Thread: Need a glue that can be easily "undone" once set

Use hide glue.

Not sure I can really picture what you're doing, but for temporary fixing while cutting stacks I use double sided tape. Extremely thin and fairly easy to get apart afterwards. Bunnings, OfficeWorks or your local art supplies store are sources.

Alternative is a dob of hot melt glue - this stuff is usually not too strong.

Brian

Ooh, double sided tape, that's an interesting idea! Will definitely experiment with that + the hot glue. Thanks!

Also haven't heard of hide glue, thanks!

Originally Posted by tgavin

Also haven't heard of hide glue, thanks!

Hide glue is a traditional product that's been around for centuries; it is made from the skins and hooves of animals and is a by-product of a slaughterhouse. The joints can be quite easily broken using wet heat such as steam.

It is a fairly "high tack" glue with a very good open time; but has some disadvantages. Preparation of the glue is a long and tedious process of soaking "pearls" and then heating; a special glue pot and heating system is required for best results as the glue must be kept within certain temperature and moisture limits. It can't handle hot moist environments very well and of course isn't waterproof.

Titebond make a liquid hide glue in a bottle that is supposed to exhibit all the good working properties of the traditional glue with the convenience of bottled adhesives like PVA. I haven't used it but it gets positive reviews.

+1 for Chief Tiff's summary.
There are several different hide glues (beef, fish, rabbit and so on). They allow musical instruments to be disassembled for repairs and put back together.
Durable to last a century or more in the case of fine violins, etc. I have a UK-schooled luthier friend who uses 4 different hide glues.

One of the world's largest lutheir supply is Stewart-MacDonald. Google Stew Mac to get there.
EDIT: I looked in StewMac
= Fish Hide Glue in a squeeze bottle that you keep in the 'fridge.
You all know what rabbit hide glue is like, ever since you licked your first postage stamp.

Originally Posted by tgavin

I am making some small jewelry using a scroll saw. I am aiming to have two different types of wood joined together in a "flat" way, as in they join from the sides, not from above. I want there to be a seamless join between the two. To do this I have been gluing the two pieces of wood together, one on top of the other, sticking the design on top and the, cutting it out. I also cut out the "joining" line, so that the upper layer can then be glued to the lower layer along that line of the cut, hence achieving a seamless join.

Obviously one necessity for doing things this way is being able to un-stick the two bits of wood once the two pieces have been cut out. At the moment I've done a couple using PVC and I've found that after it's all cut out, putting it in the oven to heat up makes the glue much easier to break, however this method isn't ideal because sometimes it darkens the colour of the wood. I've tried using a chisel to separate however have had mixed success, probably because the wood is often thing and long. Sometimes the pieces are really strange shapes which also using a chisel hard to do.

So I'm hoping someone might know of a type of glue that would fit this purpose?

depending on how thick the wood is options available to you include
hide glue -- which is fully reversible if heated gently.
spray adhesive -- the 3M brand is considered the best. Important that you only spray the adhesive on one piece, never on both.
paper joints -- gluing a piece of paper between the pieces allows the pieces to be easily separated after shaping
double sided tape -- use sparingly. you only want the pieces to stay still relative to each other
a technique known as "marquetry packet" -- If you are working with veneers, this might be the best technique for you

Rather than double sided tape, have a look at the following.

Must admit, I didn't believe it at first, try it and see what you think. I currently have a couple of rolls of double sided tape which don't get used.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ub6PsY4cgwg

Yep, masking tape and CA glue between them, or use a paper joint. Google "woodturning paper joint".

Ive watched marqueters use hide glue for packets, which sounds very much like what you are doing.

If you've got rolls of double sided tape lying around doin' nuthin. Use the double sided tape between the layers of masking tape [emoji1303]

Originally Posted by graham.murfett

If you've got rolls of double sided tape lying around doin' nuthin. Use the double sided tape between the layers of masking tape [emoji1303]

ummmm . . . WHY????
The masking tape was to stop CA glue from touching the surfaces in the OTHER SUGGESTION
SO,. . . if you have DS Tape , you wont need the masking tape . . .
OR . . if you use the masking tape/CA glue method. . . you wont be needing DS tape.

If you have double sided tape lying around, and you wish to use the glue method instead, use up the DS tape in place of the glue.
You still get the release of the masking tape, whilst using up your DS tape.
I dunno if I've answered your question though.