Veneer wont stick

[woodiedonald]

Hi,
Im having a problem with trying to glue a sandwich of veneers together. Basically they wont stick. I used a good amount of glue and got good squeezeout but took it out of the clamps after a day and nothing stuck, just a layer of dried glue on the two pieces.

The veneer was sitting around for 6 or 7 months beforehand but didnt appear dirty, the glue was fine as i glued other solid wood bits with it before and those jobs was fine.

This happened to me before with new veneer and wood which was planed only a few hours before. So far its happened with bog standard PVA from the builders merchants and Titebond 3.

Any ideas whats wrong?

 

[Peter Sefton]

A few questions
What veneer are you using, is it oily :?:
How long did it take to glue up and was the workshop hot or windy :?:

 

[woodiedonald]

A few questions
What veneer are you using, is it oily :?:
How long did it take to glue up and was the workshop hot or windy :?:

I was using walnut, cherry, maple and some coloured veneer (think its poplar with a dye, not sure) Didnt take too long, 2 or 3 mins. The workshop wasnt either hot or windy.
Thanks

 

[Peter Sefton]

I would say possibly old frost damaged glue, or some contamination in the glue up. But I fear the reply will be neither so as the Dragons would say 'I am out'

 

[Ian]

Try again and give the surfaces a clean with alcohol or M spirit just to remove an dust or dirt that will prevent the bond. Next is to not use too much glue just enough and roller it on with a mini gloss roller (just do a test piece with a small piece and keep it under pressure for 1hr it won't be fully cured but will have bonded) also how are you pressing them?

Best

Ian

 

[woodiedonald]

I would say possibly old frost damaged glue, or some contamination in the glue up.

could be either to be honest.

also how are you pressing them?

I had them clamped together between two 2" pieces of softwood with parcel tape covering the faces .

Thanks

 

[custard]

the glue was fine as i glued other solid wood bits with it before and those jobs was fine.

That's what puzzles me. Everything you say suggests glue that's out of date (why oh why won't they print date codes on the pack?) or glue that's been frozen and thawed. If the glue looks "stringy" or mottled in any way then bin it, it's gone off. Are you absolutely sure those solid wood joints you mention are really secure?

 

[marcus]

oh why won't they print date codes on the pack?

+1 to that. Such a simple thing to do. I've had glue where, unbeknownst to me it's been sitting in the shop for months, and then it doesn't work. Nightmare.

OP, could you try a few experiments with scraps — different pot of glue, and with and without cleaning the veneer?

 

[Steve Maskery]

+1 for duff glue.
On a similar thread, a while back, someone pointed out something that had never occurred to me before. When you buy glue, how do you know how it has been stored? In an unheated warehouse? Or even during the courier process if you buy it mail order - has it been in the back of a van overnight? At -5 in January?
It's not just PVS either. A friend brought me some Extramite for a job we were doing and that didn't mix up properly. Not sure how old it was, but it was definitely not useable. We binned the lot.
S

 

[Peter Sefton]

My BriMarc rep told me they don't import Titebond over the winter months so to avoid stock freezing on the journey, makes sense.