Thread: Best glue for metal splines

Mike McCrory uses CA glue and cautions about heat in this video

I suggest epoxy to glue the splines in, cut the excess off using a bandsaw then sand the very little that is left on the belt of a disc/belt sander. Reducing the amount of metal you need to sand off will help with keeping the heat down as will using a belt-type sander as the belt constantly moves on to a new cooler part of its surface. Don’t use a lot of pressure and lift off from time to time.

Works for me.

Regards,

Brian

Thanks Chris & Homey. I agree with both of you. I think I'm just getting things a bit hot. I did another test today (with CA glue) and left as small an amount as possible to be ground off - I don't have a bandsaw. I kept the temp. down and I think it's OK.
Thanks for your help guys. It really confirmed what I thought was happenning.

Other option is to file the excess down to as close to the surface as you are game, then sand. For aluminium a nice sharp HSS plane blade in a hand plane can also remove excess IF you take shallow passes, assuming of course that the splines are thin.

How are you preventing the aluminium / brass filings from discolouring the wood?

Thanks Mobyturns,
I'm using 4mm aluminium (sometimes 3mm) and I'm not having any issue with discolouration on Silky Oak, probably as it's pretty tight grained. I seem to have succeeded regarding my initial problem by just keeping the heat down.

Fish glue is what they used several thousand years ago for gluing metal to wood. The other type of glue which was recommended to me by Terry Gordon for gluing a brass plate to wood is Loctite A33. The glue and spray activator are sold separately.. I burnished the edge at the time and it gets hot. Several years has passed and there's no sign of the degrading at all.

I use copper and brass in some of my turned work and found that the only glue to take the heat was polyurathane, epoxy and CA always failed. I use Selleys Durabond because I can pick it up locally but found I need to keep it in the fridge to make it last. Terry Gordon would know, so I'm sure the Loctite A33 would also work.