Best glue for wood to metal (small craft item)

[davedoublem]

I'm trying to bond a small metal paper binder clip to a small mdf shape for a certain craft project. The binder is opened so as to insert paper and this is creating a certain amount of pull from the wood, so I need a really strong glue. I normally use UHU glue for most things and it works amazingly for the majority of craft projects. but in this particular instance it comes off with minimal force.

I've tried hot glue and this actually holds very well, but if the binder is widened to a certain point the glue will buckle on occasions.

I just wondered if there are any other glues that are suitable that don't posses any health risks associated if using regularly. I see warnings on a lot of the epoxy glues mentioning excessive use can cause organ issues so i'd like to stay away from anything that is not for regular daily home use.

 

[TheUnicorn]

Could you drill and rivet the clips to the mdf?

 

[BillHoughton]

What type of binder clip? Some can be drilled more easily than others. I agree that a mechanical fastener might be better, if that's possible.

An epoxy might work; you would want to roughen up the glue surfaces to provide a mechanical bond, and make sure they're clean clean clean too (and not oily in any way). Epoxies in the U.S. can be cleaned up with mineral spirits or acetone (depending), so you could address any squeeze-out. You would want a minimal but still present layer of epoxy, which actually needs some thickness to work well.

 

[AES]

IME, "traditionally", if you want a strong bond between wood and metal (just about any sort), especially with SLIGHT flex - which you seem to be describing - an epoxy is the way to go.

Regarding health hazards, once set, especially the long-set stuff (24 hours to be safe, not the 30 mins stuff) the only health hazards occur while you're actually handling the "raw" stuff, especially mixing and applying the glue to the job.

Those hazards can be eliminated by a bit of "common sense" - e.g. don't smoke, wear gloves (nitrile recommended), and MAYBE, if you have sensitive eyes, are are likely to be clumsy, then perhaps safety glasses too. I've handled all sorts of epoxies over the years using the above precautions, and have suffered no ill-effects at all. Any spillage on bare skin can be cleaned off with Acetone, immediately followed up with a brisk thorough soap and water session.

The other point to remember, especially with the slow-setting epoxies, is that once it has set, it (the hardened glue) is just about impervious to anything likely to be found in a house, and add to that, it's just about impervious to stuff like petrol, lots of acids, oils, etc, etc. Because the hardened epoxy is impervious to all that stuff, it actually becomes pretty much inert in every day handling, so again ONCE IT'S FULLY HARDENED, it's pretty unlikely to harm anybody who handles the finished product.

But if you want to be 100% sure, choose a well-known brand which you can easily get hold of - Araldite is just one example of many - and if the product doesn't come with a Safety Data Sheet packed with it, then contact the manufacturer and ask them to send you one by post/E-mail.

Going that route I think you'll have covered all the possible problems.

HTH

 

[Droogs]

"Traditionally" ( @AES )in all the fancy cabinet work like Louis XIV type stuff, where metal was bonded to wood, fish based glues were used rather than regular hide glue. probably due to the fact they act sort of like an epoxy in tht they are viscous and form a rather hard compound on curing.

 

[Yojevol]

JB- Weld PlasticBonder

 

[sawtooth-9]

Not an easy problem to solve.
Probably the best way to go is Epoxy, but you have to really provide a rough metal surface for the epoxy to cure to ( I usually use an 80 grit emery or a file )
Good luck - you will need it !

 

[Fergie 307]

I think you will struggle to find any glue that will work long term. The problem being that as the clip opens it flexes, pulling it away from the glue. You really need to fix it mechanically with a screw or similar if you want it to last for any length of time.

 

[AES]

"Traditionally" ( @AES )in all the fancy cabinet work like Louis XIV type stuff, where metal was bonded to wood, fish based glues were used rather than regular hide glue. probably due to the fact they act sort of like an epoxy in tht they are viscous and form a rather hard compound on curing.

"Traditionally" (@Droogs"!, the story goes that epoxy was 1st invented by a Swiss chemist who was looking for something to replace amalgum (Sp?) for filling teeth during WWII, when dentists found that stuff became difficult to find because of war time conditions in Switzerland. That was the stuff that became Araldite.
That's probably just a fairy tale, I dunno. But as WWII ended in 1945 and it's now 2023, i.e. getting on for a century, I reckon that's long enough to qualify for the "tradition" label I gave it.

Certainly, when I was building model aeroplanes, starting at the age of about 10, and as I'll soon be 78, and Araldite was the stuff we turned to for any job needing a wood to metal bond, I reckon that also qualifies epoxy for the term.

But Louis XIV stuff? "Before my time mate"!

Edit for P.S. Re WWII Droogs: "We" won (so it says in all my history books)! (Not having a go, just couldn't resist a chance to pull yer lag mate). Cheers

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Not an easy problem to solve.
Probably the best way to go is Epoxy, but you have to really provide a rough metal surface for the epoxy to cure to ( I usually use an 80 grit emery or a file )
Good luck - you will need it !

I wouldn't argue one way or the other, but I read long ago that the best epoxy bonds were made with extremely smooth surfaces.

 

[paulrbarnard]

The challenge is going to stopping the glue ripping the fibres out of the MDF with the flexing and also delaminating from the metal surface. An epoxy will be plenty strong enough but you will need good mechanical assistance for it. The best approach would be to drill a shallow hole, or better still a few of them under the point the metal will adhere. Epoxy will now run down in to the hole effectively making a dowel joint. Similarly a hole in the metal clip also buried in the epoxy will have the same effect there. With this approach the John should stand up to pretty much anything you can throw at it.

 

[Bob008]

I'm trying to bond a small metal paper binder clip to a small mdf shape for a certain craft project. The binder is opened so as to insert paper and this is creating a certain amount of pull from the wood, so I need a really strong glue. I normally use UHU glue for most things and it works amazingly for the majority of craft projects. but in this particular instance it comes off with minimal force.

I've tried hot glue and this actually holds very well, but if the binder is widened to a certain point the glue will buckle on occasions.

I just wondered if there are any other glues that are suitable that don't posses any health risks associated if using regularly. I see warnings on a lot of the epoxy glues mentioning excessive use can cause organ issues so i'd like to stay away from anything that is not for regular daily home use.

You can use a pu glue it works fine and doesn’t dry very brittle like epoxy I use a 5 minute cartridge type to glue timber to sheet steel and it never fails