Glues

[stuckinthemud]

I usually use cascamite for structural glue ups, but a colleague has suggested ea40 or mt13 epoxy as an alternative. Thing is, I very rarely use more than a dollop, certainly never get to more than a serving spoon in quantity used in a 12 month. Any thoughts on products available in small quantities as good as "proper" cascamite, or are their troubles a thing of the past now,?

 

[baldkev]

I am mainly site based, so i use a lot of woodweld and gorilla glue, but i know a lot of luthiers swear by titebond. If you look at their range of glues, theres a ton of choice. It seems to me that titebond 3 looks like a good all rounder. It's what i intend to use when i have a crack at my first guitar

 

[Droogs]

I believe quite a few on here have started to use Aerolite as a replacement but don't know how small a tub you can get. If you are really using such a small amount would a syringe of 2part epoxy not do you?

 

[Cordy]

Semforite is a copy of Cascamite; it works fine for me
Bought mine HERE
Good open time, I leave the glue-up for 24 hours to set

 

[furnace]

Semforite is a copy of Cascamite; it works fine for me
Bought mine HERE
Good open time, I leave the glue-up for 24 hours to set

+1 for Semforite.

 

[Adam W.]

This is a new one for me. Why do you use Semforite ?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Because cascamite has quality issues.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

OP - you have a PM.

 

[Adam W.]

Because cascamite has quality issues.

Let me re-phrase that.

What properties does semforite have that make it more suitable for a given application than other glues ?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

No creep, reasonably water resistant and good open time. You need to be an optimist to attempt complicated glue ups with most other types of glue in warm weather as they'll set on you before you're finished.

 

[Rorschach]

Glue discussions seem to be a bit like sharpening threads, somewhat of a religious/cultish element to them. Everyone seems to get very acceptable results even though everyone aside from the OP is "doing it wrong"

 

[Yojevol]

That's a really good price for Semforite and available in small quantities. The vendor warns against moisture ingress whilst in storage. My experience is that plastic containers are not 100% watertight so I transfer it into glass jars. My latest batch is still good after 18 months on the shelf - used some yesterday.
Brian

 

[Just4Fun]

I find glues have improved so much since I was young that nowadays I typically buy no-name generic "wood glue" from the local store. For most of my work any glue is good enough. I do use other glues when needed, such as for sticking material other than wood. I recently bought some hide glue to restore some antique chairs. I mixed up a tiny amount and only actually needed a fraction of that. The only problem is that I bought a 1 kg bag of it so now I have several lifetime's supply at my rate of use.

 

[Keith 66]

I have spent my career sticking things together (mostly boats) & have used a lot of glue. My dad swore by Aerolite & i still use it occasionally for spar work. I have used resorcinol but its critical & finicky hardener ratios are a pain.
Mostly i use West epoxy today for boat work & the ability to modify it for different uses by adding various fillers or fibres is a bonus.
I also like Titebond 3.
Foaming polyurethane glues are a triumph of marketing over substance & i dont like them as UV kills the stuff in short order.
For instrument work i use Hide glue, only been using it a few years but find it really easy to use & its reversibility is what stands out.

 

[furnace]

That's a really good price for Semforite and available in small quantities. The vendor warns against moisture ingress whilst in storage. My experience is that plastic containers are not 100% watertight so I transfer it into glass jars. My latest batch is still good after 18 months on the shelf - used some yesterday.
Brian

The Semforite I bought came in plastic bags. I put them in a additional plastic freezer bag, sealed with a freezer bag clippy thing and put it all in an old Cascamite tub. The previous Cascamite lasted 5yrs stored in the same way.

 

[Droogs]

I bought a lidle food vacuum sealer, the type for that fancy boil in the bag cooking that is all the rage. It is bloody useful for long term storage of things that go off. Buy bulk - put in small qty in bags, take out the air and seal. Put in a big box in the dark and years of storage. The machine is also useful as a mini bag press for veneering glue ups etc of small things