Glueing varnished wood

[Spiff]

Hi all

Im at the point in my Golden Star build where the hull is varnished and Im starting on the deckfittings and masts. I have done the bowspit where I varnished the parts before glueing together. I usually use PVA glue but for attaching things to varnished wood I dont think PVA works, so I used CA glue. Now, the thing is that it has clouded/frosted the varnish around the joint. What are your experiences with this and how can it be avoided (different varnish or glue?).

Cheers Shaun

[bogeygolpher]

The clouded/frosted issue could be just one of the problems associated with using CA.  CA has to be used sparingly (less is more), If used in excess it will leave you with the white cloudy/frosted problem.  There are numerous references to this problem here in MSW.  

 

After trying to scrape the white away, without much success, I finally used de-bonder and took the joint apart, sanded it and started over using a small amount of CA  (I applied it using a sewing needle) and it turned out just fine.

 

As Brian C said, you need to remove the varnish where you intend to put glue, especially if using PVA.  

I have successfully used PVA on varnished surfaces if I took the time to scrape/sand the area prior to gluing.  

Applying any finish after gluing is preferred if possible.

 

Enjoy

[Ulises Victoria]

That's why I avoid the use of CA in my buildings, and use it only as a very last resort. Acetone works great to soften and dilute CA. Maybe that can get rid of the white thing, but also most likely will damage any finish around it. My advise is to glue bare wood to bare wood using wood glue, and then varnish all the parts a s a whole. That is, whenever possible. We are aware that any advise we give may not be feasible all the time. Hope this helps.