# Temporary Glue



## bilyo (May 20, 2015)

I'm building a small complex box out of cherry. It is complex enough that it is difficult to temporarily hold together while measuring and fitting new pieces. I am dealing mostly with mitered corners which are usually hard to hold together anyway. The interrelated nature of all the pieces makes it infeasible to glue it together in modules. I need to get all the pieces properly fitted before doing any final gluing. I am wondering about a temporary glue that will hold well enough to keep everything aligned while fitting new pieces, but week enough that it can be snapped apart before final glue-up without damage and adversely affecting the final glue. Also, some pieces may have to be taken apart more than once as I'm cutting and fitting.

My first thought was to use a spot of super glue on the end grain miters and then use epoxy for final glue-up. I have some test pieces glued with the super glue, but have not yet tried to break them. Have any of you ever successfully done this? What glues did you use?

Using packing tape might be an alternative. I haven't tried yet, but I'm thinking that holding the small pieces and getting them taped tightly might get rather fiddly

I would appreciate any ideas.


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## jmartel (Jul 6, 2012)

What about hot glue?


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## RobHannon (Dec 12, 2016)

Super glue probably would work, but I think hot glue would be a better choice. The thickness of tape could throw off measurements. Anything you choose, use very sparingly.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Fish glue is reversible with water. I've only 
ever used it on small parts because it grabs
quick. I usually press it in place and hold it
for a little while or put some tape on it. I use
it where other folks might use super glue for
fixing little mistakes. It stays viable in the 
bottle for years.

Hot glue may have "thickness" to the joint
which may interfere. The viscosity will also
probably make it easy to break the joints
and chisel off the excess. It doesn't seem to
me that it gets in the pores much.

I think weak pastes can be made with common
stuff like flour or cornstarch and water. ModPodge
is something like that.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Also double-stick carpet tape may work. It's
very useful to have on hand for woodworking
anyway if it doesn't.


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## BurlyBob (Mar 13, 2012)

I agree with Loren about double sided tape.


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

Any protein glue is reversible. Tacking it at two or three points on each joint with Old Brown Glue will hold strongly and a hot wet towel laid over it will allow it to release pretty quickly. You can also use a spray bottle of distilled water and a heat gun.

Additionally, you can rinse excess protein glue under warm running water, or a bucket and a brush.


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## bilyo (May 20, 2015)

I'm fearful that hot melt glue will adversely affect my final glue. Also, as you say, it's thickness may not allow the glue faces to come all the way together.
I don't know why I didn't think of double stick tape. I have some and use it all the time. It might be a bit fiddly to work with so small, but I'll give it a try. Also, it is very thin and probably won't affect measurements.
The fish glue idea is intriguing. Would I find that at a craft store? Would it leave any residue affecting final glue-up with yellow glue or epoxy? 
I have some Titebond hide glue. I'll try that also. The problem there is that I want it to set up faster.
Thanks for the ideas.


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## CaptainKlutz (Apr 23, 2014)

Temp Glue miter?

When ever I dry assemble mitered corner joints, I primarily use one of two types of clamps to hold stuff in place (no glue required):

#1: Use a strap clamp around the outside of frame. Rockler sells an expensive one handed version, and this inexpensive version. Cheap version can be any strap clamp, HF sells all kinds of ratcheting straps like this one that will work too.

#2: Use Collins Miter clamp. I bought mine from Hartville Tool sale long ago, but Highland sells them also. Woodcraft has a different shaped version that appears to work same way. Collins clamps are my favorite miter clamps. They will leave a small dent in outside corner of wood, and generally do not use on softwoods. but small indent easily removes on most hardwoods (apply water to raise the dent, and sand flat). They are strong enough, I have used them on 8/4 lumber shaped into feet frame for blanket chest (2 in each corner).

One other trick I can recommend instead of temporary glue: 
Addition of biscuit to miter joint will help prevent joints coming apart during dry fit and final assembly. The smaller 'FF' size works even for picture frames. Nice thing about biscuit is that once miter faces are butt to each other, joint movement is limited. When used with above clamp methods, makes building complex miter face frames on cabinets easy.

This magazine article or this version might give you some more ideas on how to clamp miter joints.

Best Luck.


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

> The fish glue idea is intriguing. Would I find that at a craft store? Would it leave any residue affecting final glue-up with yellow glue or epoxy?
> I have some Titebond hide glue. I ll try that also. The problem there is that I want it to set up faster.
> Thanks for the ideas.
> 
> - bilyo


Fish glue and hide glue are both protein glues. One will not outperform the other for your needs. If you really want fast tack, use hot hide glue. You can rig up a quick heater with a $10 crock pot. Make a double boiler with a mason jar for the glue mixture. It will tack up enough to hold your pieces together in less than a minute and has the same advantage of being reversible with moist heat.


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## bilyo (May 20, 2015)

CaptainKlutz, Ordinarily I would follow procedures along the lines you suggest. However, these are very small pieces that will be interlinked in such a way that ordinary clamping doesn't work. There is no outer frame that can be band clamped.

Rich, I will try the double stick tape tomorrow. If that doesn't work, I'll try the hot hide glue (I happen to have some mixed up). And, I haven't given up on super glue yet.


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## bilyo (May 20, 2015)

> CaptainKlutz, Ordinarily I would follow procedures along the lines you suggest. However, these are very small pieces that will be interlinked in such a way that ordinary clamping doesn t work. There is no outer frame that can be band clamped.
> 
> Rich, I will try the double stick tape tomorrow. If that doesn t work, I ll try the hot hide glue (I happen to have some mixed up). And, I haven t given up on super glue yet.
> 
> - bilyo


Follow-up:
The combination of double stick and packing tape did the job. I'm embarrassed for not thinking of it in the first place. I guess I developed a mind set and couldn't think past it.
Thanks for the help.


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## LesB (Dec 21, 2008)

I have had good luck with medium thick CA glue. Just a small spot is all you need. Spray one side of the joint with accelerant just before putting it together to get a faster set up. The small spot will come apart easily and you might need to scrape it clean before final glue up. 
Hot glue will is too thick as double stick tape could be also and both can leave a residue. 
The "protein" blues are fine but the moisture/heat you need to separate them will also raise the grain on the wood so it may need re-sanding before final assembly.
Also don't forget you can use painters tape on the outside of most projects. 
In some cases a jig that holds things together is helpful; especially if you are making multiple copies of the same thing.


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