How To Select The Right Glue For The Job
Most maintenance jobs around the home involve fixing broken things and many of those things can be repaired with glue. Knowing how to select the right glue for the job means that you need to know a bit about how certain glues work and where and when to use them.
Properties of Different Adhesives
| Type | Hardening | Examples of Use |
| Solution | Evaporation of water/solvent | Wood glues (PVA) |
| Hotmelt | Cooling | Arts and crafts |
| 1-component | Water, temperature, UV light | Silicone used on the glass of an aquarium. |
| 2-component | Mix two components | Porcelain, metal, stone, glass, plastic |
| Pressure sensative | Retains tackiness | Contact glues for gluing shoes together. |
Select The Right Glue for Wood
The most common wood glues are polyvinyl acetates (PVA) and are usually white. The glue soaks into the wood fibers and creates a joint that is stronger than the wood around it. PVAs dry and harden through water evaporation, so need time to cure.
No matter how eager you are to complete a project, do not be rushed into using the glued wood before it has cured for the recommended amount of time. Leave it strictly alone – don’t move it, don’t touch it, don’t even look at it until the cure time is done.
Use on raw wood free of paint, varnish, or oils.
The project will need to be clamped to ensure a good bond.
Clamp Time: Twenty-four hours clamped and another 24 hours unclamped. After this time, the joint will be able to bear weight or stress. A joint that won’t bear any weight or stress can be clamped for 12 hours and then used.
Tip: The water in PVA will make the joint swell up, so if the project needs to be sanded after it’s been glued, wait. Leave the project for several days after the cure time for the wood to dry out and go back to its original size before sanding, otherwise the joint will sink below the level of the other wood if you sand it too soon.
The Best Glue for Porcelain
A quick-set white epoxy glue will do the job very well for that broken basin or toilet bowl. You will have to work quickly once the two parts have been mixed though. It will take about 4.5 minutes to start gelling and sets in about 15 minutes.
Do all the prep work beforehand and only when you are quite ready, then squeeze out first a bead of resin and then the same amount of hardener next to it. Mix them well and apply to both cleaned surfaces with a stick or plastic spreader. Wear only nitrile gloves – nitrile will prevent any chemicals from permeating through to your skin.
Don’t worry too much if the glue squeezes out of the joint. You can use a knife or scraper to remove the excess once it has gone tacky and gel-like.
Caution: Always keep your fingers behind a blade and never put them anywhere near the direction that the blade is moving in.
Common Problems With Toilets And How To Fix Them
The Best Food-Safe Glue for Glass
Not all glass glues are safe to use on items that will come into contact with food and drinks. It must specify on the label that it is food-safe.
Most glues require the surfaces to be roughened to ensure a good bond, but glass glues are designed to work on smooth surfaces.
If a favored crystal glass has shattered into a thousand shards, no amount of gluing will restore it to its former strength. However, for larger pieces, glass glue will work very well.
Glass And Glue Safety
Wrap your fingers with medical tape to guard against cuts.
Pull on a pair of close-fitting latex gloves before using the glue. Only work in a well-ventilated area, as the fumes are toxic.
Glass Surface Prep
The surfaces have to be absolutely clean and free of any grease for the glue to work properly. Collect the pieces and fit them together to make sure that you have them all. Clean each piece in hot, soapy water being very careful not to cut yourself. Dip each surface that will be glued into acetone to make sure that there is absolutely no grease. Lay the pieces on a clean paper towel to dry.
Do not touch the surfaces with bare fingers, otherwise the oil from your fingers will compromise the bonding process.
The Gluing Process
Lay newspaper or foil on the work surface to collect any drops or spills.
Put on a pair of latex gloves and spread a thin layer of glue onto the first piece. Most glass glues only require one surface to have glue on, but check the instructions on the container first. If any glue squeezes out, wipe it off with a paper towel immediately, or let it dry and scrape off with a razor blade or scalpel. Take great care not to cut yourself.
Stick a bit of tape onto each piece as you go to keep them in place.
Leave the item to dry for the specified amount of time, and then leave it for a bit longer to be sure.
Tip: Wipe any glue off the top of the glue container with a wad of kitchen towel when you are done, otherwise you may not be able to get the lid off again.
Resources
- Adhesives – Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay
- Clamp – Image by Alexei Chizhov from Pixabay
- Hand Clamp – Image by Ron L from Pixabay
In Conclusion
There are as many glues and adhesives as there are repair jobs and you can usually find a glue that will fix whatever you need to repair. As long as you follow the instructions and safety precautions on the product to the letter, and don’t try to use a glue that is not designed for a particular job, then all will go well.
If you have any questions, please contact me and I will see if I can help. In the meantime…
