Tag: Glue

Time has proved that when parts are glued with the best of glue, used according to well-known rules by first-class mechanics, the pieces will not come apart during reasonable wear. We have seen coach bodies built over one hundred years ago, and a great deal longer, where the panels would stick to the framing and the inside canvas glued to the panels was still in good condition.

Furniture that has been made in centuries past with tenons fitted and glued, is as solid today as when made. We have examined furniture, knowing that it was eighty years old at least, and the mahogany veneering was as solid as if only glued the day before. All such furniture was well made and well glued and the workmanship was of the best.

The high-class furniture at the present time looks far better, when compared with the antique, but it will not stand the usage. We refer to furniture in this article because the difference in construction and finish and their defective qualities are far more apparent than on carriages, but in both furniture and carriages the same means have been and are still employed; that is, the woodwork is fitted and glued by hand or machinery, and the timber is either air or kiln-dried.
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It is surprising how little is known about glue, even among artisans who are constantly using it in their work, especially when we consider that the strength and durability of glued work, and, ultimately, the reputation of the artisan, depend largely upon the quality and proper use of it.

It is an indisputable fact that poor glue, or the improper use of good glue, has caused the wreck of many an otherwise good piece of work.

In order to select or handle glue intelligently, it is necessary to understand something about its manufacture. Glue is an impure gelatine, and is made from the refuse of tanneries, such as parings and waste pieces of the hides, ears, and tails of cattle. Some light-colored glues of poor quality are made from sheep skins, pig skins, and bones. Bone glue is prepared by boiling bones, to remove the fatty matter they contain, and then treating them with hydrochloric acid. This renders them soft and translucent. They are then washed in an alkaline bath, to neutralize the acid. The subsequent treatment is much the same as that followed in the other process. Glue made from bones has a milky hue, owing to the presence of phosphate of lime.
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