Glues For All Occaisions

[d.elliott]

We seem to have an ongoing problem with adhesives, their names, translations and uses. In my book I advocate two types of adhesive, and bye and large they do all I ever need, however I do use two other types on a very rare basis. So I thought that I would state what I use, what I use it on, and the North American (or other nationality) term if known. I would like others to then develop the thread, not by entering into long discussions into the rights and wrongs of choices, but by adding what they use, and for what applications. I hope that by doing this we can develop a reference document and provide choices for new comers and experienced alike.

 

White PVA Glue (AKA Elmer's white glue)

Used for leather, wood, pad fixing, bellows repair binding, and bellows attachment, fretting & pad board repairs, re-fixing reedpan blocks, screw pillars, failed glue joints, bellows card re-lamination and any other perminant glueing

 

Gum Arabic sold as school gum or Gloy gum in the UK

Used for fixing valves, bushing reed frames with paper and fixing bellows papers, used where the attachment may have to be soaked or scrapped off.

 

Contact Adhesive (Evostick) used for glueing leather to English system finger slides when re-covering them

 

Superglue gel, used for re seating pivot posts or pivot staples back into action plates when the wood shrinks and they fall out.

 

 

Dave E

[Geofflowes]

Hi, This may be a crazy idea but who knows. What are your thoughts on using gap filling sealants as used in the building and D.I.Y. areas for fixing pads to lever arms. They have excellent adhesion to most materials are moisture, temperature and vibration resistant and set into a fairly solid rubber like blob which remains flexible.

[Pete Dickey]

I made a note of this discussion some time ago from Dave Prebble and feel it takes a bit of beating:-

 

http://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php...entry4713

 

Pete

[Chris Timson]

I've built up a small repair kit that goes with me and my concertinas wherever the prospect of a broken concertina would be awkward, annoying or embarrassing. It contains spare valves, pads, springs and things of that ilk, and an assortment of small tools. Most germane to this discussion I have 2 glues: PVA and superglue. PVA for the jobs that Dave mentions and superglue for any job at all where you are in a tearing hurry!

 

Chris

[Leo]

I've built up a small repair kit that goes with me and my concertinas wherever the prospect of a broken concertina would be awkward, annoying or embarrassing. It contains spare valves, pads, springs and things of that ilk, and an assortment of small tools. Most germane to this discussion I have 2 glues: PVA and superglue. PVA for the jobs that Dave mentions and superglue for any job at all where you are in a tearing hurry!

 

Chris

Should this be something I should be worried about?? (keep a small tool kit in my case) Do they break that frequently?? Since my concertina is a new hybrid, I never gave it much thought. If so what kind of tools?

 

Thanks

Leo

Edited November 1, 2006 by Leo

[PeterT]

Should this be something I should be worried about?? (keep a small tool kit in my case) Do they break that frequently?? Since my concertina is a new hybrid, I never gave it much thought. If so what kind of tools?

Hi Leo,

 

Frequency of problem might be related to the quality, age, and general state of repair of the instrument.

 

I forgot to take my repair kit to Towersey Folk Festival (Oxfordshire) when I was playing for Old Palace Clog; result, I broke a spring whist playing on stage (luckily the last dance) and had to borrow tools from Hobgoblin Music, who were most generous! That was 1994, and I have had no problems since!

 

Regards,

Peter.

[Clive Thorne]

Hi, This may be a crazy idea but who knows. What are your thoughts on using gap filling sealants as used in the building and D.I.Y. areas for fixing pads to lever arms. They have excellent adhesion to most materials are moisture, temperature and vibration resistant and set into a fairly solid rubber like blob which remains flexible.

 

Hi Geoff,

 

 

I've used this type of silicon sealant/adhesive for exactly that purpose (and on melodeons) and it worked just fine. As you say it has lots of positive characteristics, and is certainly easier than messing about with little straps of leather etc. However I'm not sure that it has quite that same ability to adjust to long term movement in the arm position as the leather straps.

 

Clive.

[David Barnert]

Should this be something I should be worried about?? (keep a small tool kit in my case) Do they break that frequently?? Since my concertina is a new hybrid, I never gave it much thought. If so what kind of tools?

At the very least, you should have a proper screwdriver, which is what I carry regularly with me (I've made a slot in the padding of my concertina case where it fits nicely).

 

Even if the concertina doesn't break you may need to take it apart for any of various reasons ranging from wear and tear to foreign bodies (I once had a note that didn't play and found an unfortunate mosquito caught in the reed). See my recent post here.

 

You can often find glues and clamps wherever you are, but good luck finding a screwdriver you can use on your concertina in a hurry.

[Chris Timson]

At the Radway reunion last year I had brought 2 G/Ds with me, so I thought I was safe as a result. Both went in the first two hours with a button stuck on. I was left for the rest of the session that night with nothing to do except listen to music and drink beer. Not the worst fate in the world, but not what I was there for. I went to bed early.

 

The following morning I borrowed a screwdriver from the proprietor of the B&B and opened them up. One had lost a pad and the other had broken a spring. They loaned me some PVA glue and I was able to refix the pad, but I had learned my lesson. I've not had many problems since, but I am not without that repair kit!

 

Oh, and you can't draw any new v. old conclusions from this. One was a Jeffries, but the other was a Morse!

 

Chris

[Theo]

Back to the workshop.

 

On my bench I have a gluepot for hode/scotch/pearl glue. Whatever you call it its the stuff made from bits of dead animals that has to be heated before use. I'm firmly of the opinion that it is the first choice for all woodwork repairs. I actually find it easier to use than pva.

