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CA glue, bad stuff for turnings...?

D

Doug Rasmussen

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Somewhere, way back, maybe in the AAW journal I read about a panel discussion with some of the "gods" of turning expressing unanimous opinion against CA being used in turnings. David Ellsworth was one of the panelists, don't remember names of the others.

Anybody remember that discussion? Thoughts on it? It stuck in my mind because Ellsworth is so frequently quoted on everything turning related, but he apparently differs on CA usage.
 
When I was a pen maker I used CA for my finish all the time. With that said, you must use the correct PPE. Must have good ventilation, use a good respirator (not a dust mask) and for eye protection I used ( I know this sounds funny) a skier's clear goggles. The goggles had a good snug fit around my eyes so there was eye irritation. Only time I use CA now is for a small crack repair with my turnings and still use the correct protection. Hope this helps Doug.
 
Lamar, I wasn't referring to safety Issues of using CA. What I recall was their discussion was more about the relatively short life span of CA to hold turnings together.
 
It does have its uses, however, I seldom use it. Probably the main reason is that I prefer my bowls to be whole in the first place rather than fixing flaws. I don't trust the glue to hold as long as good solid wood. Most of what I do is intended for daily use. If I did more 'art' type pieces, I would probably use it more.

robo hippy
 
I don’t remember that discussion.

structural bonds
I use CA for things I will later take apart. For things I want to stay together I use epoxy or tite-bond

CA for Gluing cutter tips into hollowing tools - heat releases the tips for replacement

CA for Gluing glue blocks to bowl blanks. Bonds to wet wood well.
A flat chisel in the glue joint breaks the glue leaving the bowl and the glue block with a little glue to clean off.

non structural uses
I use CA to glue bark to NE bowls. It wicks into the bark, keeps the bark from pulling away from the wood and makes it dry proud of the wood for easy sanding.
Care has to be taken to keep it off the wood or it make a blotch in the finish.

It makes a nice finish on pens.
 
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Thanks Richard, That's the article I was thinking of. My recollection wasn't exact though, apparently it wasn't a panel discussion. And I'd forgotten the museum business.

My recollection of the first TV show about super glue was "You Asked For It", with host Art Baker. They lifted an elephant with a drop of super glue. People were a bit more gullible in those days. That show also gave us our first look at microwave ovens. They put a raw meat patty in a bun, supposedly the meat cooked without affecting the bun.

As to wood glues, my favorite is still the old Weldwood Plastic Resin powder mixed with water. Hard to find these days, likely because of the formaldehyde content. I managed to find a local seller who had it in gallon cans. I still have a few things I glued in high school shop that are as good as new after all the years of wood movement. For bent laminations it's consider by some to be the best since it doesn't creep.


I suppose someday I'll migrate to the squirt bottle Titebonds.
 
As others mentioned, CA cures into a brittle solid. I use it for temporary fixing but not where I need a "permanent" hold. When I'm gluing materials oriented with dissimilar grain directions I use epoxy. That stuff cures to a flexible solid that allows wood movement without failing. If the grain is similarly oriented I use standard yellow or white glue.

My opinion on using CA for my turnings came about when the bottoms of a couple of acorn ornaments fell to the floor while the caps were left hanging.
 
I've used thick CA successfully to laminate dissimilar woods, using thin wood veneer or acrylic sheet spacers to separate the pieces. Just rough all surfaces up with 180 to 220 grit sandpaper before gluing.
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Doug Rasmussen said:
As to wood glues, my favorite is still the old Weldwood Plastic Resin powder mixed with water. Hard to find these days, likely because of the formaldehyde content. I managed to find a local seller who had it in gallon cans. I still have a few things I glued in high school shop that are as good as new after all the years of wood movement. For bent laminations it's consider by some to be the best since it doesn't creep
Click to expand...

Your post made me think about the old Weldwood Resorcinol glue. It was a favorite of wooden boat builders, but is no longer available because it contained formaldehyde, a strong carcinogen. However, it was the best totally waterproof glue that you could find. It consisted of two parts: a liquid resin and a powder catalyst. I used it on some wooden outdoor furniture and my oldest project is a white oak porch glider that is still in great condition (except for the varnish) after more than twenty years.
 
I think part of the discussion as I remember was that several prominent galleries did not like CA glue in pieces because it didn't last. My experience on older pieces is that it can sometimes crystalize (which is what I call it) and looks white instead of clear. I still use it to fill really small cracks and will sand with it to fill small torn grain areas. It's been very effective for that but I don't have any pieces where I have done that procedure that are older than about 10 years so don't know how they hold up over the really long term. I use epoxy as much as possible for any repair that is larger than a hair.
 
I wrote that article almost 9 years ago and I still use CA glue for purposes stated by myself and others who contributed to the article. Some of the pieces I used it on are 17 or 18 years old and the bond has not failed. I still try to be careful using it as the fumes are an irritant.
 
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