Cascamite. Is it my incompetence or the product duff?

[scrimper]

For the last 40 years I have used PVA especially when gluing up panels to use, however many years ago I used to use Cascamite and thought I might give it a try.

I followed the instructions on the tub and opened a packet of powder which I added to the water and proceeded to stir but all I could get was a lumpy gel like substance like white 'bogeys' floating in the water, it just would not mix. I was able to drain some of the water away and tried placing the substance on the work but I could not even get the stuff to stick on the timber it just sort of rolled about like a half set rubber glue.

I did not have any success at all and ended up wiping the stuff off and using PVA.

What am I doing wrong, I thought I could just mix it up and use it!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

How old is your cascamite? It doesn't last long and besides, it went through a change of formula and was crepe. Get yourself some Waterproof wood glue, UF resin powdered timber adhesive, Semforite, Cascamite, Aerolite

 

[Hornbeam]

I used to use cascamite most of teh time due to its longer open time and waterproof joint. Then they changed the formulation and it was carp. Now I use Aerolite one shot which is very similar to the cascamite of old

 

[Mike.R]

Just add the water a little at a time and you'll be fine.

 

[Droogs]

If made before march this year, bin it as phil says above, they had severe supply probs for the previous few years as one of the chemical came from a specific spot in Iraq and was not available. They tried to use something else instead and blamed it not working on every buyers apparent incompetance. Bit of a debacle really and cost them most of their market share

 

[scrimper]

Thanks for the swift replies folks, much appreciated. I did read somewhere about problems with Cascamite but I assumed that it had been sorted out by the time I bought mine earlier this year, the date of manufacture stamped on the base is 2021, I shall certainly be contacting cascamite to complain about this product, I doubt they will care but it gives some satisfaction to vent ones feelings.

 

[TRITON]

I used to like said powdered glue, so much easier to handle than other forms.

 

[Sideways]

I used about 4kg of it 6 weeks ago.
Bought from amazon in the hope that their stock will be turning over quickly.
Packaging made a point about reverting to the trusted formula.

I was careful to measure weight of water accurately and mixed up 750g of powder at a time.

A tig welding rod bent into a simple whisk and spun in the cordless was perfect for achieving a nice creamy consistency.

 

[kinverkid]

I addition to MikeR's suggestion, try to use water around room temperature or slightly warmer. I used Cascamite earlier this year and it seemed that the problems it was having may have been solved or I was just lucky. I have had no problems with Semforite so you might want to try that otherwise.

 

[MorrisWoodman12]

I too had trouble with cascamite. Swapped to semforite and have had no issues at all.

 

[julianf]

I used about 4kg of it 6 weeks ago.
Bought from amazon in the hope that their stock will be turning over quickly.
Packaging made a point about reverting to the trusted formula.

I was careful to measure weight of water accurately and mixed up 750g of powder at a time.
View attachment 147693

A tig welding rod bent into a simple whisk and spun in the cordless was perfect for achieving a nice creamy consistency.
View attachment 147692

How did it work out?

I've used it in the past and liked it. I'd like to buy some more soon, but would like confirmation that all is good before I do.

Re mixing (for others) - it's the same as mixing a number of powder products, including making pancakes... If you just chuck in all the fluid at the start, you'll never get rid of the lumps. The trick is to make a paste to start with and then dillute that.

 

[Sideways]

I was screwing and glueing full sheets of osb to make a double thickness. I looked into several glues before choosing cascamite for the job.
Impractical to dismantle to test the glue bond but it went together well. The test pieces showed that it set and with cascamite's familiar " hard" glue line.

 

[scrimper]

Thought I would give it another try today. I managed to get it mixed up this time but it did not turn out as I expected. If I remember correctly the last time I use Cascamite was when I was working as an apprentice boat builder at Salters in Oxford over 50 years ago. I don't remember what the glue was like when mixed but the result I got today was a sort of milky consistency, seemed a bit 'runny' to me anyway I went ahead and glued up some hardwood panels so it's pot luck whether it works or not.

Being used to using PVA for many years I was expecting the Cascamite to be a thicker mix?

Anyway I will find out tomorrow whether the glue has 'worked' or not. FWIW the date code is 08-2021 so perhaps this is the proper stuff?

I will report my results tomorrow.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Did it turn clear or stay white?

 

[scrimper]

Did it turn clear or stay white?

Not sure yet as soon as I finished the job it was time for dinner and getting cols and dark so I locked up the workshop for the night.
The 'mix' did look more like adhesive than the concoction I 'brewed' up yesterday and did at least appear to be sticky.

Is it meant to be a fairly thin Consistency or should it be more 'paste' like?

I wonder if I used too much water in the mix yesterday,I used a lot less today and it seemed to dissolve properly.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I meant when you mixed it. It should go clear.

 

[scrimper]

I meant when you mixed it. It should go clear.

Oh I see, It looked white in the receptacle but when spread out on the work it looked clear, if that makes any sense.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I had some of the Polyvine stuff. It was a long time since I'd used the stuff and thought it odd that it stayed white, fortunately I didn't use it for anything of importance. I tried polyvine wood oil, which wasn't like any other product sold as wood oil, it was a varnish ................which was still soft a month later, and not fully hard then. I wouldn't touch Polyvine with yours.

 

[Sideways]

My experience of Cascamite was white translucent. Both wet and dry it is a bit like the colour of those big plastic bottles of milk once empty.
That's exactly the colour I remember from when my dad used it 50 years ago.

 

[clogs]

is it a tradition.....?....
why bother with all the mess AND worry...
anything special I use a resin but norm water resistant PVA does all I want....