Cascamite

[Doug B]

Thought I’d give a heads up to those like me who used to use Cascamite in the past but have shied away from it recently due to problems of recent times.
I needed a can of oil from Wood finishes direct so to make up the amount for free postage I bought a tub of Cascamite & was pleasantly surprised to see the label on the lid.

obviously as it only just arrived I’ve not had chance to use it but clearly they‘ve recognised the problems & hopefully have sorted them, it’s clearly a fairly new batch.

Finally credit where it’s due, I placed my order with Wood Finishes Direct 7pm Friday night & it arrived this morning at 10:30 a day earlier than their estimate & I got an email pre delivery with an hours slot.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I found Waterproof wood glue, UF resin powdered timber adhesive...Semforite, Resintite

It's excellent. I've used only two Polyvine products and that was two too many.

 

[Cordy]

Surely Semforite is Cascamite by another trade me
Semforite is good, I always leave it overnight to cure

 

[Droogs]

So deny there is a problem and then stick a label on saying there was a problem after everyone starts buying something else and sales crash. Not a very customer orientated sales strategy. I won't be going back to them as basically after several contacts about the problem they denied it and inferred I was either too stupid to know what i was doing "you can't be using it right" or that I was basically a liar for pointing out the problem to them along with many others. So sod 'em

 

[thetyreman]

I always think of what alan peters said in his book on cabinet making saying that all the joints he's ever known that eventually failed and repaired were cascamite type glues and that's why he preferred PVA glue.

 

[paulrbarnard]

I loved Cascamite as a kid. My granddad had a big tin of it in his workshop and I used to use it for paper mache to make boat hulls. Worked an absolute treat. I never did know if he knew I was taking it

 

[Hornbeam]

Moved over to aerolite and not had any problems. Wont go back in a hurry

 

[HOJ]

I have continued to use it, without any issues, I ignore the instructions, my mixing method is to add water slowly to the powder and keep stirring, let it rest, and then stir some more, and add water only if really needed, + I always leave some on a board to check that its cured.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I always think of what alan peters said in his book on cabinet making saying that all the joints he's ever known that eventually failed and repaired were cascamite type glues and that's why he preferred PVA glue.

It tends to shatter in stressed joints such as those in chairs, a problem central heating makes worse. There is no flexibility whatsoever. I've repaired dozens of chairs because of this.

 

[stuart little]

I've still got a small tin of Cascamite I bought in 1983, when I bought my first wooden ship kit (not being familiar with PVA glue). It's still looking in a usable condition. I guess I'll have to test it. It was recommended for boat building in it's day; my model is still in one piece!

 

[Mark Karacsonyi]

Hmmmm, slightly off topic. Maybe worth exchanging Eucryl tooth powder, for Cascamite as a test of quality. In laws spring to mind.

 

[Doug B]

Not exactly scientific but I thought I’d test the new cascamite before I used it on a project so glued up some scraps of pine one with cascamite & one with D4 PVA,I placed the glued up two joints in the vice like this

& then hit them with a hammer,

Both took about the same force to break & as you can see there was break out of timber on both, the PVA breaking closer to the glue line than the cascamite

PVA

Cascamite

I’m not saying one was better than the other they both seem good to me, but for glue ups that I need to avoid any creap that is associated with PVA it’s good to know Cascamite is back to normal.

 

[Cordy]

@Doug B
How long did you leave the glued timber after application before clobbering them ?

 

[Austin Branson]

It tends to shatter in stressed joints such as those in chairs, a problem central heating makes worse. There is no flexibility whatsoever. I've repaired dozens of chairs because of this.

Hello Phil, I’ve read your comments - I’m currently building a couple of rocking chairs, and I have ordered some aerolite to glue up the laminations for the rockers. Was that a poor decision? Many thanks. Austin

 

[Doug B]

@Doug B
How long did you leave the glued timber after application before clobbering them ?

Around 2 days @Cordy only because I forgot about them as I've been so busy

 

[Sgian Dubh]

Hello Phil, I’ve read your comments - I’m currently building a couple of rocking chairs, and I have ordered some aerolite to glue up the laminations for the rockers. Was that a poor decision? Many thanks. Austin

No.

See the response I provided to the question you asked, i.e., 'Which glue?' in the thread you started a few days ago. No-one has come into that thread to say the information I provided was incorrect. You might take the lack of additional contributions there as perhaps an indication that my suggestions were reasonable or good. Slainte.

 

[Austin Branson]

No.

See the response I provided to the question you asked, i.e., 'Which glue?' in the thread you started a few days ago. No-one has come into that thread to say the information I provided was incorrect. You might take the lack of additional contributions there as perhaps an indication that my suggestions were reasonable or good. Slainte.

Hello Sgian,
I sincerely apologize if I have offended you, and I really appreciate your advice. After your reply to my thread, I immediately ordered Aerolite as mail order (I live in France), but I was alarmed a little when I read Phil’s note concerning Cascamite type glues fracturing in joints on chairs. I have never used Aerolite before, so I am a little apprehensive, and perhaps overly cautious.
Again, my sincere apologies.
Austin

 

[Sgian Dubh]

I sincerely apologize if I have offended you, and I really appreciate your advice.

I wasn't offended, but I'd realised Phil was probably describing glue failure under stress in, for example, typical standard chair construction with two tall rear legs, two short front legs and four rails connecting those parts, plus maybe stretchers of some sort. The classic joint failure in that configuration is the side rail to rear leg M&T, although other joints can fail in the chair, as well as failures in other structures aside from chairs. The failures are caused by a variety of factors of which Phil described common ones.

I assumed, perhaps incorrectly, that you'd equated the type of failure I think Phil was describing with your laminating project. Urea formaldehyde adhesives are excellent for laminating projects with one reason being that they resist creep. You also get decent open time (for a relatively small laminate job) to apply the adhesive, adequate time to line up the laminates in the jig or former and to get pressure on. It's true that adhesive bonds in laminations can fail but the causes tend to be more related to poor mixing of the adhesive, poorly made jigs or formers where pressure can't be applied adequately, cold workshops, insufficient time allowed for curing, and even poorly selected or prepared laminates. Slainte.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

The classic joint failure in that configuration is the side rail to rear leg M&T, ............

Yes, mostly. Much aggravated by (often very overweight) people swinging on two legs of the chair.
Probably about ten times the stress many chairs are designed to take.

 

[Mr T]

Haven't been on the forum for some years. The last time I think was to raise concerns about Cascamite, interesting to see the issue continues. I now avoid cascamite where possible.