My “pro” finisher finished my Chippendale mutins front and back. I ask him to leave the inside of both front and back of the mutins so that I can glue them together.
The mutins are end-to-end glued and are quite fragile. I really am concerned about trying to sand the finish off for fear of breaking a glued joint.
I am using individual pane glass and the glued front and back would give them the needed strength. They are quite fragile now. I also provided plugs so that he could spray the stiles and rails without getting finish in the motrised sides.
When he delivered, I asked him why he applied finish to the areas that I want to glue and his response was that I could easily use Gorilla glue “and that’s the best”.
The mutins are end-to-end glued and are quite fragile. I really am concerned about trying to sand the finish off for fear of breaking a glued joint.
What about Gorilla glue? Will it survive the years like the other glues commonly used, and will it hold against lacquer finish?
Replies
Sure, Gorilla glue is very good, and will last for years, but even if it were the most permanent glue ever, it is only as strong as the bond of the lacquer to the wood - which isn't near as good as the glue due to its inability to soak into the wood fibers (high flash), and the extremely low solids (20 - 30% compared to Gorilla's near 100% solids).
A very low torque way to sand the glue off, is to use a dremel with a coarse, 1/2" DIA drum sander tip. This should remove the finish quickly without fear of breaking the joints.
It appears that you are gluing the mating muntins together with the glass in place. Is it going to encapsulate the glass? You might want to figure it out differently in case you need to replace the glass someday, like rabbet the glass in from the back, then apply a skinny moulding, but then again, I'm no Chippendale expert.
Gorilla is great for muntin joints as it will fill the gaps, but if you want strong end grain joints, then use the "epoxy-on-pre-heated-end-grain" trick. Mix up a batch of epoxy (slow, like West system) and pour it on a flat surface so it won't exotherm and self-harden. Then use a heat gun to heat the end grain, then apply the epoxy, and it'll soak in like kerosene (the heat lowers the viscosity, and the air pressure in the wood becomes negative when the heat is removed, sucking the epoxy in). The heated wood will start to kick the epoxy, and in ten to 15 minutes, apply more epoxy to the joint when it begins to thicken, and you'll have the absolute superior method of bonding end grain. - JB
"The furniture designer is an architect." - Maurice DuFrenes (French Art Deco furniture designer, contemporary of Ruhlmann)
http://www.pbase.com/dr_dichro http://www.johnblazydesigns.com
Thanks, Doc.
You have convinced me to sand the finish off one way or another. I do not have a Dremel, but can take my time and gently work until the wood is exposed for good bond. I did not think about the fact that the finish is what will hold, not the glue.
I bought the Gorilla glue today and will start work on the sanding(carefully) tomorrow.
You, or your polisher, made the mistake of not masking off the parts of the muntins that should have been left unpolished. No doubt next time you'll take care of that element as, in the end, it was your responsiblity-- a lesson learned.
You'll either do it yourself next time or you'll provide written instructions to the polisher to do it so he/she can't wriggle out of the responsibility.
Of all the common glues used for wood applications, polyurethane glues in my experience are the type most likely to fail right on the join line without tearing the adjacent wood fibres apart. It's a fine glue usually, but the failures when they happen are quite emphatic. It's probably due to improper wood preparation and/or improper glue application-- I don't know which, or why. I just know it happens. Slainte.RJFurniture
As the saying goes, "the buck stops here". Ultimately, I am responsible for the outcome. I told him what I wanted him to do. I even furnished him "plugs" so he would not finish the inside of the mortise for the mutins. Guess what, I discovered a ziplock bag that contained the plugs. They were stained and finished. What was the man thinking. The plugs were 9/16 by 1/2. I would have loved to seen him trying to put stain and finish on those little suckers.
I am going to use a Dremel and remove the finish to raw wood before applying the glue.
There are not many, if any, in Mississippi who are building anything that resembles fine furniture. The finisher I used was the one most recommended. I gave him some walnut and the samples were great looking. His work on ther rest of the secretary was good. He just didn't follow instructions. It is my fault that I did not give him WRITTEN instructions.
I have bought HVLP spray equipment and am going to learn how to finish. I can do french polish very well, but that application on the secretary would have been a daunting task. Wish now that I had.
BTY, I admire your work and appreciate your contributions on KNOTS
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled