Titebond Glue

I know Titebond is the glue du jour around here, is that for all types of wood? Specifically, is it the right glue to attach an ebony fretboard to a cedar neck? (Dense wood + not-so-dense wood)

I don't know about "all" types of wood but Titebond redcap is what I've used for just about every wood I've built with.

Yep...I have also used the original Titebond (redcap) for all of my instruments. It has always given me good results.

I use Titebond II for any project that might end up in a wet/moist environment (canoes...but not ukes), but it never gets near a musical instrument. I really don't like working with Titebond II.

Gave up Titebond couple of years ago when Rick Turner enlightened me on LMI. Even use it for Cocobolo. Haven't gone back since.

BTW, you are talking Spanish, and not Western Red Cedar, right?

Kekani said:

BTW, you are talking Spanish, and not Western Red Cedar, right?

Click to expand...

Yes, Spanish Cedar. You have hit on the reason for my question - I bought some of LMI's white instrument glue and was unsure about using it since Titebond has such a loyal user base here. Thanks!

I haven't used the LMI white glue, but I am interested in knowing what qualities make it superior (in some builder's experience) to Titebond.

mketom said:

I bought some of LMI's white instrument glue and was unsure about using it since Titebond has such a loyal user base here. Thanks!

Click to expand...

Why would you say that? Must be something I've missed - there are more than a few guys I know that don't use Titebond. Of course, I've seen guys use Titebond II and wanting to try III, go figure.

As for using LMI, I can give good reasons why I didn't use it - first and foremost is the cost. Of course, broken down, that's an excuse for me. Another PITA is that is has a short shelf life , 6 months (longer if kept refrigerated, which I do). But, I still use it. I like working with it, and how it dries.

The LMI glue has a shorter open time, useful for production work and when you want a faster set.

I just meant that I had seen a preference from what I've read so far. I think you & Chuck have the answers I was looking for. The shelf-life warning on the bottle made me want to ask what people liked best. My only real concern is working time since the LMI glue states a faster set time. I'll try both. Thanks!

Ken W said:

I haven't used the LMI white glue, but I am interested in knowing what qualities make it superior (in some builder's experience) to Titebond.

Click to expand...

There is a study out there showing LMI's white glue had a better sonic/tonal profile than regular Titebond original when painted on metal and evaluated against the other types of glue (Titebond White and Yellow, Polyurethane, epoxy, hide, etc). How that relates to something you can actually differentiate (1) on wood and (2) in a Guitar or a Uke is up for debate. A lot of folks swear by the LMI glue but their shipping is an obstacle when I can go a few blocks and pick up a bottle of Titebond. Titebond Original White AR glue shelf life is 2 years if kept under normal conditions indoors. I wonder why LMI's shelf life is so short?

Here's how to read the Lot number from : http://www.titebond.com/download/pdf/ww/GlueGuideTB.pdf
How Do I Read The Lot Numbers?
The first character in the lot number stands for the last number of the year that
the glue was manufactured. The second character is always a letter, ranging
from A to M. We do not use "I" because it resembles a "1". These twelve letters
correspond to the twelve months of the year. The rest of the numbers in the lot
number are for internal tracking purposes. Therefore, a product with the lot
number 4C5268 was manufactured in March 2004.