaking up too much of the glue (expoy) leaving a starved joint.

I think sanding would make things worse. It was a clean break along the grain. The arm received a shearing force and the wood split lengthwise. I am planning on fitting the pieces together. I already tested it without any glue and they fit almost perfectly.

The instructions say to let it sit for 30 minutes on wood. If there are any dry spots, apply more.

I heard you, but I've used Titebond before, so this was a chance to get some experience with a high-end epoxy. I've only used the quick-set epoxies before.

Yes, it says to use white vinegar.

Reply to
Prof Wonmug

Get a small can of denatured alcohol at the hardware store.

On the way home stop at Harbor Freight and get a box of latex surgical gloves (About $5/box of 50 pairs) and depending on how big the patch is some plumber's acid brushes and/or some 2" chip brushes.

Total cost, less than $10 with tax.

You will also want some throw away cups.

Mix up some epoxy, delute it about 5% with the alcohol and apply it to the wood allowing it to soak into the wood.

Apply 2-3 coats as needed.

Wait about 2-4 hours, mix up some more epoxy and apply it to the wood over the previous thinned epoxy.

Throw cups, brushes, gloves, etc in the trash, get a beer, and brag about your accomplishments.

BTW, wear OLD shirt, no matter how careful you are, you will probably get some on the shirt.

(Guys who regularly use epoxy buy a lot of clothes from the Salvation Army store)

If you get any epoxy on your bare skin, strip down and get into the shower as quickly as possible.

If you ever get sensitized to epoxy, you will wish you hadn't.

Have fun.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

Is that 1 oart alcohol to 19 parts epoxy? In other words, just a small amount of alcohol?

To both sides, right?

How long between coats?

I should be so lucky as to only get it on my shirt.

Is this stuff more "toxic" than the 5-minute epoxies? I've used them many times, typically get a fair amount on my hands, and never had a reaction.

Reply to
Prof Wonmug

I get a bit on me now and then but do usually wear gloves. The instructions are pretty clear they don't want you getting it on your skin so I assume it has some level of toxicity. If you have some gloves available, I would use them.

I usually mix up some in a dixie cup or bowl. I let it thicken for 10 minutes or so then slather it on pretty thick. I usually use a trimmed flux brush but I am doing little areas. I don't think you can go wrong with this stuff. Doing a pre-glue or "sizing" as some suggest is probably a great idea if you are gluing any end grain, good for yellow glue also, but I wouldn't think it is necessary on face gluing no matter how dry. This stuff is thick.

Reply to
SonomaProducts.com

I used a pair of those on my last epoxy job. They really helped make the task a breeze--especially when wiping off the excess.

I recently stopped in at Goodwill to buy more pants for yard work. Turned out they had one pair that fit me but they are nicer than the pants I usually wear, and like new. So I still need to buy more pants for yard work... ;)

Bill

Reply to
Bill

Just a smell.

I just eyeball it, it's not critical, anything from 4%-6%.

Know the old joke about a dry martini?

How much vermouth in a dry martini?

Stand on the other side of the room and spell "vermouth" quietly.

Absolutely.

5 minutes maybe, you are simply trying to get the epoxy to penetrate the and seal the wood and establish a base for the final coat.

Didn't understand this was a chair arm repair when I made previous post.

With that info, I would wait maybe 15 minutes after last coat of thinned epoxy, the apply finish coat and clamp pieces only enough to hold pieces in position.

Old clothes RULE.

NO but being exposed to epoxy is cumulative.

One day you wake up and are sensitized.

BTW, wrap your clamp pads with some waxed paper or plastic so the pads so they won't leave any marks on the wood.

Have fun.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

Yep, that's what the instructions say. Do not clamp too hard.

I didn't know that. Thanks. I'll get some gloves.

Reply to
Prof Wonmug

Reminds me of the joke about the guy who couldn't afford to send his shirts to the cleaners, so he donated them to the Goodwill, then went in and bought them back for 25 cents after they cleaned them. ;-)

Reply to
Prof Wonmug

Harbor Freight is your friend when it comes to consumables like latex surgical gloves.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

Denatured alcohol is just ethyl alcohol with some stuff added to make undrinkable, right?

I have a bottle of rubbing alcohol. It says it's 70% ethyl alcohol. The inactive ingredients are acetone, denatonium benzoate, methyl isobutyl ketone, and water. Can I use it to dilute the epoxy?

Reply to
Prof Wonmug

Leave that crap in the medicine cabinet.

It contains water.

No good for epoxy.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

Crap? Have you tried it with a little OJ or a beer chaser?

Reply to
Prof Wonmug

I put two ribbons of epoxy in a dish, mixed a bit, and added a splash of denatured alcohol. As far as I could tell, this did not affect the epoxy mixture at all. It was just as thick as before.

I applied one coat to the two pieces. as far as I could tell, it did not penetrate at all. It certainly did not disappear.

Now, I am reluctant to apply 2-3 coats of fear of getting too much build-up and losing the nice fit from the clean (ragged) break.

I think I'll just apply it full strength and clamp.

Reply to
Prof Wonmug

Go for it.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

I wasn't going to say anything because Lew appears to know more about epoxy than most other humans, but I didn't think the alcohol thing was going to work. System Three T-88 appears to be a bit of a different animal relative to most other epoxies. The "clean up with white vinegar" thing puzzled me right away; nothing short of lacquer thinner or acetone would touch most of the other brands I've used.

Reply to
Steve Turner

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