another Ovation question....

[Mike Kolb]

I'm replacing an Ovation top that was smashed. The new cedar top is constructed and I'm just about ready to glue the kerfing to the plastic bowl. 

And that begs the question....   what's the best glue to use for securing the basswood kerfing to the plastic bowl?  I'm leaning towards "gorilla glue" for the sheer stickiness, but am also considering epoxy, althougn I'm concerned about the epoxy's propensity to 'run south' and sag prior to curing.

If anyone has experience with the Ovation plastic bowls( (and gluing wood to it) I'd be grateful for your expertise.   Many  thanks.  

[Tim Mace]

I'd go gorilla before epox.............MO.Good luck! Put a nice sized trap door in the back for easy access to the interior....if needed.

[Grahame Myers]

I've heard an awful lot about Gorilla glue, but here in Germany I wouldn't know where to buy it. I've never managed to find anyone in Germany that stocks it. Anybody have any idea what Ovation uses? I've often thought about what I'd use in the event of me taking on a job like this. Is Epoxy an absolute no-no, or a viable (if somewhat more problematic), alternative to Gorilla glue, if that's not available?

Best

Grahame

[Dave Yelverton]

Mike, I like the idea of using epoxy, but appreciate the difficulties it causes by running. Have you considered mixing with a filler, either fibre or micro-balloons, so that you end up with a stiffish paste texture? It does squeeze out but sag is reduced substantially, any small gaps are left filled with a strong bonding material, and you can wipe off the excess with acetone on a cloth. I used to use it like this in boat repair, but can't answer for how it would bond with the plastic Ovation (I still can't say that name without making it sound like a swear word.... I hate these things!) bowl. You could dab a small blob on and check how well it has bonded after curing.
Grahame, you can get Gorilla glue in the UK; why not ask someone to send some over. It makes an excellent bond with all sorts of materials( I recenty used it to bond glass and plastic, but has the drawback like all PU glues of foaming out of the joint. I believe you can use a solvent to wipe this off before fully cured, but I can't remember what at the mo! Otherwise removal by scraper, which I don't enjoy; this stuff's tenacious!

Regards

Dave

[Mike Kolb]

Update on the job: in a quasi-scientific fashion, I applied a 3" section of kerfing using the polyurethane 'gorilla glue', and another 3" section using (thank you, Dave) epoxy mixed with about 15% wood dust as a thickener/filler.

Both glues worked and held the wood strong as the devil, so there's no issue there. The polyurethane 'gorilla glue' (predictably) foamed at the joints and would need to be carefully cleaned-out, particularly at the face of the kerfing to be bonded with the .060" binding. The epoxy/sawdust mix worked equally as well, and without the foaming.

So that seems to be the answer.... the epoxy mix works great and doesn't need the "chiseling-out" of any foaming residue. Case closed for me. Thanks again, Dave!