PL in cool temps......

[vexorgtr]

Today I decided to try PL for the 1st time. I'm used to using Urathane woodworkers glue.... IE Ultimate Glue by Elmer...... I was surprised at how thick the PL comes out....... and that I have to sort of spread it with my finger (gloves of course) to get it out of the worm shape and onto the wood. It's Ohio, but it's about 40 something now... rumored to go up to 50...... Is it just too cold for PL?

[horst]

the data sheet suggests it's okay

[Harley]

and that I have to sort of spread it with my finger (gloves of course) to get it out of the worm shape and onto the wood.

Sounds like you haven't cut the end off the screw on conical tube.

Even though that tube has a little hole in the end, with the temps you are talking about it will be like a constipated elephant trying to have a .....

What you need to do is cut across the end of the cone at about say 30 degrees about 1/8 - 3/16" from the end like so



If you are having to put it on your fingers, the hole ain't big enough.

Harley

[James R]

Sounds like you haven't cut the end off the screw on conical tube.

Even though that tube has a little hole in the end, with the temps you are talking about it will be like a constipated elephant trying to have a .....


Harley

[/quote]

[telecast]

I have to sort of spread it with my finger (gloves of course) to get it out of the worm shape and onto the wood.

If it's sticking to the wood in the 'worm shape', leave it, don't spread it out. It will compress and form a perfect seal when you attach the pieces. If it's not sticking, then I'd say spec sheet be damned, it's too cold.

If you must build outside, try and store your material and glue inside until it's time to use them. Keeping the substrate warm will go a long way. If you're leaving it outside at night and it's going down to 30 degrees, that's probably about the core temp of your material.

[vexorgtr]

I can slice the tube end a bit more.. that's fine... any good way to cap the tip so it doesn't slime everything? I let off the trigger for the last few inches, still slime galore.

[sddj]

Get yourself a 3" to 4" nail, thick enough to put into the tube's cut opening. Release the pressure on the gun like you mentioned, then place the nail in the tube. I've had opened tubes last 3-4 weeks by doing this.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

PL requires not only at least 60 degrees temperature to cure properly, it also requires moisture in the air, which is generally not the case in winter. Do the glue up in the house, or heat your shop.

[vexorgtr]

Good to know. I'm going to check on last night's gluing and see how it looks today.

[mjformeller]

PL or any polyurathane glue needs moisture to cure. When I've lived places where it's really dry, i've used a spray bottle to lightly moisten one or both surfaces. Have a care though as polyurathane glues will expand MORE with additional moisture during curing.

Mike

[telecast]

Wiping the surface with a damp rag will work too. On a plywood edge, a little more than damp is good.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

I've never had to use water with PL, it sucks enough moisture out of the air or wood. But it won't set worth a damn below 60 degrees.

[Tom O'Shea]

And if the glue is cold enough, and the hole in the tube end small enough, it'll burst the tube when you squeeze the caulking gun.

The ooze out the end is bad enough; the mess when you bust a tube is awe-inspiring.

Tom O'Shea

[vexorgtr]

Lovely... makes me want to stick with UltimateGlue til it warms up. That one expands pretty good even when it's cool. The air in this shop isn't too bad... It's been a wet couple of weeks... like Cleveland traded weather with Seattle or something. I had a look at it..... about 12 hrs to cure... looks ok. The pieces were very well fit... I made sure of that with a belt sander and file.... There's still lots of work to be done on my DR, but I feel energized to work on it..... Plus, since I'm taking over my Dad's shop, there's lots of 1/2" plywood there.... free for the taking. Granted it's not the ideal, but it's usable... and it's free. There's like 3 and a half whole big sheets.... and some other stuff like my MDF..... I wanna build a "house wrecker" sub... It's easy, and looks like a fun experiment. First off though I have to build up my PA gear..... I'm going to be hosting a new Open Mic... hooray. I want the best sound in town.

[Harley]

PL or any polyurathane glue needs moisture to cure. When I've lived places where it's really dry, i've used a spray bottle to lightly moisten one or both surfaces. Mike

Actually your post jiggled one of my brain cells that had a loose connection - I recall now reading up about this.

For the100% expanding polyurethane glues and there was a recommendation - that for quicker curing and a better joint, you dampened the surfaces to be glued.

That would explain why the stuff sticks so readily to your hands and takes ages to go - the glue sucks up any moisture there.

Just another U.B.O.I.

Harley