Glue aboard

[vladkri]

Greetings,


Seeking advise on fast setting glue to be used aboard a boat for non-structural work. Epoxy is great, but takes a long time to cure and hard to remove. My question stems from experience using hardware store Gorilla to glue plugs into teak trim. The glue just bubbled out, kind of as if it boiled. On the other hand the 3M glue #77 I used to attach ceiling headliner to plywood never really cured and remained pretty sticky. Thanks.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by vladkri

Greetings,

Seeking advise on fast setting glue to be used aboard a boat for non-structural work. Epoxy is great, but takes a long time to cure and hard to remove. My question stems from experience using hardware store Gorilla to glue plugs into teak trim. The glue just bubbled out, kind of as if it boiled.

That Gorilla glue normally bubbles like that; you just sand off the bubbles once it hardens. But it isn't very fast-setting.

For teak plugs - ideally, the plugs are so snug you have to tap them in, so you can use just about anything to keep them there, even a little varnish on the plug before inserting and tapping down.

For keeping on-board, I would suggest:

• 5 minute epoxy. They do set pretty fast.
• good double-sided foam tape
• cyanoacrylate (Crazy Glue) - useful but often brittle, depending where it's used
• contact cement - can also be used as a quick sealant

[MikeHoncho]

Different adhesives for different needs. Wood plugs get Titebond 2 or 3. Quick adhesive to make stuff stick gets cyanoacrolate ( super glue) with a accelerator. I stopped using polyurethane glues like gorilla after reading a bunch of wood working research papers on adhesives. It was replaced by epoxy in most cases. Wood adhesives get titebond 2 for interior needs.

I carry two part 5 minute epoxy and thickener for quick, temporary fixes. The faster set epoxies have a lot more vinyl in them that lets them kick faster but are less durable. I also have a tube of 5200 for emergencies being it cures under water.

[Jim Cate]

Consider also a hot melt glue gun. That stuff isn't very strong, but it is very useful for holding things in place whilst slower glues set up. Also for quickly assembling things for testing fitup and such. Easy to apply, easy to remove w hen the job is done.

Jim

[Wotname]

You can use 5 minute epoxies and 24 hour epoxies at the same time. A few spots of the 5 minute stuff to set quickly and hold the job in place while the longer epoxy kicks off.

[Lepke]

For simple stuff, brand-x super glue, you get 20 tubes for under $10 on ebay.

There's lots of quick epoxies. West Systems fast hardener is usually what I use.

[tkeithlu]

Lake Effect has the good point - different adhesives for different jobs. Start at Jim's recommendation of hot glue - it builds a structure of pretty hard plastic. It fills gaps in rigid joints.

Shoe Goo - it fills gaps and is flexible. It's basically very sticky silicone sealant.

Epoxy - Great strength, and whether it fills a gap often depends on whether it has filler in it, the extremes in that direction being Bondo and epoxy sticks.

Model airplane cement - good for rigid connections in plastics.

Gorilla glue - similar in function, and adhere's really well to a variety of surfaces.

Contact cement - paper and fabric, remains flexible, lower strength than some others.

Wood glue glues wood. Does it well, but not much else.

Super glue - two rigid surfaces that match exactly, such as broken ceramics.

3M 5200. Rigid, no mixing, slow setting, and only removed by burning it off.

So it takes a collection. Each has its role. My collection fills a shoe box, and every once in awhile I take a look and replace stuff that has hardened with age.

[vladkri]

Thanks everyone. It has been enlightening. I will try all the suggestions, especially like 5 min epoxy. I used gallons of WS on the boat, but it's annoying the next step is always mañana.

[MicHughV]

I'm going to go out on a limb here...

I use a glue called " Tacky Glue" in various art projects...but recently started using it for odd job wood projects....and damn if it doesn't work good, especially so in non-structural instances. It dries very quick, and you can pick it up at Hobby store for less than $2/4 oz..
I've also used in semi-structural applications, and it took a hammer to break two pieces of wood apart.
I've also used in outdoor applications, and its as strong today as it was 6 months ago..

Worth a shot....