USING
OAK & TEAK EPOXY GLUE
Woods such as oak, teak, maple,
alder, apetong, araki, pau lope, osage orange, etc., may be glued with
our Oak and Teak Epoxy Glue™. For best results, it should be applied to
both surfaces to be glued and allowed to sit long enough for the wood
to soak up as much as it wants, so that when the pieces are assembled
the wood will not absorb the glue that would otherwise fill the gap between
the pieces, leading to a glue-starved joint. Scarf and butt joints are
especially prone to soaking glue out of the joint, as it wicks into the
end grain of the wood, (endgrain constitutes the open ends of the hollow
cellulose tubes of which the wood is made). Edges of plywood are notorious
for soaking up liquids.
Most adhesives, even epoxy adhesives, do not bond hardwoods because the
saps and resins in the wood interfere with the bonding chemistry of the
adhesive. Our Oak and Teak Epoxy Glue is specially formulated (by us -
we're chemists) to overcome this difficulty. We designed a chemical system
that absorbs and displaces the saps and resins without becoming weakened
by the absorbed oils.
Oak and Teak Epoxy Glue is a very flexible adhesive, which is excellent
for dissimilar woods and cross-grain joints due to its ability to absorb
stress and impact.
Our products have fairly long thin-film set times, and so the user has
plenty of time to wipe up drips or shape into the desired form before
the epoxy jells.
Do not use solvents to "clean" hardwoods before gluing. The
solvents are absorbed by the wood and will cause the epoxy bond to fail.
Even solvent cleaning hardwoods after gluing (while the glue is still
wet) has in some cases, caused glue-line failures. Wiping up drips with
paper towels is safe.
Oak and Teak Epoxy Glue contains the new Dual Synergistic Catalyst™, which
guarantees a dependable full cure at temperatures as low as 28° F
(-2° C).
Oak and Teak Epoxy Glue consists of two clear viscous liquid components.
When mixed, it usually turns white and should be allowed to stand for
about ten to twenty minutes, until it turns somewhat clear (amber) before
using.
MIXING TWO-COMPONENT PRODUCTS
In mixing two-component products,
it is important that the product be thoroughly mixed or it will be physically
weak when cured. The most important part of the mixing process is to mix
it well in one container, transfer to a second container and mix again.
Sophisticated adhesives,
sealants and coatings are two-component systems. One part has to be mixed
with another part before they are applied. After a while, a chemical reaction
takes place, and what is created is a filler, paint or glue with exceptional
properties. It is not possible to obtain those properties by taking some
simple thing out of a can.
Each of these two parts, whether they are liquids or pastes, consists
of very small components called molecules. The manufacturer designed the
system so that the individual molecules of each component would react
with each other in certain proportions. That is why the instructions say
to mix the materials in those proportions.
If the materials are mixed in different proportions, then some molecules
of one or another component are left over, scattered among the molecules
of both components that did react together. In that case, the material
will be softer or weaker than it should be, or will soften in water when
it should not. It might be a gooey mess. It is therefore important to
mix the components thoroughly, so that everywhere in the mixture the ingredients
are in the correct proportions, even down to the individual molecules.
Visual appearance of uniformity is not always an adequate guide, as there
are millions of molecules in a single inch. A few ounces of material,
for example, should be mixed for at least a minute or more, until visually
uniform, then transferred to a second container and the mixing procedure
repeated, scraping off the mixing tool frequently. This ensures that the
small amount of A or B in the bottom corners of the first mixing container
has the opportunity to be thoroughly mixed with everything else.
Glues should be mixed by hand, as power mixers can whip in many small
bubbles which will give a weak glue joint.
If there are any soft or gooey spots in the final cured product, that
is proof that the material was not thoroughly mixed.
HYGIENE
With all modern products
there are certain safety procedures that must be observed if the user
is to avoid a rash or allergy developing. Do not get the resins on your
bare skin. If you do, stop what you're doing and go wash with soap and
water. While casual exposure at infrequent intervals may not be harmful
to most people, it is impossible to predict who will become allergic after
some exposure. So, be neat and work clean.
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