Aleenes Tacky glue

[Don Case]

Any reason not to use this stuff? I've got a bottle of it kicking around that isn't being used elsewhere.

[reklein]

Good stuff actually. Once you start using it store it upside down as its very viscous and pours slowly. Turn it right side up after the work session. Keep in mind it grabs quickly and is not very repositionable.

[reklein]

OK, little add on heree. I was thinking paper modeling. For wood I'd stick to the PVA s. No pun intended.

[Don Case]

It says on their website that it is a PVA glue. Does that change anything?

[catopower]

Hi Don, that's a good question.

 

I have it because I use it for paper modeling. For wood modeling I use mostly Original Titebond or Titebond II. 

 

I THINK Aleene's is a little on the soft side when dry, but I've never really tried it on wood. 

 

 

[reklein]

That's what I was thinking that it remains quite rubbery but it grabs really fast. I've peeled the cured glue off my yogurt tops I use for my puddle holders. I usually put my glue in a puddle on a yogurt top then apply with a toothpick or paperclip. Aleenes could very well be PVA. Somebody on this forum in the last couple of months wrote a pretty good description of how glue works, riight down to the molecular level. Very informative ,but my old head which is already full of crap doesn't remember much of the info..

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  I've used PVA for bookbinding because there is a slight 'flexibility' on the spine (built up thick) when cured.  The book needs to flex without 'cracking' or breaking.  When used thinly on paper on a porous substrate it is permanent alright.  I think it would be better to use for deck planking that any contact cement, while carpenter's glue (Titebond) would be preferred for structural work (frames, bulkheads) where rigidity is required.  Contact cement can de-bond over a long time frame, so I don't know why (other than for short-term convenience in some applications) it would be suggested by any kit manufacturer.

 

  Now I've considered a use for PVA to take advantage of some residual flexibility, yet permanence between flat porous surfaces - making my own thin hardwood plywood to use for planking (especially for ships where the natural wood will show, that is, unpainted or mostly unpainted).  I have the Billings improved Oseberg kit, and the only thing I'm not crazy about is that the laser-cut strakes are made of bendable (formable) plywood where the exterior layers (each side) are of a nondescript 'white' wood that require staining after assembly.  And while that can be done with care, I'm not crazy about the look of 'stained' wood.  The old Billings kits (Vikings skibbe and Roar-edge for example) supplied mahogany - but the builder had to cut it out (time consuming) and as a single veneer the wood was prone to breakage along the grain.

 

  The original version of the Wasa (1:100, which I'm slowly building after many years of the planked hull on the shelf) had mahogany planking that did bend pretty well (single planked, no less) and looks beautiful as-is - no staining needed at all.  OK, so I'm going to experiment with some typical thin black walnut veneer, and use three layers:  one running at about a 30 degree angle one way, the middle layer vertical and the third layer at 30 degrees the other way.  I'll brush on some slightly thinned PVA (water is the thinner) before assembly, perhaps running a very fine notched trowel (or equivalent) so there won't be too much glue, then press everything together on a flat surface with a board on top and a bunch of books for good measure.

 

  Once cured (like overnight), I believe that the resulting stock will be easy to slice (with a jig) using multiple X-acto cuts into whatever plank size I need for ordinary hull second planking - and the residual flexibility of the PVA will allow for forming without much risk of delimitation or breakage along a grain line.  Other glues such as epoxy or carpenters glue dry too 'stiff'.  In the case of the Oseberg, I'd have to trace around the strakes provided and cut out (like in the old kit versions) ... but this time the planking should be doable without breakage AND there will be a natural heartwood color that I find so attractive.  Of course it could be lightly oiled to darken it somewhat, but it would still be the real color of the wood and the oil ('boiled' linseed, thinned a little with serpentine if desired) is a traditional finish I have used on reproduction match locks and flint lock rifles.  A little rubbing with a fine cloth gives it a nice sheen.

 

  Now this is another 'Johnny supposition' that I think will work based on past experiences with other applications using PVA.

 

'Now its time for us to say good-bye - leave her Johnny leave her.  The old pier head is a-drawin' nigh - and it's time for us to leave her.

Leave her Johnny, leave her.  Leave her Johnny leave her.  Oh the voyage is done and the winds don't blow and its time for us to leave her.'

 

Fair winds ... Johnny

[Don Case]

It does stay flexible but I tested it on a couple of scraps of wood and it is plenty strong. I'll use it up and then buy ordinary PVA.