Yellow glue: the good, the bad ......


First, the bad. Unless you're going to use your speakers in the bathtub, the extra water resistance of yellow PVA glue isn't worth the very short open time. White gives you up to 20 minutes to fiddle with clamps or answer the Ameche. And it has the same break strength and creep resistance (more than my daughters). Yellow's popularity is, I'm sure, due to our conviction that more is better. You will never find yellow in a pro shop. Same for polyurethane. Good glue but it expands as it dries which makes it good for gap-filling mortise and tenon joints but bad for clamped joints.
Now the good. Yellow's great for veneering! With a fine nap paint roller, spread yellow on the substrate and the back of the veneer. Spray the veneer with clean water to prevent curling. Wait about 30 minutes or until both surfaces are dry. Position the veneer with pins or tape and then, using the wife's steam iron set on cotton, iron the veneer. Stubborn bubbles get a few seconds of the steam button.
The heat re-activates the glue and the moisture resistance keeps the heat and steam from damaging those polyvinyl acetate molecules. (You were wondering what PVA stood for) Finishing on a curve? Hold the veneer in place with masking tape, pulled and stretched to an unglued part. PVA only needs 80lbs of pressure for clamping.
Yes, the iron will leave burn and burnish marks on your Carpathian walnut burl. They easily scrape or sand off. BTW, if you are using burl, you must back the veneer so the glue doesn't bleed thru.

Who wants to know why the British call a scraper a "ticketer"?
Hands?



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