# For those who have done turquoise inlay: Ca glue or epoxy?



## gurnie (Feb 2, 2010)

Hello!

I have a question for those who have done turquoise inlay: do you prefer Ca glue or epoxy? I have a maple burl box in which i want to fill some voids that are in the burl with turquoise. I have a 5 minute epoxy at home made by loclite, but I am totally OK with doing a quick run to the hardware store and getting some CA glue if people have a better experience with it.

it seems the issues with epoxy are if you don't mix it exactly 1:1 (or whatever ratio on the box) you can have a sticky uncured product. Sometimes epoxy has air-bubbles from the stirring that get into the inlay. but you can mix in turquoise powder into epoxy which is a plus.

CA glue seems to be runny and some people have reported issues with using turquoise dust and CA glue (can't mix the dust with the CA glue because it sets too quickly).

If you are partial to a particular brand please post.

Also do they even sell "big" bottles (2-4ounces) of CA glue at the hardware stores (home depot)? Do i have to make a run to woodcraft  (30-50 minutes away depending on traffic)

thanks for the advice


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

I work a lot of mesquite and turquoise. Lots of voids. (I call them negative spaces, or design opportunities  )For small voids I use CA glue. for larger ones (dime sized plus) or longer/wider cracks I use either West Systems epoxy or System III. West Systems come with a plunger dispenser on both the resin and hardener cans. Each full depression of the plunger is one unit, and it's exact!
In using CA and any powdered stone, I usually fill the cavity with the stone, then pour in the CA.


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## miserybob (Jan 24, 2010)

I'd avoid the CA wherever possible. There's much debate as to whether or not it's a very long lasting adhesive. Same thing with the 5 minute epoxy. If you want it to last a lifetime, use West Systems or System III (I use West, only because it is convenient - I've seen others swear by System III). As Gene says, the West System pumps make them pretty much foolproof, as long as you mix them well enough (for at least a minute).

Bubbles can be an issue - I've seen some recommend using a blow dryer to heat the epoxy and bring bubbles to the surface… I haven't tried that, though.


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## gurnie (Feb 2, 2010)

Where do you get West Systems or systems III?

i found the systems III and it looks like they only sell very large sizes. I think the total size of the void i need to fill is like 2-3 inches long and maybe 1/2" wide. This is for a bandsaw box i am making, so it seems a little silly to go out and buy a huge amount of it


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

Here is where I buy it.
West systems
System III
You are right about the quantity. You can try a hobby store for "2 part epoxy". In a pinch, I've used some from there. Worked OK. 
Don't get the adhesive type. you're looking for a pint or so with a small bottle of hardener. 
Once you see how pretty it can be, you might just find a use for a larger amount.


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## TJ65 (Jan 19, 2010)

Dont know if you have read LJer-swirlsandburls blog inlaying stone. He mentions -
'As you might imagine (doing a lot of inlay work), you can really go through a lot of glue. Resist the urge to buy the mega bottles, though. I have had to throw out lots of glue that cured in the bottle before being used up.'

I haven't myself done anything like this but have bought some of the things required. I had to wait till the weather warmed up a bit so the things could cure etc.
Good luck with your project


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## gurnie (Feb 2, 2010)

So it seems that there's mixed opinions on CA glue or west systems / systems 3. I am sure West and Systems 3 provide the best product, but they are a tad out of my price range at the moment, just because it's such a small box and to spent $30-40 it pretty much takes up the profit i should make on the box. I know i could do more boxes like this but I only have a few with natural voids.

I might stop by home depot today and see what they offer in terms of CA glue. I am also debating on actually not filling the void completely to the top so it's below the wood grain. that should remove the need to grind anything and should have a similar look

i think what i do like about using the ca glue is that since there is no mixing, in theory there should be no bubbles to deal with. Am i right?


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

If you fill the void with dust or powder or even grains, then apply the CA or epoxy, there won't be a likelihood of bubbles.


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## gurnie (Feb 2, 2010)

I got a very thin mix of CA glue and it didn't work too well (poured liek water). i'm going to try doing a second application and see if i can get it to work (big holey mess at the surface even though when i poured it the CA glue filled the void. i'm going to try epoxy next. this is getting a little frustrating


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

Are you saying that the turquoise slumped or fell?


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## gurnie (Feb 2, 2010)

turquoise stayed in place but the glue just about disappeared and left pitting holes


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## rivergirl (Aug 18, 2010)

A while ago there was a good blog on inlays- for turquoise etc. Very informative. Andy Needles does a great turquois inlay and he is very open to sharing with L/J members if you send him a PM. 
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/33375

here's the blog
http://lumberjocks.com/rusticandy/blog/17727


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

Aha!
The CA soaked into the wood. Just add more.


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

rivergirl has posted an excellent "How To" by rusticandy. With minor exceptions, (I use a different epoxy) that's exactly my process. 
Please note his method of filling what you refer to as "pitting holes". Just add more. 
If you ever do this again, coating the cavity with thin CA before adding the stone and more CA or epoxy will *decrease* the likelihood of "pitting".


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## terrilynne (Jun 24, 2010)

Get CA glue in the gel form. It stays where you put it.


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## gurnie (Feb 2, 2010)

So i went back and added more CA glue to the ones that had pitted. They filled in fine but they're very cloudy. Also when it dried it really expands so while the CA glue fit perfectly when i pour the solution in when it dried it spilled out of the hole, and i am pretty sure if that had happened on the final product the CA glue would show up over a polyurethane finish

So i did an experiment with 5 minute epoxy and it worked well. When the epoxy settled it was nice and clear. The only annoyance was that it was thick (so it was harder to get it into the drilled hole) and there were a few bubbles in the epoxy. It wasn't cloudy. I did not get a chance to sand either one, maybe the CA glue might clear up when sanded. Not sure


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