Temporary glue ups? What glues do you use?

aarongough

aarongough

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Mar 12, 2013
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I realized the other day that a part of my process could be streamlined by using a temporary glue joint rather than the temporary pins I normally use.

Basically I glued both of my handle scales together using dots of super glue, then drilled, counterbored and rough-shaped them as a pair before fitting them them on the the knife blade. I used to do this with temporary pins, but the pins were always a real pain.

My question for you folks is: do you do anything similar to this? And if so, what glues do you prefer?

I was using the 'gorilla' superglue, but I had it let go on a couple of the handle scales, and on one pair of scales it held on too well and I had to really wail on the scales to get them separated!

All recommendations welcomed!
 
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I use precision ground machine dowel pins and ream my holes 0.001" undersized on the scales. This combined with the hole closing an additional 0.001" or so (depending on how soft the material is, G10 ends up pretty much to size) creates a nice press fit that is easy to remove. I ream the holes 0.001" oversized when I'm ready for final mounting of the handle sides to the blade.

I try to avoid adhesives till assembly. YMMV.
 
Interference Fit Co. said:
I use precision ground machine dowel pins and ream my holes 0.001" undersized on the scales. This combined with the hole closing an additional 0.001" or so (depending on how soft the material is, G10 ends up pretty much to size) creates a nice press fit that is easy to remove. I ream the holes 0.001" oversized when I'm ready for final mounting of the handle sides to the blade.

I try to avoid adhesives till assembly. YMMV.
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This is somewhat similar to what I used to do. I had some 1/8" O1 drill rod that I hardened and sanded to 0.001" undersize to use as pins. I don't ream my scale holes though, just drill them. I found that drilling on-size usually made my glue-ups really difficult as the corby bolts would often stick in place when covered with epoxy. So now I drill 0.003" oversize (#30) in order to ease the glue up, which means my temporary pins don't fit any more!

I really liked the temporary glue method on the scales where it went just right. For most of them it held them together perfectly and then they popped apart easily with a light blow (on edge) from a hammer when I wanted them to.

I think the glue I'm using is not ideal though for 2 reasons:

1) I've had it for a while, some research just now shows that CA glues have a definite shelf life which I wasn't aware of. I was wondering why it was taking so long to cure!

2) The gorilla glue has micro-particles of rubber or something added to increase it's shear strength, which is probably not what I want in this application. My guess is that I want a thin CA glue that's fairly brittle.

Not sure what others have found to work, I'll likely be looking at some of the Loctite glues.
 
I used to use CA glue but it can wet a wood and penetrate surfaces you don't want it too, cure time is inconsistent, it's usually pretty strong and it can cause a blush on surfaces where you don't want it.

I use a few dots of Loctite 5 min epoxy. Low bond strength, so it comes off without too much trouble and can be pealed free from both surfaces without breaking into little bits.
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
I used to use CA glue but it can wet a wood and penetrate surfaces you don't want it too, cure time is inconsistent, it's usually pretty strong and it can cause a blush on surfaces where you don't want it.

I use a few dots of Loctite 5 min epoxy. Low bond strength, so it comes off without too much trouble and can be pealed free from both surfaces without breaking into little bits.
Click to expand...

Thanks Nathan, second time in a few days I've heard you reference the lower strength epoxies! Interesting use for them!

I should have clarified, I'm only using this method on G10 scales, and then they're fitted together there are no finished surfaces on the scales so blush isn't a problem.

I definitely noted the inconsistent cure time. I'll have a try with the epoxies as well to see how that goes!
 
C-A for bolsters temporarily only. Otherwise no glue until final. I don't pin either. I'm weird I suppose.
 
WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THOSE GLUE GUNS ?? Wasn't that a glue that softened with a little heat ?
 
hot glue is what I use, then a putty knife that I have thinned to pop/cut it apart ;0)
 
I sometimes use Zap thin superglue (or teh Hobby Lobby brand) to temporarily hold scales on the blade for drilling, etc. I think Stacy posted this once but CA glue doesnt hold up to extreme cold temps; when I am finished drilling the scales, i put the whole thing in the freezer for about 10 minutes. then a quick whack on the workbench will usually pop one or both scales free.

randy
 
Glue sticks and a heat gun. The glue melts at about 200F and is a cinch to clean up.
 
I hadn't thought of using hot glue, I have a glue gun at the shop anyway so I should definitely try that!

I'll have to try the freezer thing for superglue as well!
 
I've been using 3M 2 sided VHB tape. Super thin, very strong and I just use a couple of small Pcs at both ends of the scales. Don't do what I did the first time I used it and put a whole strip down on some micarta scales! NOT easy to get apart! The thing I like w/the tape, is that once I am finished, I pry the slabs apart and the tape peels off really easily w/a little finger rubbing.
 
A wood worker I follow on YouTube often uses double sided carpet tape to attach two pieces of wood together while he cuts them. The pieces hold together during cutting and sanding and appear to separate easily with a putty knife.
 
I've used the double sided tape for lots of woodworking. It does work very well, but you have to be careful not to put too much side loading pressure on the pieces as you work. I have had parts shift a few thousands before when using too much pressure trying to use drum sander spindles that should have been replaced.

I like the hot glue gun idea. I may try it out on this run and see if I can save buying a couple more boxes of dowel pins.
 
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