Replies

1. 
   SCFrankland | Dec 22, 2004 06:01pm | #1

   I was the one who wrote the article so hopefully I can answer so of your questions. To cap off the end I use a bit of electrical tape to seal of the end. I also have a nozzle that has two quick connect tips so I can take it apart from time to time to give it a good cleaning. As for the pressure when I put it together it was very hot in the shop and the glue ran very freely on the low pressure setting as the weather changed of course the pressure had to increase to get the glue flowing. Also for testing purposes I used a cheap white glue that was pretty runny to begin with as I started using yellow woodworking glues the pressure increase do to the thicker glue.

   Also one thing that was not mentioned in the article was that you need to use PVC pipe that can with stand a mild amount of air pressure. I relieve all the pressure between uses.

   I have used it for just over a year and have only had one mishap with it and that was my fault. I forgot to put a clamp on the nozzle end of the nose. The pressure forced the fitting to slide off the nozzle and glue ran out into a big puddle on the floor. My two and a half year old son seen this puddle and ran over to jump in it as if it were a puddle of water. I almost caught him but he ended up getting cover head to toe in luckily non-toxic children's glue. I grabbed him ran for the bathtub where he went cloths and all to get a bath. As I was stripping him off he started trying to get the glue off his hands so he wiped is hand across his chest then across his butt which resulted in some glued together butt cheeks. My wife then came in the front door and caught me trying to clean our son. She was only mad at the fact that I never caught the moment of film.

   Scott C. Frankland

   Scott's WOODWORKING Website

   "He who has the most tools may not win the race of life but he will sure make his wife look like a good catch when she goes to move on."

   
1. 
   corners | Dec 22, 2004 06:39pm | #2

   To keep the tip from drying use these:

   http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?page=45858&category=1,110,42967&abspage=1&ccurrency=1&SID=

1. 
   SCFrankland | Dec 22, 2004 07:58pm | #3

   I was at LV looking at them and figured that they would do the job but no better than tape so I never bought them. I was searching the LV website this mourning though looking for them as an idea for sealing the end but could find them. Thanks for the link.Scott C. Frankland

   Scott's WOODWORKING Website"He who has the most tools may not win the race of life but he will sure make his wife look like a good catch when she goes to move on."

1. 
   EricAnderson | Dec 23, 2004 03:03am | #4

   A friend of mine had one of those ribbed seals from Lee Valley and I tried it.  Although it says it is good for 1/4" spouts, they were somewhat loose on my 1/4" (actually .295" dia) tube barrel on the gun.  I tried a 1/4" caplug and it was better, but still not foolproof.  The best thing so far is a special  bottle filled with water made from a ball jar (see photo).  It keeps the tube clear of dried glue and you just have to flush out the water by pulling the trigger and waiting for the water to drain (followed by the glue).  It takes anywhere from 20 to 40 lbs to force the glue out at a decent pace.

   The assembly in the photo is a 4 inch sched. 40 PVC pipe with a cap at the bottom and a screw cleanout at the top.  I tapped the side of the top of the tube for the output of the regulator.  I have an aluminum hanger to hold the gun while I am gluing and an aluminum support for the ball jar all clamped with a hose clamp.  Although you can't see it, I have a rubber grommet in the top of the ball jar that sort of seals the glue gun barrel when I am not using the gun.  I am hanging it with a simple wire hanger that is attached (along with the regulator) by another hose clamp.  Any other improvement ideas would be welcome.

   Here is the photo

   http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/eganders/glueapplicator2.jpg

1. 
   SCFrankland | Dec 23, 2004 06:00am | #5

   I like your rendition of the glue gun. I have always enjoyed seeing how others take an idea and put there own twist on it or improve it in someway. I am building one now out of stainless steel which I hope will last for years to come.Scott C. Frankland

   Scott's WOODWORKING Website"He who has the most tools may not win the race of life but he will sure make his wife look like a good catch when she goes to move on."

2. 
   EricAnderson | Dec 23, 2004 07:16am | #6

   Stainless.  Now that I would like to see! The only concern I have with the PVC is that their is some leakage unless I really tighten it down.  I made a large wrench (really looks strange, believe me) out of 1/2" plywood to tighten it down.  Where are you going to get the stainless vessel?

3. 
   SCFrankland | Dec 23, 2004 08:30am | #8

   I have several connections with a steel fab yard. My buddy is going to take a tube and weld each end shut then tab it for the fittings and for a filling cap. Should be able to seal it up pretty good with Teflon tape on all the fittings.Scott C. Frankland

   Scott's WOODWORKING Website"He who has the most tools may not win the race of life but he will sure make his wife look like a good catch when she goes to move on."

4. 
   EricAnderson | Dec 23, 2004 02:54pm | #10

   If he is going to do all of that, I wonder if you can arrange a cap that can make use of an O-ring?  That way you will not have to fool around with teflon tape.  I wonder if you can find a screw-on assembly that has a flat lip that the cap can bear against that could use an O-ring as a washer.  Maybe it is a good time to look through the McMaster-Carr or Grainger on-line site.

2. 
   migraine | Dec 23, 2004 07:42am | #7

   My son leaves for the Navy on Jan11th.  Maybe I'll get him some of those.

   He-he-he

2. 
   Telemike | Dec 23, 2004 08:48am | #9

   I use wirenuts to close all kinds of spouts. The red ones seal elmers applicators really well and also seal most caulking tubes. There's a whole variety of sizes that us amatuer (call 911!!!) electricians use, as do real electricians. They have a threaded taper inside that threads onto plastic spouts and tightens down. Titebond, however, has a built in closer that works just fine.

   A trick with using the wirenuts is to invert the glue after screwing on the nut to seal the inside of the wire nut where it meets the spout, with glue. But, any cap will not keep glue or caulk forever. If it's for weeks, caps work well. For months, maybe. For a year or so, good luck!

1. 
   EricAnderson | Dec 23, 2004 03:02pm | #11

   You know, maybe you have hit on something.  Why not just use an old titebond spout?  Wirenuts might be good also, but probably not on my spout since I deformed it to lay down a nice ribbon of glue.  Attaching an old Titebond closer might work very well.

   By the way, I tried everything on those caulk gun spouts.  I found the best long term way to seal them (over months) was the 3M mastic tape (#2228).  That stuff is like rubberized tar in strips.  You don't want to use it if you are using the caulk tube every day, but if you have some RTV or paneling adhesive you want to save, it is a pretty good solution.