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Unfortunately I do not have any first hand experience with the hold-heet glue pots, although I would love to own one at some point in the future.
I have seen youtube videos of people preparing a smaller batch of glue in a glass baby food container or small mason jar and heating it in that type of unit, but you may have to surround it in a bit of water to prevent the glass from getting too hot.If you are concerned about making too much at once, you can always pour any unused glue (after the initial preparation) into cheap plastic ice cube trays, let it cool to room temp, and then stick it in the freezer. It allows you to just take a few cubes out when needed and re-heat them. To my knowledge, a freeze-thaw cycle does not affect hide glue’s performance, only overheating does.
On a side note, http://oldbrownglue.com contains lots of information on the preparation & use of traditional hide glue. I have used the bottled glue they sell, but prefer using the traditional stuff, so I’m not making any type of endorsement of their products.
Your grasp of PVA glue and it’s non-reversibility is spot on.
The issue with your joint swelling/splitting is one problem,and the advantage that hide glue gives, is that it would prevent the second issue you are having with removal of the adhesive on the joint. Both PVA and hide glue (being water based) will swell a joint somewhat, but hide glue is infinitely reversible. More importantly, it will stick to itself after re-activation, whereas PVA does not.
I have found that using PVA is great for certain items I will never want to take apart again (like a laminated wooden plane body).
Furniture joints are another matter entirely, and using hide glue allows for repairs, as well as corrections should a joint go wonky.7/8″ stock, while historically accurate for most “antique” furniture projects, was (IMHO) just the standard measurement of the day. today it is 3/4″.
If you look at Paul’s joiners tool chest plans, the panels are 9/16″ thick. I have built one in the dimensions specified on his plans and it has not fallen apart yet….
The only difference between 3/4″ and 7/8″ in many cases is down to weight of the finished item.
Anything built with one can be built with the other. You just have to take into account overall dimensional changes that take place on plans by loosing or adding to part thicknesses.One product I have tried (after lacquer thinner didn’t work) is a product called “Goof-off.
Not sure of availability outside of Canada, but it is available at home depot relatively inexpensively. It is very high in VOC’s, so best used outdoors, but for ink, lacquer, and even epoxies nothing works better. It will also weld (or melt…) some plastics, so it is best used without rubber gloves on.Some people may not wish to use such a harsh chemical, but for efficacy it can’t be beat.
I had recently purchased a couple of Narex paring chisels from LV, and found that the sides were almost as sharp as the factory edge was! Some 600 grit automotive sandpaper (used sparingly) knocked down the side edges to the point that it won’t cut hands anymore.
My Narex bench chisels were not that bad, but fresh from the factory they were definitely uncomfortable until relieved.
One other plus of OBG (or hide glue) over PVA is that it does not interfere with stain/dye application. Glue splotches (especially on delicate or small items) used to plague me and using hide glue mitigates that to some degree. If you have a need to repair veneer of any kind, hide glue will be your best friend. Contact cement and PVA will work, but the open time just makes it easier to work with if you need to adjust a piece for a perfect fit.
Structurally speaking, PVA would theoretically be more robust, but then again, you could always just switch up to PL700 if you prefer maximum shear strength for your joints.
( I do not advocate this practice, but have tried it out of curiosity….)Over the last year I have been selectively purchasing chisels and other items (moulding planes, wooden smoothers, etc) off Ebay and at local used tool stores (when I can get a fair deal). Whether I can physically look over the tool in question or not, I always expect to have to invest some time in re-conditioning them to my satisfaction. Some items just need a quick cleaning and honing, but more often than not, I am having to regrind bevels and flatten backs of plane irons & chisels. It’s the trade off of getting a decent, but sometimes neglected tool. I can’t say I mind, as I had invested previously in a white (cool) grinding wheel & a Veritas grinder jig setup that makes quick work of initial sharpening, but I do spend a fair amount of time with a lapping plate & carborundum powder to ensure flat backs on blades.
I know some members have a love/hate relationship with Ebay – All I can say is that I have been lucky to find decent, upstanding sellers that have what I want at a price I am willing to pay. I have by no means found a deal every time I looked, but regardless of how you come across a vintage tool, you need to expect that you will have to invest the time to “make it yours”. In the end, you are the one using the tool, and if you don’t have the desire or time to restore an otherwise sound item, you can always go the Lee Valley/Rockler route.
FWIW I also use the Narex chisels (Lee Valley), but wanted an 1/8″ chisel not available in that line, so I also got the Stanley SW.
The Stanley’s are made of chrome-vanadium steel (Rc57-62), while Narex are chrome-manganese steel (Rc59). I would expect both to sharpen and hold an edge in a similar manner. Due to the almost “delicate” feel of the sweetheart, I have not ventured to smack it with a mallet yet, using it for paring in tight spaces only. In regards to the “global components”, It may be that there is no domestic source for the hornbeam used for the handles (I’m not well versed in native English wood species – aside from Oak of course)
Interestingly, the only other economically feasible option I came across was to potentially order a Japanese 1/8″ chisel from the toolsfromjapan website. Since my hand tools are a mix of western & eastern, I would not be out of my comfort zone adapting to that style of tool, but others may be more leery.
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