doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Titebond 111

Just ordered some of this glue to fix a couple of splits in the head of an old boxlock stock.
I've read good reviews about it but wondered how strong it actually is ?
The wood had soaked up a bit oil over the years but I've cleaned that up with solvent then heat over the last few days so I'd imagine it's quite clean now. Will carry on with that until it's all gone but after reading the claims about the strength of the glue I wondered if it will be enough on its own or whether I should also fit a Chicago screw to keep it all tight ?
The owner shoots well with it and isn't too concerned with a visible repair, I'd like to do an invisible fix ideally , especially after seeing an old hammer gun fixed with two halves of an old brass door hinge a few days back.
What would you recommend ? The wood will be clean and dry before any glue goes near it but would you say that it'll be strong enough a bond to take the knocks and recoil ?
At least he'll only be putting 2 1/2 inch shells in it now after I pointed out the chamber size.

I bought a bottle of Titebond III a few months ago, but haven't had a chance to try it yet. But several years ago, I did a test to determine which glue would give the most invisible joint in walnut.

I planed some black walnut and cut it into small samples which I then glued with Acraglass, West System Epoxy, Titebond II, a polyurethane (Gorilla type) glue, and a few others.Titebond II gave the most invisible joint, followed by the epoxies. The polyurethane is said to be better in oil contaminated wood, and gave a pretty invisible joint. But any glue squeeze-out acted like a sealer and took a lot of sanding to permit an even finish or staining.

I then broke some of my glued test pieces by clamping them in a vise and smacking them with a hammer. I don't recall the exact results, but I do recall that the Titebond II joint was stronger than the wood. I'll use dowels or pins if I can hide them under a lock plate or trigger guard, etc. But for most cracks or splits in clean wood, I won't lose any sleep with Titebond II or a good epoxy properly applied and clamped.The polyurethane was very strong as well, but the excess was messy and harder to clean up.

Thanks Keith,
That's the kind of info I was hoping for, I'll give the Titebond 111 a go and see how it stands up. I'd tried Gorilla glue on a rifle stock a while back, it stuck well, but as you say, the frothing mess that squeezed out took some shifting once it'd set.
The split I've got runs down the centre between the top strap and trigger plate so don't have issues with the glue showing but I'm worried about it opening up again if it's not 100% bonded, there's no checkering on the stock or I'd have probably fixed a dowel through and re cut it to disguise the fix as best as possible so as the owner isn't fussy, it's not a problem. There's another small split on the right hand side but that's been there a long time and hasn't got any worse so that'll be a good spot to repair and see if the glue joint shows.
Cheers
Nick.

Thanks for sharing Keith. That is good information. Nick, looking forward to your feedback on Titebond III.

All of the Titebond glues are good but Titebond III is the best for anything to do with water. I use it on indoor projects as well as projects outside and it holds up very well.
I also experimented on gluing up boards and then breaking them, none ever broke at the glue line, it is stronger than the wood.

I like epoxy because I can clean it off any unwanted areas with common isopropyl alcohol. I just wet a patch with the alcohol and wash the overflow away. Epoxy has never lacked for strength and I dye mine to match the wood.

bill

For hairline cracks, cyanoacrylate works very well for invisible repairs. For coloring epoxy, which I do a lot for architectural and furniture repairs, get the liquid pigments made specifically for epoxy, or use dry pigments from an art supply. Universal tints from the paint store will interfere with the cure of the epoxy.

The key to the Titebond or other wood glues is a clean, close fitting joint, awareness of open time, and correct clamping to completely close the joint without excessive squeeze out that can starve the joint. Compressed air can be used to get it deep into a split or crack, but cover surrounding areas. I like surgical rubber tubing or strips of rubber inner tube for clamping the irregular surfaces of gun stocks. You can quickly wipe off most of the excess squeeze out with a moist cloth and then wrap the area with waxed paper so the rubber tubing won't stick to the wood.

Epoxies are better when there is any gap to fill or bridge, but it takes a lot of practice to do a dye job that will blend perfectly with the final finish. It was due to seeing so many very visible glue and epoxy repairs on guns that led me to experiment to see for myself what worked best. Attempting to break some of my glue joints gave me confidence that my repairs are unlikely to fail under recoil, etc. The polyurethane glues foam out and expand to also fill gaps, but they are messy and affect finishing unless removed by sanding as I've already noted. I think I am going to really like the Titebond III because it is even closer to the color of walnut, the factory specs claim it is stronger, and it is even more water resistant.

I use TB III in laminating longbows and other associated applications (nock overlays etc), so it has to work hard. The timber itself will fail before a properly glued joint ie appropriately clamped, close fitting, clean, not squeezed dry etc as above.

Thanks again everyone. Your input is helpful and is really appreciated. I'll keep you posted how the job goes when the glue arrives.
Cheers,
Nick.