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I need to do some small repairs, gluing-up some popped joints / missing corner blocks on a Cutler Roll-top desk.


It's not enough work ( to me ) to justify dragging-out the glue-pot, etc.


I have heard rumors that liquid hide-glue is available to the retail market in a little squeeze-bottle...


Can anyone recommend a brand / source / retailer ?


( Or should I avoid the store-bought unction and "mix my own" ? )

Thanks !

Frank

I use Lee Valley Tools Fish Glue. I'm actually transitioning to using it for darn near everything. Nice long open work time, easy water clean up.

You can get it at Amazon and other web sites. http://www.amazon.com/Franklin-Internat ... +hide+glue

It has worked well for me so far and is always immediately available, without all the hassle of real hide glue.

Andreas

Franklin's Hide Glue is OK- it is nice that it can be washed away with warm water, but it doesn't have the same strength of hot hide glue. For small uses it is just fine.

Project at hand is with an oak roll-top desk:

> drawers - frames have "popped" at the back ends at the glue joints

> stiles and rails - a few have popped-loose on the back side of the carcass

> center panel that blanks-off the knee-well - stile and rail popped-apart


I'll try the Franklin's... if that doesn't cut it, I'll haul-out the glue pot.


Thanks for the replies.



( Estott - do you think the Franklin's would be insufficent for gluing-up something like corner-pilasters on the carcass of an oak Silvertone upright ? My machine took a dive off a flat-bed cart, and separated at some glue-joints... )

De Soto Frank wrote: ( Estott - do you think the Franklin's would be insufficent for gluing-up something like corner-pilasters on the carcass of an oak Silvertone upright ? My machine took a dive off a flat-bed cart, and separated at some glue-joints... )

It would probably do just fine- make sure everything is clean & clamp it well.

I've used this --> http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.a ... ,110,42965

Also easily cleans up with water and can be 'un-done' by re-wetting.
It should be slightly warmed though before using (in a warm water bath).

I've been restoring radios, phonographs and jukeboxes since 1974. I'm quite picky about how things turn out in a restoration, both in appearance and in originality. I've learned a lot of tricks and methods through the years. Some people scoff at using Elmer's, or similar aliphatic glues, but I use it for most projects, small ones to large ones. I've investigated and tested lots of glues, including hide glues, and they all have their special sets of advantages and disadvantages, with a lot of overlap of each. However, to me nothing beats the combination of convenience, great bond and strength, and versatility of Elmer's Carpenters Glue! For a project like yours, I recommend the following: Prepare a mixture of Elmer's and water, about 10 to 15% water. This thinning makes it easier for the glue to run into tight cracks. Spread the crack, joint or whatever opening it is, with a suitable tool and use a small brush to daub the glue into the opening. Using a narrow strip of veneer, or a toothpick, you can push the glue in as much as possible. Alternate to that, a small hyperdermic needle (#18 or so is good)and syringe is great for injecting the glue deep into an opening. Whichever method you use, don't worry about runoff until you have gotten as much glue into the opening as possible. Once your done, and before the glue begins to set, use a wet sponge or rag to wipe up the excess and runoff. A wet paint brush helps to get the glue out of corners and crevices. Wipe dry and let it set up. When possible clamp, or bunji cord, the joined parts and wipe the runoff away as described above. This thinned mixture takes about 4 to 6 hours to set up enough where there is a fair bond. In 24 hours it will be rock solid. I've also used this mixture to glue down veneer chips, and even large sheets of veneer. However, that is a vastly different procedure which should be described in a different story. Cheers, Russie Ofria

Russie,

Thanks for the tips... do you use the Elmer's primarily to repair broken wood ? ( As opposed to cabinet joints that may one day need to come apart ?)

The great advantage to hide glues is being able to disassemble the joint, should the need arise in the future.


Regards,

Frank

Frank,

I use Carpenters glue for almost all repairs, even broken parts. I repaired the back leg on my Capehart Model 5 about four years ago using Elmer's. The leg had broken off at the top, right where it joins the cabinet. I drilled out each mating surfaces with a 1" bit to about two inches deep, with the intention of inserting a 1" dowel as a main inside support. As luck would have it, my holes did not align and the leg looked crooked upon test assembly. So, the next method was to go a size larger to 1 ⅛ ". This time it had to come out straight as I was right at the maximum without going to the surface. The next size dowel was very sloppy in the holes, so I used veneer pieces as spacers in whatever places it took to get the leg straight. Keeping track of where they went upon gluing and reassembly turned out to be less of a chore than I thought. I dumped a lot of Elmer's glue into the two holes trying to fill the spaces between the dowels and the veneer. In the end, the leg looks straight and is very strong now. The test came when a friend helped move it from the shop to the museum. Without warning him, we titled the top toward me, and he grabbed the two legs. We moved it several feet before I realized one of the legs he was holding was the one I had just repaired. Yet, it held and is still holding.

The number of times I've had to break an Elmer's bond in my forty some years of restorations has been once. Normally the repairs I make are supposed to be permanent, and I anticipate that I will not have to repeat the repair as long as it's done right to begin with. However, I once glued several layers of oak veneer together to form a 3X4 foot panel for the front of a Gabel Automatic Entertainer. I layed the veneer sheets on a 1" plywood plate on my driveway, spreading glue on each one, (a sheet of plastic at the very bottom and top pieces to keep the glue that would seep through the pores and cracks from adhering to the plates) placed another 1" plate of plywood on top, and drove my car onto it so the front wheel was centered on the stack). Two days later, I was dismayed to learn that the layers had move when I drove the car onto the stack. For several days I pondered how to save the mess. An "AHA" thought occurred. I dug a shallow hole in the back yard big enough to hold the panel, lined it with plastic sheet, filled it with a few inches of water and sank the panel in it, holding it down with several cinder blocks. My Labrador had the greatest time romping in that puddle for the next few days! Finally the glue had softened enough where I could peel away the layers and clean them up for drying, so the process could be started all over again. I learned from this to tack the layers with short nails in several places along the edges, before putting them under my "veneer press".

About twenty years ago, I developed a procedure for veneering which I think is more trustworthy and simpler. (It turns out that Elmer's glue, while it is still freshly set, is heat activate-able). I will describe this process at a later time as it is somewhat lengthy to describe.

BTW, there are several aliphatic glues (resins) which are similar to Elmer's. All of those glues, as long as they are the Carpenter's equivalent (pale yellow), will work the same way. White glues, do not yield the same results and I think they should never be used to repair wood on our collectibles.

Cheers, Russie Ofria