[scrollgirl]

Hi, everyone. I have a piece of maple (1/2" thick scrolled work) that I already have one coat of mineral oil finish on. I cracked a little piece on it (about 1/32") and I need to glue it. Here are my questions . . .

-How would I glue this piece back on?
-Would I let the oil "dry" a bit and then apply the spray shellac I usually do and then glue?

This piece will not have much stress on it. I can even 'splint' it from behind. I just need a light bond.

Any help from you all would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance, Sheila

 

[Gregn]

What about super glue/cva glue? I would think this would be your best bet with such fine work.

 

[lew]

I agree with Greg. I would allow it to dry as much as possible then use CA.

 

[Dennisgrosen]

let the oil cure untill its realy dry
and just glue it with white pva-glue on a peice of wax/oil-paper (can´t remember the name of the paper)
and then you just hold it in place with your fingers 5-10 minuts till it can hold it self
it proppely can even with any pressure but the pva needs a little pressure
that is what I have had succes with when I build R/c controlled aroplanes, hope it help you

good luck Sheila
Dennis

 

[KnotCurser]

My vote is CA glue as well - this will work even with an oil coating already on the wood - glue it only from the back - the wood will turn a little darker, but the oil will hide it.

 

[helluvawreck]

Sheila, my brother and I have discovered the most amazing glue that we have ever seen in 40 years of the woodworking business. We saw it at the woodworking show in Atlanta last week. Unfortunately it is quite expensive. My brother bought a package of it that contained two small tubes about the size of a couple of nail polish containers similar to what my wife uses. It was $25.00. However, as we made our way across the rest of the aisles of the floor we ran into another guy who had a similar and more affordable type for around a 3rd of the cost for a much larger container. The first was completely unaffordable unless you worked for NASA. We actually have a project that we are working on that requires a very strong glue. However, we experimented with the expensive glue that only NASA can afford. I asked my brother whether or not the other guy is sending us one of his containers and he informed me that he doesn't know how to get in touch with him. We gave him our card and so we hope that he will contact us because both glues were actually quite amazing. There was no limit to the open time; you could put it on a part and come back the next day and it would still be ready to glue. Now once you put the parts together and took away the oxygen you had only maybe 30 seconds to position the parts. Now this is actually how my brother and I have often been a day late and a dollar short. Our whole career has been one grand roller coaster ride. Up and down - up and down. Seriously though I believe that the guy will get in touch with us. He owns a chemical plant near Chicago I think. Glue technology is really taking off right now. I'll make a note of this thread and try to get back - I may have the info in my bag of goodies that I picked up at the show. However, I'll at least get you the info on the bottles that my brother has.

 

[greasemonkeyredneck]

Sheila, I have had this exact problem before. I had a rushed order to get done. The piece got broke from my clumsiness while applying finish. I had heard of CA glue and had heard that Super Glue was basically the same thing. I figured what did I have to lose. So I tried it. The piece held. The lady picked up her candelebra, and was happy. I was in her home recently to deliver another project and secretly peaked to make sure the glue held up over time. Noone was the wiser that I messed up.
Oops! Till now that is.

 

[tdv]

Shiela for low stress small items super glue single or two pack (with spray accelerator) will do a good job but it won't work if there are contaminants on the joint face (like oil) just make sure the joint faces are clean

 

[scrollgirl]

Thank you all for your replies. It looks like I am going with the CA. I will certainly take pictures and post again to let you know what success I have. At least I feel a little better and hopefully it won't be seen.

The break didn't go all the way through, but I heard it crack and I could see if it I pushed on the piece. Problem is it is at a point where it will semi-support the piece on the backboard. But it won't really bear weight and the piece is not big, so if I get any good bond at all I will be in good shape. Also I still may make a teeny splint - just to be sure.

Oh and the worst part of it is that it is my partner's piece. He designed this beautiful, delicate fairy which may go to the magazine. I will hear from my editor today (Thursday) on if he will take it. So I go to move it as the oil was drying and I picked it up incorrectly and I hear this 'snap'. How awful that feeling was.

I offered to cut it again for him, but he wanted to really have it cut by himself - which I understand. So I really feel bad about doing this and want to see if I can make a good repair on it. My partner is fine with that, as he has seen how well you can repair wood, but it has to be good.

I appreciate all your help and hopefully, this will turn out OK. Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my question.

Sheila

 

[richgreer]

FYI - CA glue comes in thin, medium and thick. In this application I would recommend medium.

 

[JimF]

You might want to try to glue a couple of offcuts to test the ability of the CA to hold wood with mineral oil on it and to test for discoloration.

 

[HallTree]

Yes, CA is the way to go and a good souce to go to in the future is:
http://www.thistothat.com/

 

[scrollgirl]

Thank you all for your advice. I did use the CA glue and I am posting some pictures of the repair in tomorrow's (Friday's) blog. I think it worked beautifully and I really appreciate your guidance.

@Hall Tree - Thank you too for the link. That is a great little chart and really will be a helpful place in the future. I think I will be putting a link to it on my site for my customers.

You guys and girls are the BEST!!!

Sheila

 

[grosa]

Scroll girl,
You need to wash off the oil first. Get a small plastic container and make a cocktail. 1 part lacquer thinner, 1 part acetone, 1 part mineral spirits. mix well. With a Q tip clean the two pieces and let dry. You can tell when dry. Then use the CA glue or hot shot. When you glue the pieces make sure you are wearing gloves or the glue will squeeze out and glue your fingers. wait 1or 2 min. then let go. When you let go, don't drop it.