Hi All, Thanks for weighing in on this topic. I've been using 315, and I think I'm ready to order some lower strength. It's been good to use especially when you want the fast tack and I've adapted my technique to suit. I would never be able to use Tim's method of glueing the braces all in one go and put a board over top with weight. An anvil, Tim??? Wow certainly not a blacksmith's I'm assuming :-))
No, It has a fast gel and even by the time I get the go bars on one it has begun to gel, one more bar and I can clean squeeze out from the first. For bridges, I like it both in construction and repair, especially the repair, when you have to hold the bridge by hand for several minutes. A good thinnish water ratio and it will hold fast. I have a really hard time waiting the full five minutes, perhaps, too much coffee in me. I usually fidget around after a couple minutes. I have veneered and all of the other operations, but you have to be fast!! I also like it for rib gluing, it's quick. Shrinkage though, I witnessed a old jar with a thin layer of dried glue crack a baby bottle! Chad Neal -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Andrew Hartig Sent: Tuesday, December 01, 2009 4:46 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [LUTE-BUILDER] hide glue gram strength I'm wondering what gram strength glue other builders out there are using. I noticed recently that while a local luthier supply (lmii.com) sells 192 gram strength "high clarity" (it really does have high transparency) hide glue as their standard for lutherie, another general woodworking company (toolsforworkingwood.com) markets 3 types: 192, 251, and 315 (only the 192 comes with a "high clarity" alternative). The only thing that really got my attention here was their description of the strengths, copied below: * The 192 gram strength is a good general purpose glue, and it's the least expensive hide glue around. That's why it's the most common. Its real application is veneering, although you can use it for regular gluing in a pinch. A lot of people consider it the best all-around glue for general woodworking (including veneering), because it also has the longest open time. If you are new to hide glue, this is the grade you should get. * The 251 gram strength glue is traditionally the most appropriate for regular cabinetwork. Its higher strength means that you can do rub joints more easily, and clamped joints will have less time to creep. But it's not optimal for veneering, when you'd want the maximal amount of time for squeezing out the excess glue. * The 192 gram strength "high clarity" is more expensive than its cousins because it is especially refined for maximum transparency. It's a good all-around glue that's slightly more tacky then the regular 192 glue. This is the glue to use if you are worried about visible glue lines. * The 315 gram strength is a special purpose glue for very high stress applications. It is favored primarily by instrument makers for situations where a joint will be under constant force. Of the glues the 315 has the shortest open time. So, is 192 not strong enough for lutherie, as implied by the description of the 315? Or is the concern here more about high-tension modern instruments? What are others using? (As an aside, I should mention that I've had no troubles so far with using the high clarity 192.) Curiously, Andrew -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
