Thread: Glueing wood to metal

Originally Posted by mick61

G`day what is the best glue for use with a metal hinge to wood? Thanks Mick
p.s. I cant use screws or nails etc

We need more information.
Does the hinge need to carry any weigh such as a vertical door, or is it a lid on something like a jewelry box?
Is the hinge going to be active a couple of times a year or 10 times an hour?
Is it decorative or in a potential life threatening or injurious situation?
Does it need to look tidy or can we recommend a big gob of epoxy smothering each side of the hinge.

About the only thing you can use is epoxy like araldite but depending on loading forces and amount of use, long term it's still going to come come off.
For no weight with lots of use something like silicone might also be possible.

I've tried a few glues that claim to bond wood to metal but rarely do so successfully. I'd try prepping the wood with a dose of CA which you would then sand smooth once dry to give a good flat surface against the hinge. Then glue the hinge on with more CA - might hold

Like Bob, an epoxy would be my choice.

Bob makes some good points but there are also ways to strengthen the joints a bit. Try to avoid just gluing the hinge "flat" onto the wood if you can; eg. slot the wood so the hinge leaves will slip in snugly. This depends on the hinge type too, of course.

As TTIT says superglue.
a thin dose to the wood sand it back that bit then use a thicker superglue for the metal (hinge) then spray activator on, not a cheapy or it will go white and can also make the super glue brittle and break down. Can not think of the name just know of the actirvator but it is not the airasol type and it is sold as 25ml 50ml and 100ml good place on ebay give it a search. Superglue and Activator 101 for the workshop...LB

Anyone use this stuff just be carefull it can be a right pig not only sticks you but also burns, and not all latex gloves protect you, i always make sure i have a bottle of water in the shop, a debonder or nail varnish remover is also good idea.
http://www.shapewood.co.uk

G`day the hinge is for a turned box I got it from carrolls so weight will not be an issue but mess is.What about contact adhesive?
Mick

I would try hot melt glue. At worst it could be removed if it didn't work but I think if it were put into the screw holes of the hinge that is pressed against the wood , it would do the job.

Goo luck however you do it.

I can't advise on what glue to use, but from experiance I can suggest that you rough up the metal surface as best you can so the glue has something to bite on.

Squirrel..

Originally Posted by mick61

G`day the hinge is for a turned box I got it from carrolls so weight will not be an issue but mess is.What about contact adhesive?
Mick

I guess you can always give it a try?

Could you glue-lam-jam the hinge , sandwich it , under a decorative add-on ?

If you posted a pic of the box , and other parts , it might help .

Epoxy (NOT the 5 minute kind...too brittle) sand the metal with like 40 grit, coat the hinge gain with enough epoxy to make it wet and let that set first. Sand the gain as well as possible (no shiny spots) with like a 120, more epoxy and set the hinge in place. Let set....If you carefully wax the show side of the hinge, be careful not to get wax on the edges, the epoxy can be removed pretty easy without scarring the metal. Good luck....

Just saw this post - I would suggest the Canadian glue Weldbond, which will stick just about anything to anything, but behaves like PVA. One of their promotional gimmicks is to glue a hammer to a brick! I use it all the time for gluing my brass pen tubes into my blanks, but you must allow it to cure overnight for best results.

I should observe that I hesitate when recommending this product, but only because there are a couple of individuals on this forum who seem to have a real set against Weldbond, as a result of experiences I suspect were the result of their own impatience and inability to follow instructions.

All I can say is that I have always had excellent results from this glue, particularly with gluing unlike materials, and it doesn't suffer from any of the nasty chemical problems and mess of CA and epoxy (although I accept that epoxy is best for really high-strength applications). BTW, Weldbond also now offer a version of their glue designed specifically for normal woodworking.

Originally Posted by Tornatus

Just saw this post - I would suggest the Canadian glue Weldbond, which will stick just about anything to anything, but behaves like PVA..............

All I can say is that I have always had excellent results from this glue, particularly with gluing unlike materials, and it doesn't suffer from any of the nasty chemical problems and mess of CA and epoxy (although I accept that epoxy is best for really high-strength applications). BTW, Weldbond also now offer a version of their glue designed specifically for normal woodworking.

I too was a Weldbond fan for about 8 or 9 years - but last year I found some stuff falling apart where the Weldbond had given up the ghost!!! I don't use it for anything crucial now - can offer you a half a bottle (real) cheap!

I would use good home grown technglue. I use it to laminate wood to fiberglass and it stands up to years of stress in archery bows. Clean the wood and metal first with acitone as any oils will hinder bonding. Even the oil from fingers can spoil a joint. Wear gloves in any case as contact with chemicals is not good. Clean surfaces are the key to a good glue up.

Regards
John

Polyurethanes like Selley's durabond are supposed to be OK for metal to wood, unsure about gluing a hinge tho'.