Glue Choices

[OlivierF]

I have been using Gorilla yellow wood glue with great results (Home Depot- USA). It dries enough in about 5 minutes to make things stick and hold. I avoid CA as I wind up with more CA glue on my fingers than the model. No matter how careful I am,

I do understand getting fingers stuck with CA! I too stay away from it as much as possible, primarily because I appear to be allergic to the fumes of both the glue as well as the accelerant which trigger asthma type symptom. Not fun…

 

[Pdv]

I use Titebond Original - it gives me a few moments to make adjustments if things get out of alignment - and if it goes really awry, I can easily pull it apart, clean up the glued surfaces, and start again. As an aside, I have damaged a few very sharp blades by allowing them to try to bite into hardened superglue.

 

[jfitterman]

I am torn between Super Glue and Titebond III for use on the frames on my lobster boat project. I use Titebond III extensively in my woodworking workshop and I like it very much, but the drying time is slower than I like. I worry about the frames not fastening tight enough to the keel in particular. I have tried super glue on a few practice pieces, and about 50% of them did not hold. I used "The Original Super Glue", I have a tube of Gel Super Glue, but I haven't tried it yet.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
BTW, the frames are 5/64" thick and 1/4" wide and, the keel is White Oak and the frames are cedar.

I recommend "Bob Smith Industries" Medium "fast filling" cyanoacrylate glue fast drying time works on wood

 

[SAHaskell]

I have managed to absorb a lot of excellent advice from many kind responses. I have finally completed the planking for the Donald David. Photos attached. I have a very long way to go, but this is a major milestone for me. Many thanks to all who have provided help/opinions.

Happy modeling.
Steven

 

[Jimsky]

Congrats on your milestone!

 

[Corsair]

The thinner the CA glue, the better mate you need to have between the pieces. The thin CA will wick into the wood fibers and not fill any gap. The medium thickness of CA will work if you have a small gap but takes longer to cure. The thicker the CA, the larger gap it will fill, but also the longer it will take to cure. I too use the Bob Smith brand of CA which are private labeled for many hobby shops and also available mail order. I use a combination of CA and Titebond glue. It depends on what I'm doing. Thin CA is great for working on rigging. Just don't put too much on. It will make sure a knot stays secure. However, once you glue the knot, there is no "do-over". If you didn't get it right, you will be installing a new line.

I hope that helps a little bit to understand the CA glues.

Jeff