Glue

Jerryc41

Jerryc41

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I've been doing a lot of woodworking and using a lot of glue, and I needed more. I looked at Amazon and then at Lowe's. Better prices at Lowe's. Then I got a surprise. A gallon of Titebond III costs $29, and the II costs $18. After watching a comparison on YouTube - on Project Farm - it was an easy choice. I bought the Titebond II.

By the way, these glue bottles are great - FASTCAP GLU-BOT. I saw woodworkers using them on YouTube, so I bought one. It makes a huge difference when applying glue.

Glue Bottle.jpg

Glue.jpg
 
Oh boy! We are talkin' glue, my favorite subject.

Not sure that TII was the best choice Jerry. TII is a cross-linking polyvinyl acetate type glue designed for outdoor use due to it's resistance to water as in rain because it contains poly urethanes. Ukuleles are rarely subjected to rain. By contrast, TI, also known as "original Titebond" is an Aliphatic resin emulsion which does not contain poly urethanes like TII. The problem with TII as used in ukulele construction is that if something has to be disassembled (what could possibly go wrong?), using steam/heat, the TII will resist making it harder to get glued wood pieces apart. TII is great stuff for building a gazebo in your backyard, not so much for building ukuleles.
 
sequoia said:
Oh boy! We are talkin' glue, my favorite subject.

Not sure that TII was the best choice Jerry. TII is a cross-linking polyvinyl acetate type glue designed for outdoor use due to it's resistance to water as in rain because it contains poly urethanes. Ukuleles are rarely subjected to rain. By contrast, TI, also known as "original Titebond" is an Aliphatic resin emulsion which does not contain poly urethanes like TII. The problem with TII as used in ukulele construction is that if something has to be disassembled (what could possibly go wrong?), using steam/heat, the TII will resist making it harder to get glued wood pieces apart. TII is great stuff for building a gazebo in your backyard, not so much for building ukuleles.
Click to expand...

Thanks, but this won't be for ukulele building. I'm making things in the garage, a router table for one. If and when I make another uke, I'll use the T-III.
 
Jerryc41 said:
Thanks, but this won't be for ukulele building. I'm making things in the garage, a router table for one. If and when I make another uke, I'll use the T-III.
Click to expand...

I think that TIII is even more inappropriate for ukulele construction than TII. TIII is an "Advanced Proprietary Polymer" preparation (what ever that means which is nothing). It's main feature is its long open times (8-10 minutes) which is not an advantage in lutherie. It is also a water resistant glue and states is "Not for structural or load bearing applications". A bridge is definitely a load bearing situation.

Sure, you can probably build an ukulele using TIII, but there are much better alternative.
 
Use hide glue for anything that might need repairing in future.
 
sequoia said:
I think that TIII is even more inappropriate for ukulele construction than TII. TIII is an "Advanced Proprietary Polymer" preparation (what ever that means which is nothing). It's main feature is its long open times (8-10 minutes) which is not an advantage in lutherie. It is also a water resistant glue and states is "Not for structural or load bearing applications". A bridge is definitely a load bearing situation.

Sure, you can probably build an ukulele using TIII, but there are much better alternative.
Click to expand...

MY first build was a Stewmac kit. They recommended TIII specifically for the build. Had to go buy a small bottle because all I had was TI in the shop. Anyone need a barely used pint of TIII it is available?
 
Ron Carter said:
MY first build was a Stewmac kit. They recommended TIII specifically for the build.
Click to expand...

I have no idea why they would recommend TIII for a kit build but maybe it had to do with the fast tack times and the long open times as in "S---! that part is up-side down!" so they could fix the problem before the glue sets. Who knows.
 
Hi Dibblet...I enjoyed that , lots of good info there...I met Tim Hunkin at a festival in Stockton about 25 years ago where i was working...and we had a long chat... He's a brilliant guy.:cheers:
 
Timbuck said:
Hi Dibblet...I enjoyed that , lots of good info there...I met Tim Hunkin at a festival in Stockton about 25 years ago where i was working...and we had a long chat... He's a brilliant guy.:cheers:
Click to expand...

Agreed. Remarkable chap. He's releasing a whole series of videos like that on youtube. One every couple of days it seems. That was today's offering and I thought it was relevant here. All the "secret life of..." programs that were on the telly years ago are there too.

Hide glue fans need to watch to the end. He redeems himself of the rather dismissive mention early on.
 
Wish i could thumbs up the info in this thread. Love learning random things that may be useful in the future.
 
If you're ordering anything from LMI in the future, try their yellow instrument glue. It's hands down the best PVA I've ever used. It doesn't tack off too quick but it cures very quickly. I routinely take parts out of clamps after only an hour or two and move on to the next step. It sands and cuts much more cleanly than some other PVAs (no more gumming up sandpaper!). It's very hard when dry which helps avoid creep (easy to get on TB II since it's pretty rubbery when cured). It doesn't give you the risk of a dark glue line (which can happen on lighter woods with TB III). It's a nice consistency - not too thick or too thin - which makes it easy to spread for larger joints. It's really just perfect for instruments. And a bonus, it has a UV dye in it, so you can check your work before finishing to see if any renegade glue stains are about to cause you headaches!
 
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