 

Why is that?

 

1) It requires much less clamping. Small parts can be pressed together with the fingers till the glue cools and gels. If the parts are light no more clamping is needed, for slightly larger parts clamping with elastic bands or masking tape is often sufficient. You can't get a reliable pva joint so easily.

 

2) I've lost count of the times when I have had a devil of a job to remove badly pva'd repairs. Hide glue its usually easier to remove with warm water and a little time. Even mechanical glue removal is more difficult with pva, it tend to clog abrasives and often does not even scrape off easily with a blade.

 

3) traces of hide glue left on an area being reglued do not spoil the joint. Pva can.

 

4) its cheap and in dry form has a very long shelf life.

 

For anyone put off by the need for heating arrangements I have found a cheap and safe method of making a glue pot. All you need is an electric warmer designed for warming milk for bottle fed babies. Replace the milk bottle with a glass jam jar and you have a temperature controlled glue pot. The temperature achievd by these is ideal for heating glue. Looks quite cute on the workbench too!

[spindizzy]

Hi, This may be a crazy idea but who knows. What are your thoughts on using gap filling sealants as used in the building and D.I.Y. areas for fixing pads to lever arms. They have excellent adhesion to most materials are moisture, temperature and vibration resistant and set into a fairly solid rubber like blob which remains flexible.

 

Has anyone tried a hot glue gun for fixing pads?

The stuff is quite flexible when set, and can also be melted off ... I've seen tidy results on glueing all sorts of things with this (my attempts are usually rather messy!)

 

Chris

[Bob Tedrow]

Amen, Brother.

 

I have a hot pot of hide glue on everyday of my working life.

 

Bob

 

 

 

Back to the workshop.

 

On my bench I have a gluepot for hode/scotch/pearl glue. Whatever you call it its the stuff made from bits of dead animals that has to be heated before use. I'm firmly of the opinion that it is the first choice for all woodwork repairs. I actually find it easier to use than pva.

 

Why is that?

 

1) It requires much less clamping. Small parts can be pressed together with the fingers till the glue cools and gels. If the parts are light no more clamping is needed, for slightly larger parts clamping with elastic bands or masking tape is often sufficient. You can't get a reliable pva joint so easily.

 

2) I've lost count of the times when I have had a devil of a job to remove badly pva'd repairs. Hide glue its usually easier to remove with warm water and a little time. Even mechanical glue removal is more difficult with pva, it tend to clog abrasives and often does not even scrape off easily with a blade.

 

3) traces of hide glue left on an area being reglued do not spoil the joint. Pva can.

 

4) its cheap and in dry form has a very long shelf life.

 

For anyone put off by the need for heating arrangements I have found a cheap and safe method of making a glue pot. All you need is an electric warmer designed for warming milk for bottle fed babies. Replace the milk bottle with a glass jam jar and you have a temperature controlled glue pot. The temperature achievd by these is ideal for heating glue. Looks quite cute on the workbench too!

[Cream-T]

Any tips for my predicament? My Crane lost the tip of one of its buttons (an accident) - I still have the tip, but how best to glue it back on? 2-component adhesive? Superglue?

[Dave Prebble]

Amen, Brother.

I have a hot pot of hide glue on everyday of my working life.

Bob

 

 

On my bench I have a gluepot for hode/scotch/pearl glue. Whatever you call it its the stuff made from bits of dead animals that has to be heated before use. I'm firmly of the opinion that it is the first choice for all woodwork repairs.....etc

 

Hi all

 

I'll add to the 'amen chorus' brothers

 

Couldn't agree more with Theo and Bob

 

As far as the use of hot melt glues or silicon sealers for pads, I daresay they would attach a pad to an arm OK but can see no advantage over the ‘tried and tested’ hide glue which would also seem to me to be easier and cleaner to apply…

 

One plea I will add .... please never use epoxy resins for woodwork repairs ! It is the devil’s own job to break the joint and causes no end of problems for restorers of concertinas and antiques alike.

 

Otherwise, I can't think of anything to add to my post of 3 years ago... see here : -

 

http://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php...entry4713

 

That thread covered glues in quite some depth and is well worth a read.

 

Regards

 

Dave

[Theo]

Otherwise, I can't think of anything to add to my post of 3 years ago... see here : -

 

http://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php...&?do=findComment&comment=4713

 

That thread covered glues in quite some depth and is well worth a read.

 

Yes well worth a read.

 

I'd much prefer a bottle warmer to an upturned iron for keeping the glue warm!

[Dave Prebble]

I'd much prefer a bottle warmer to an upturned iron for keeping the glue warm!

 

I quite agree with you. Our kids were raised on a 'pair of natural bottle warmers', so to speak, so I don't happen to have such equipment to hand. I very much like the idea though and will keep the old eyes peeled at car boot sales. Gotta be safer !

 

I also have a 1 quart gluepot in the workshop - about the right size for cooking a stew but a bit O.T.T. for concertina pad quantity dabs of glue

 

Dave

Edited November 1, 2006 by Dave Prebble

[Geofflowes]

Hello ,Thanks ,Dave Prebbles article was well written and thought out. I have a small double cast iron glue pot and keep it warm on the plate of a coffee maker. The glass carafes always get broken eventually so there must be zillions out there. Geoff.

[Theo]

I quite agree with you. Our kids were raised on a 'pair of natural bottle warmers', so to speak, so I don't happen to have such equipment to hand. I very much like the idea though and will keep the old eyes peeled at car boot sales. Gotta be safer !

 

Our kids too. You could try your local Freecycle group for an unwanted bottle warmer.