Preferred glue of choice?

[Repoman]

I've been using Titebond II and III for building guitars and have come to the decision that I don't like it. In the 6-7 guitars I've built I can spot areas of creep in all of them, the stuff dries a bit soft, or at least not rock hard. This is across many different bottles so it's not a matter of a bad batch of glue.

Are there any glues out there that dry extremely hard that do not require extra setup with them IE hot hide glue requiring heating and fast work time, or epoxy which requires mixing and very short pot life?

 

[schmee]

There's resorcinol glue. Waterproof boat glue. It's what exterior plywood is glued together with. Not sure how available it is anymore but I think it is. It used to be dirt cheap, not so anymore. Not many DIY users any more. It's dark purple though. It's 2 parts but unlike epoxy has great pot life and you just mix the liquid with the powder. Dries very hard.

Resorcinol glue - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

DGR Industrial Products, Inc. :: Structural Adhesives :: Resorcinol Adhesives :: G-1131 Resorcinol Structural Adhesive

The largest R&D material warehouse on the web

www.chemical-supermarket.com

Amazon product ASIN B00DP5VQD2

 

[Freeman Keller]

For many builders who, like me, don't want to hassle with hot hide glue use the original Titebond AR glue. LMII sells a version of it that some builders swear by. A few people use fish glue, I've never tried it.

I use HHG for any joint that might have to be taken apart in the future (dovetail neck joints) and where it would be expected by a future repair person (any vintage work). I use CA for a few joints (binding) and high strength epoxy where AR won't work (gluing carbon fiber to wood). Otherwise I see no reason not to use plain old Titebond.

I recently challenged myself to build a classical guitar using only hide glue (and french polish) and it came out fine. I'll probably be using it more in the future.

 

[schmee]

Plastic resin glue is a powder you mix with water. Dries very hard, but not fully waterproof like the Resorcinol. Similar though as it is a powder you mix with a liquid, but in this case the liquid is water. Easy to use.
Neither of these products fill gaps like epoxy does though. (Weldwood plastic resin glue and others)

 

[oldunc]

There are epoxies with extended open times. Hot melt polyurethane is kind of amazing- sets almost instantly, nearly indestructible, but I've found the available applicators undependable and it's expensive; can't really see it as a good guitar glue. There's something to be said for some flexibility in set glue- if the glue line is less flexible than the wood there's a strong tendency for the wood to fail right next to the glue line. I used to use resorcinol some before Titebond II-III came along, largely because of its high resistance to water- didn't like it much for various reasons. Polyurethanes such as Gorilla glue are a possibility, but again with a lot of problems; they set by contact with moisture, but they also foam up and will creep out of joints as a foam, and will stain wood (and hands) badly; pieces need to be waxed near the glue line for a clean joint.

 

[Ronkirn]

over the years there have been comparative tests of the different wood glues... good old Aliphatic resin (the original TightBond) has beat out everything across the board .... even beating out TightBond's newer types of glues...

r

 

[Freeman Keller]

^^^ What Ron says

There have been a number of tests documented in American Lutherie (the journal of the Guild of American Lutherie) that indicate that hot hide and AR glues are both stronger that the parent woods.

 

[Red Ryder]

Back around 1963 the guys across the street with the ducktails and leather jackets would give me their model cars and keep the glue. Go figure.

 

[dsutton24]

Hide glue isn't all that hard to work with. You've got to just convince yourself to take the plunge. You may think you're doing yourself a favor by using glues with long working times, but in my highly fallible opinion it just isn't so. Even if your cauls go shooting off across the room and you run out of time all you do is remove the hide glue and try again. It's easy.

I'm hardly an Olde Worlde Craftsman type, but hide glue just works so well...

 

[crazydave911]

over the years there have been comparative tests of the different wood glues... good old Aliphatic resin (the original TightBond) has beat out everything across the board .... even beating out TightBond's newer types of glues...

r

This ∆∆∆∆. In the old days I used Elmer's Carpenters glue and in places just Elmer's (I still do) but the moment Titebond came out I was an "early adopter lol". It had everything I liked about Elmer's Carpenters Glue but not the tacky yellow color that despite claims didn't ALWAYS dry clear

 

[Timbresmith1]

Hide glue isn't all that hard to work with. You've got to just convince yourself to take the plunge. You may think you're doing yourself a favor by using glues with long working times, but in my highly fallible opinion it just isn't so. Even if your cauls go shooting off across the room and you run out of time all you do is remove the hide glue and try again. It's easy.

I'm hardly an Olde Worlde Craftsman type, but hide glue just works so well...

I found the hotpot to be a huge pia, and the stench godawful.

 

[guitarbuilder]

Titebond original is hard enough to chip planer blades....That's what most builders of guitars use if they aren't using hot hide glue. There must be a reason why so many use it....even guitar factories....

 

[Peegoo]

If you've got soft glue spots or creep, it means you have too much glue in the joint.

ARs (Titebond, LePage, Elmer's Carpenter, etc.), are not intended for use as gap fillers.

Use a glue comb to help control glue quantity in your joints while still getting squeeze-out. The best ones are made of hard silicone rubber and they work like a notched trowel that's used when applying thinset mortar for tile work.

The glue can dry on these things and the silicone releases it. Take care of these tools and they will last many years. I toss mine into a little bucket of water to rinse it off when I'm finished spreading the glue. Look:

Glue Applicator Set on Amazon


...

 

[RickyRicardo]

I use LePage Carpenters glue which is similar to Titebond Original. No store around me sells Titebond. I've had no issues at all with LePage's.

TB II and III are more for outdoor use,

 

[dsutton24]

I found the hotpot to be a huge pia, and the stench godawful.

To each his own, and all that. I use a mini Crock Pot, and it works fine and is no bother at all. If you're using fresh glue from a source that turns it over on a reasonable basis it doesn't stink.

 

[Maguchi]

Back around 1963 the guys across the street with the ducktails and leather jackets would give me their model cars and keep the glue. Go figure.

Testors model glue. My favorite for sniffing. The colors, the colors!

 

[oldunc]

over the years there have been comparative tests of the different wood glues... good old Aliphatic resin (the original TightBond) has beat out everything across the board .... even beating out TightBond's newer types of glues...

r

What were they testing for?

 

[ghostwolf]

https://oldbrownglue.com/images/articles/HowStrongisYourGlue_FWW.pdf

 

[Ronkirn]

What were they testing for?

for the heck of it... nothing else to do..

r

 

[trev333]

OTB here...