Not Curing

[Jude]

I need help!!
Today I glued up some blanks and they did not cure, just fell apart. I did not change my method of mixing the epoxie, The two part from PSI, the one blank I thought cured fell apart when tring to press it together. It did rain here today coult that effect anything? I know that some of yall use something called ca, which I dont know what that is, is it better than 2 part epoxie?? Any help!! Please!!!!!!!

 

[DeanGThomas]

Questions for your question!

Jude,

What kind of epoxy were you using? What brand and "model"?

What wood(s) are you trying to glue? Some woods are oily or waxy and have to be wiped with acetone before epoxy can work.

How old is your epoxy? Epoxy has a shelf life! If it was old and beyond the expiration date, it just might not work.

What temp was your epoxy before you started? Some folks keep their glues in the fridge or even a freezer. Icypoxy won't cure. Sometimes ever.

How humid was it? Don't know if that makes a difference or not, but I can't imagine that it wouldn't.

Was the wood well-fitted before gluing? If there were warps and you had to clamp them to dewarp it, and you unclamped it too soon, that could kill your joint.

CA is shorthand for cyano acrylate and is the technical name for what lots of folks call super glue. Go to www.woodcraft.com or any other woodworking source and see that you can get this in thin, medium or thick viscosities. Each of those has its purpose in woodworking.

Write back on the questions. We've got to have answers to keep from just guessing totally.

 

[Mr. Don]

Glue-ups

I do not know why you want to go to all the trouble of mixing up epoxy...I have extremely good luck with "Gorilla" glue or any of the "Tite-bond" glues. If the item is a miniature, then use CA (super) glue. As stated above, some woods may need to be treated with Acetone first. No sense in getting too complicated in a simple task.

 

[Ed_McDonnell]

Hardener?

Sure you didn't accidentally forget the hardener? I've see people get in a hurry and grab the wrong bottle and add more resin instead of hardener.

Ed

 

[john lucas]

I've used a lot of epoxy and the only problems I've had are not completely hardnening (I'm pretty sure it was very old stuff) and not sticking to certain woods unless I wipe them with naptha, acetone, or lacquer thinner first.

 

[Jude]

Different wood

I glued up some cocobola, which is somewhat oliey, some purple heart which is not, gaboon dry, and some olive, wood kiln dried. I do not keep it in the fridge or frezer it was VERY humid today. I think I am going to order some tight bond and try that. My glue was bought only 3 weeks ago and this is the first time this happened.
Does tight bond fill in the voids from drilling?
Thanks again
Jude

 

[Bill Boehme]

Another problem with mixing epoxy is that the ratio of the two parts has to be almost perfectly equal. If the ratio is off by more than about 15%, then it may never harden. Also, thorough mixing is critical. After mixing, let it sit for a minute before applying it to the surfaces. If your wood was slightly damp, then epoxy will not stick but should still set up -- slightly damp means anything but absolutely bone dry.

Bill

 

[Randy]

This is one of the reason that I like gorilla glue. Since it is a urethane glue, it needs moisture to cure properly.

 

[DeanGThomas]

This is one of the reason that I like gorilla glue. Since it is a urethane glue, it needs moisture to cure properly.

Yeah, but GG doesn't every really harden, does it? And my experience is that it does not dry clear. Great for general woodworking, but is it really a good use of the stuff for turning?

Just asking cuz I really have not even tried it for turning applications.

 

[DeanGThomas]

I glued up some cocobola, which is somewhat oily, some purple heart which is not, gaboon dry, and some olive, wood kiln dried. I do not keep it in the fridge or frezer it was VERY humid today.

Okay. Cocobolo could indeed be a culprit here. I'm betting that the ebony (gaboon) is the other one. Where did your joints fail? Did ALL of your epoxy joints fail, or just some?? I'm betting that where the olive and purpleheart were joined, they stuck together, but that the others didn't. Do I win??

I think I am going to order some tight bond and try that. My glue was bought only 3 weeks ago and this is the first time this happened.

ORDER some??? Seems like I remember you saying that you live out a bit, but if you've got a Walley'sWorld, you have instant access to Titebond I at least. T-1 is plenty sufficient for normal woodworking and turning, too. Titebond II tacks quicker. Titebond III is pretty close to waterproof, but not quite. More resistant than I or II, though.

Does tight bond fill in the voids from drilling?

Time for a short glue lesson.

Most glues glue things TOGETHER. Titebond is one of those. It is not a gap filling glue. Epoxy, on the other hand, literally glues things APART. Which brings up another question. If you glued your carefully fitted wood pieces together with epoxy and squeezed virtually all of the glue out, there might not have been enough to bind them. Epoxy is built to fill spaces.

CA glues do one or the other, but generally one better than the other. The thick stuff can fill voids very nicely. The thin stuff does not stay around long enough to fill voids, but can glue glass very nicely. Thin stuff only works on certain situations with wood. There has to be enough surface to glue. If the wood absorbs the glue before it cures, there won't be a bond.

Hope it helps.

 

[Jude]

All joints failed

Each blank was glued seperately and the tub came out all of them. I looked at wlly world but did not see titebond. Is it in the craft area or paint???
And also the place whear I mixed them together did not cure either. I don't know but I am going to try garrola glue and see about getting come titebond.
Thanks for all yalls help
Jude

 

[Ron Sardo]

Lowes or Home Depot carries Titebond.

If you can't find any yellow glue (titebond) use white glue (Elmer's). There isn't really that much difference between the two except titebond is yellow and dries a little quicker.

 

[Vernon Oberle]

polyurethane glue

I like the polyurethane glue for pen tubes. I use a wet cotton swab to wipe the inside of the blank, put a line of glue on the tube and then twist the tube into the blank. It will foam out, but that cuts off very easily. It is also gap filling. I have had no failures with this glue, but have had other turn loose on occasion, usually from something stupid I did or the blank had a flaw in it I didn't see. The gorilla glue is also more expensive than the common Probond brand and I can't tell the difference.
Once you cut the foaming off you will not be able to see the glue line if you have a good fit.

Vernon

 

[Charlie Harley]

Titebond is available in the hardware section of Wally World or your local store. I use it exclusively for turning and cabinet work and it's never failed me as long as I gave it good surfaces to bond. It even has a pretty high tolerance of filling small gaps as long as most of the joint is a good fit.

Gorilla Glue expands to fill joints. That is its strength. That's also its weakness if you have planks with machined surfaces that you're trying to mate. Gorilla Glue will push the surfaces apart.

It sounds like your epoxy was either out of date or mixed with incorrect proportions. Chalk it up to experience, clean the surfaces, and try another glue.