# Gorilla Glue problems



## dplloyd (Oct 9, 2010)

Ive had tubes pull out when turning and reaming. I wet the inside, let it cure usually more that 24 hours, sand the blank. Had this problem w painted and non painted tubes. I use the glue only on non wood blanks.

Thoughts????

Pat LLoyd


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## witz1976 (Oct 9, 2010)

heat buildup perhaps?


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## dplloyd (Oct 9, 2010)

*heat*

Heat build up in what respect? 

from the reaction of the glue curing or ambient heat?

Thanks for the reply!


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## ldb2000 (Oct 9, 2010)

If the holes you are drilling are too oversized then you are depending on the foam to hold the tube in place . The foam has no structural strength and will shear away with very little effort .


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## witz1976 (Oct 9, 2010)

Both during squaring, possibly during turning or sanding.  I am not sure, as I do not use urethane glues, however heat tends to be the issue on other glues...or what Butch said


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## dplloyd (Oct 9, 2010)

*hole size*

Hmm.... maybe I'm getting to hot during drilling and the hole is over sizing?

How bout a good suggestion to move away from Gorilla Glue.

What are you using?


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## LouCee (Oct 9, 2010)

I'm not aware that overheating while drilling will make the hole larger, excessive heat could blow out the blank. I use two part epoxy, haven't had an issue.


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## ldb2000 (Oct 9, 2010)

Careful drilling and 5 minute epoxy . I use a gel epoxy I get from my local NAPA auto parts , it's the best one I've found so far , it's a little expensive but I've never had a failure with it .


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## dplloyd (Oct 9, 2010)

*epoxy*

I've always been an epoxy fan. Think I'll try it for pens and see how it works out.


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## ldb2000 (Oct 9, 2010)

LouCee said:


> I'm not aware that overheating while drilling will make the hole larger, excessive heat could blow out the blank. I use two part epoxy, haven't had an issue.


 
Overheating the bit will cause it to expand and drill an oversize hole . A build up of cuttings will also contribute to an over size hole , clear the cuttings often .


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## LouCee (Oct 9, 2010)

ldb2000 said:


> LouCee said:
> 
> 
> > I'm not aware that overheating while drilling will make the hole larger, excessive heat could blow out the blank. I use two part epoxy, haven't had an issue.
> ...


 
I did not realize that. I do back out to clear the cuttings frequently and if I think it's getting too warm I will let it cool before continuing.


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## renowb (Oct 9, 2010)

I use 2 part epoxy.


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## ldb2000 (Oct 9, 2010)

I was a big fan of Gorilla glue for flat work but was having problems with joint failures , then I read a review of different glues in Popular woodworking and discovered that the joint failures were due to the fact the the foam from the gorilla glue had no structural strength . On tight fitting joints the poly glues are some of the strongest glues there are but when it came to gap filling they were the worst . I switched to the gel epoxy and haven't had a glue joint fail on me since .


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## JerrySambrook (Oct 9, 2010)

If you drill properly, and leave a good hole about .004-.005 over bushing size, then the gorilla glue is more than acceptable.
The trouble sounds more like a too large drill to begin with, or dirty guide shafts then clearing ends.

I do not think that drilling with a hot drill causes the drill to go oversized. I causes the material to expand, and the expansion of a hole makes it smaller during the drilling, then will return to slightly larger than normal once the blank has returned to room temp.


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## DurocShark (Oct 9, 2010)

Always check the tube against the "recommended" drill bit size. 

For example, I just made a couple of those craptacular "Classic American Click" (a customer requested one, and I hate making one of a pen). The instructions said to use an 11mm and an "O" for the tubes. 5/16" and 27/64" made for MUCH better fits. 

CA works great if you get a nice tight fit on the tube. If there's *any* visible gap, epoxy or gorilla glue are my favorites. I like gorilla glue particularly on soapstone and similar materials.


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## sgimbel (Oct 9, 2010)

I use gorilla glue for wood and acrylic and have never had a failure.  My holes are tight and maybe I'm just lucky so far.


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## PenMan1 (Oct 9, 2010)

Butch is right. With a "sloppy" hole, you are depending on foam to hold the blank to the tube. THEN, you are applying pressure (tool), speed ( or centrifugal force) and heat to a "floating" glue joint. 

If you want to continue with the Poly glue, your tube and blank fit must be more precise. The simplest answer is 5 minute epoxy. You can work it in 30 minutes,  handles heat  from turning better than poly and IMHO is far superior when segmenting with mixed media ( wood, plastic, metals combined).


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## TellicoTurning (Oct 10, 2010)

I'm not a gorilla glue fan, especially in pen turning... I still use good ol' thick CA and have a 99% success rate.  Epoxy is great for my pepper mills gluing the works in, but too messy for me for pen.


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## randyrls (Oct 10, 2010)

dplloyd said:


> Ive had tubes pull out when turning and reaming. I wet the inside, let it cure usually more that 24 hours, sand the blank. Had this problem w painted and non painted tubes. I use the glue only on non wood blanks.
> 
> Thoughts????
> 
> Pat LLoyd



Examine the brass tubes and the inside of the blank hole.  

Where is the glue?
A.  If glue is inside hole and brass is clean, make sure you rough the brass tube with sandpaper to give the glue a good bite.

B.  If the glue is on the brass tube, my guess would be the glue isn't cured.  Acrylic doesn't allow moisture to reach the glue and you are in a low humidity area (?).


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## chrisk (Oct 10, 2010)

For the users of Gorilla glue on acrylic blanks, do you still dampen the blank's hole before gluing?


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## DurocShark (Oct 10, 2010)

Yup.


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