Foaming Gorillas

[Pat Salter]

just tried that Gorilla glue for the first time and I'm not impressed. yeah it holds well, but with the foam and all, not sure what good it is. It doesn't seem to be good for fine stuff that's going to be stained/finished. Am I wrong? Am I using it wrong? any hints, etc.

[Chris Padilla]

Are your fingers black, too?

Did you wet one side of the wood first? I think that is very important when using this glue...it needs moisture to cure properly.

Gorilla foams out, yellow squeezes out...laying these down to reduce such pains takes a bit of experience with the glue.

One hint about the Gorilla is to spread it very thin...don't lay a fat amount of near an edge or it'll be foam city, baby! I like to take an old credit card, sneak into my wife's sewing room and use those fancy-schmancy zig-zag flim-flam scissors to cut the card and use it as a spreader. Kind of akin to spreading thinset on a tile with the grooved trowel.

I mostly use Gorilla when I laminate sheets of plywood together...I just feel it holds much better over yellow glue.

Also, warm up the Gorilla a bit in some warm/hot water to make it flow better. This goes for yellow, too. You'll find you can get a nice thin coat this way.

[Fred Voorhees]

Nice tip on that hot water deal Chris. I just used Gorilla glue for the first time about a month ago when I built three arbor type lattice panels that are going to be erected this spring when the ground dries up a bit. I didn't seem to have much problem with the glue, but I do agree that it might be a bit tough to use if you are going to stain something. The squeeze out, though I didn't have much, seemed to leave an unsightly residue behind once it was scraped away.

[Michael Ballent]

Each glue has it's purpose in life. If you need a lot of open time then Gorilla glue is a great choice, but so is plastic resin glue. For ease of use, and water resistance, Gorilla Glue is hard to beat... No need to mix up some epoxy, and as Chris already said a little goes a long way. Good ol' yellow is what I use mostly, and I tried Gorilla for some bent laminations I was working on, the open time was a GREAT

-Michael

[Lee Schierer]

Not to start any arguments, but contrary to popular opinion and the instructions that come with the glue.....Don't wet either surface of your wood. Unless you live in the Sahara Desert there is enough moisture in the air and in the wood at 7% moisture content to more than adequately cure this glue.

I used to wet one surface, I reduce it to dampening and then did none at all. I found out the following:

1. A wet surface will foam more than foamy shaving cream. The foaming can be so bad the joint is weakened. Too much water is bad news.

2. A Damp surface ( this is what the instructions really say to do) foams enough to make you think of getting a rabies booster for your project.

3. Leaving the wood alone and applying a thin coating of glue, results in less foaming and stronger joints. It also gives you more open time. The down side is you will need to leave glue ups clamped overnight. You will also have less clean up to do.

Urethane glues are more labor than yellow glues. Clean up of the foam is best accomplished an hour or so after the joint is clamped, not a day or two later when the foam has hardened and attached itself to the wood surface where it will be difficult to remove.

Also the "gap filling" capability of this glue is highly overated. What it does is fill the gap with foam. When is the last time you saw any foam with strength?? Don't rely on urethane glue to fill up gaps in joints and expect to get a strong joint as a result.

[Mark Singer]

I hate the stuff!

[Don Henthorn Smithville, TX]

Didn't someone from one of these boards do a comparison test of Gorilla glue, yellow glue and hide glue? As I remember, Gorilla glue was by far the weakest of the glues tested. The glue joints were easily broken while the other boards broke but not at the glue joint.

[Chris Padilla]

Don,

As I recall from that thread, I don't think that the glue was used properly...i.e. contrary to what Lee just posted, one board wasn't dampened before assembly.

I've also read of Gorilla glue failing when one board wasn't dampened...it was in American Woodworker some issues back.

I really haven't done any comparison testing for strength but that maple shelf I posted about in the design forum was put together with Gorilla glue and it is currently holding up a 160-170 lb TV and has done so for 3-4 months. That is the best evidence I have that it is strong. Now stronger than yellow or hide glue...no clue.

[John Weber]

Mark, tell us what you really think

I think all the glues have there place, I use plain old Titebond the most and look forward to trying some Titebond III. With a longer open time it also is supposed to have a lower temp rating, that is very appealing since my shop is right at the limit for regular Titebond. If I don't add a little extra heat with the kerosene heater, it will flash over with a white hase - I'm not sure what impact this has on the glue strenght, but my guess is not good.

John

[craig carlson]

I have to agree with everyone but I've noticed that gorilla glue will not sink into the wood like yellow glue and staining will not cause as much blotching as yellow glue if you don't clean it out . I guess that's why it's a weaker joint.
craig

[Pat Salter]

Gee Mark, thanks for your elaborate response Do you think it doesn't work for us because we're in So. Cal?

Thanks to everyone. I'll keep trying it and for differant types of jobs.

Anyone else?

[Mark Singer]

John,
Where should I start:
1. Lousy shelf life...and you can't tell when its gone bad....sometimes even in the store

2. Very messy!

3. Leaves hands black for a week

4.Moisture must be in wood for it to work and praying also helps

5. It makes a weak joint and I have had many fail

6. Titebond and West systems, Hyde glue, Resin , Fish glue,LV 2002 GF, are all far superior

Why bother!!!

[David Rose]

John, I played around with Titebond at below recommended temps. At 5 degrees below it was noticably weaker than at higher temps. At 10 degrees below temp it would break before the wood did. I won't use one that is rated below what my shop is running now. It seems to be a trade off of working time against temperature. That is considering Original, Extend, II, and II Extend. I use them all depending on conditions. I'm waiting for III too or is that 3 II. Anyway, looking forward to it.

David

Mark, tell us what you really think

I think all the glues have there place, I use plain old Titebond the most and look forward to trying some Titebond III. With a longer open time it also is supposed to have a lower temp rating, that is very appealing since my shop is right at the limit for regular Titebond. If I don't add a little extra heat with the kerosene heater, it will flash over with a white hase - I'm not sure what impact this has on the glue strenght, but my guess is not good.

John

[Dennis Peacock]

I use the Gorilla glue and I like it. Works very well for what little I use it for.

Now that this has started.......what kind of glue should I use for the Adirondack Chairs, stools and tables that I am making? Will Titebond II be good enough for outdoors furniture? Should I just use Epoxy?

Don't hold back now....tell me the truth.........

Oh yea....I need to be able to purchase the recommended glue without having to pay shipping costs by having to ORDER it......

[Mark Singer]

Dennis,
Epoxy!