Gluing fret work to backer

[Danny]

I use ALEENS Clear dry.  Found if I snip the end of the spout so ONLY a Real, real small dab comes out I can just tap it where glue is needed with no extra puddle build up.  Drys CLEAR and with a piece of wood on top and some weight for a while all is Great afterwards.  Danny  :+}

[jscott2]

I find that old scroll saw blades are great as glue applicators - always have lots on hand.  I can get a very small drop of glue on the end of a blade for exact placement.  Turned sideways, it also spreads the glue well.

Jim

[vanderrt]

Scrollgirl how the heck do you keep Gorilla Glue from drying up. I quit buying it because I used it one day and a week later all I have is a brick no matter how well I seal it. It's worse than super glue.

[scrollgirl]

I didn't meant the amber/clear Gorilla Glue.  Mine also dried up all the time and turned into bricks. Plus - it had a mind of its own. Grew by leaps and bounds!  It DID have holding power though so I suppose for non-decorative gluing it was good. 

I used the WHITE Gorilla WOOD GLUE.  They came out with it a couple of years ago.  Really good holding  power and I have had mine for over a year and it is fine. I keep a small Glu-bot bottle with it and add to it as needed. That way I don't have to open the larger bottle all the time.  It's good stuff.

But any clear-drying white wood glue would probably work well.

  Sheila

[vanderrt]

Thanks Scrollgirl I didn't know about the white gorilla glue I'll give it a try.

[scrollgirl]

Yes - it is VERY different. Does not GROW!

Sheila

[slowcutter]

Blot it on a clean peace of paper then put on backer.

[phantom scroller]

I use my digit and then wipe the excess off with a tissue. Am I BORING OR WHAT. Roly

[ChuckD]

How about "OR WHAT?"  There's good looking, intelligent, stylist, etc.  Take your pick

[pddesertrat]

Richard the other day I wanted to glue the backer on a fret cut and as with you the glue squeeze out is a nightmare, so I thought I wood try the spray glue.
It seems to work so far no problems and no squeeze out.
Just spray the back of the fret NOT the backer.

***Merlin***

I'm new here a know very little but what Merlin wrote is what I thought of when I started reading this thread.  I use #M Super 77 Multipurpose Adhesive a lot in my woodworking.  Mostly to attach patterns to things I am cutting, but it really holds well and I'm sure it would hold a backer.  The other good thing about it is, if you get some where you don't want it you can wipe it off with Mineral Spirits.  It only takes a light mist to hold something. 

[justsomeguy]

a trick I learned from a friend in K.C. Mo. wax paper spread glue on it as thin as possible with a plastic card an old credit card works well, get it thin as possible then put fret work on it then on backer works well and little to no squeeze out

I would really really like to THANK YOU for this tip...i've always used small dabs of glue or try to spread it on the back of my fret piece with a sponge brush or tooth pick and have always gotten squeeze out and it take forever to apply to the piece and by the time i finish i have to go back over the piece real quick because the first area i did would start to dry up...the squeeze out is something i've always just delt with but with a painted backer board i really find it a huge PITA because the painted backer board shows like a grease spot once the glue squeeze out is removed and finish is applied....i used this method the other day spreading the glue with a small foam roller that had a little bottle attached to it that i just filled with my gorilla glue. once i spent a whole 79 seconds to spread the glue on the wax paper and put the fret work piece on lol..after applying the fret to the backer board i had very little to no squeeze out......your little tip has made this part of the job sooo much easier for me !!!!!! clean up was a breeze, simply throw away the wax paper and rinse the foam roller, put the cap on the little bottle that came with it and then your all ready for the next time !!

[EIEIO]

I agree that less glue and more pressure are the trick. Wood glue works best when the wood pieces are forced together. It is weak when the squeeze is not put to it and a thickness of glue is between the wood pieces. And the 5-minute clean-up and re-press step is important.

I do similar when gluing up baskets - light glue at the intersections, clamp for 5 minutes, open and clean up the inside, then re-clamp for 30 minutes or more.

[RangerJay]

I've taken to saving and recycling used blades as one-time glue applicators for fretwork - the flat ends of the smaller blades can hold a small and manageable drop of glue that, with a bit of practice, becomes fairly easy to track a narrow glue trail along the more delicate parts of the fretwork.  After drying, if there is a protruding piece that needs more to secure it then I spread a small drop of CA gap filling glue on the corner of a piece of paper, slide it underneath, then remove the paper and secure the piece.


Jay

[thumbs]

wow!!!!! when I started this post, I had no idea as to how many great ideas would be posted--I thank each and everyone of you for your input--Richard

[Woodchuck]

This is a topic I have struggled with. Today I use the small acid brushes you get from Harbor Freight and titebond glue. Then I use a piece of melamine board over the top to clamp too. The melamine prevents glue from sticking. After about 5-10 minutes I check for any squeeze out and clean up with a knife or a new acid brush, then I reclamp for the 30 minutes. There is usually very little squeeze out.