Glue vs Temperature
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My shop is in my uninsulated, mostly unheated garage. So when it gets cold outside, I get concerned about the effectiveness of my glue, and this really puts a slowdown on woodworking. Right now, I’m using Titebond II, which is a PVA-type glue. The manufacturer’s recommendation is to not use it below 55 deg F. I’m wondering if I warm the glue up in a warm pot of water, kind of like hide glue, if it will then work okay, even though the shop is still pretty cold. Or if I get hide glue and keep it warm, will it work in a cold shop with cold materials? Basically I’m looking for just about any available wood glue that will work under these conditions. Any suggestions?
Just moved to NE Ohio
Eric
This is the only info I could find buddy
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f2/cold-weather-gluing-45842/
http://www.blueheronkayaks.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=830&start=0
Eric
I recently glued up some boards and found the bond had failed the next day. When I took them apart the PVA glue appeared to have frozen before bonding but the conditions were quite extreme, in the order of -7 degrees C.
John
Thanks for the links, Ken. Several interesting ideas there.
John, I’ve seen something like that happen also, that’s why I’m looking for a solution. -7 C is going to be the high around here for the next week, so I may just not be working much in the shop. We’ll see.
Just moved to NE Ohio
There are a couple of things you should consider here I think. One is it is not just the glue but the surrounding atmosphere. As soon as the temperature falls below zero there is a good chance there will be zero moisture in the atmosphere. Not good for gluing up. Secondly, I would never glue up in cold conditions l;et alone near freezing. make certain that your glue has not previously frozen. Something most people miss is that wood itself will indeed freeze internally so even if ambient temperatures seem conducive, the internal cold in the wood may do the same as a frozen metal bar does when you grab it with a warm hand, it freezes your hand to the bar for a while. A thin course of glue can and will change the working properties of the glue itself. I suggest you take all components into a warmer setting until time for glue up and glue up there if possible. keep the assembly warm for 24 hours until cure time is complete.
Thanks, Paul. I appreciate the wisdom. I’ll have to start bringing things inside. I may end up building another bench for the basement to make it easier to build stuff in the winter.
Just moved to NE Ohio
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