Rim Repair

[Delwin D Fandrich]

Paul,

If I recall correctly, Titebond markets at least two "yellow" adhesives. I have not used
the older "Titebond" adhesive for several years. Titebond now markets a newer adhesive
labeled "Titebond II" that has somewhat better strength and moisture resistance
characteristics. (The adhesive we use the most of in our shop is called MPA II, which is a
commercial adhesive very similar to Titebond II, but without the yellow dye. It is white
in color -- but this is not to be confused with what you are calling "white" glue. Now
then. Are we all confused yet?) None of these adhesives are particularly good at gap
filling by themselves, although Titebond II is better than most. You can improve this
characteristic somewhat by adding a bit of shell flour to the adhesive, but this also
increases its viscosity. "White" glue gives the illusion of being a good gap filler but it
has a very high creep rate, making it particularly unsuitable for load-bearing structural
assemblies.

Sorry, but I have no idea what you mean by "Molding Glue." I've not seen or used the
product.

Epoxies are in a class of their own and, yes, they are the best available gap-filling
adhesive. And we do use epoxies for many applications However, in this case the repair I
suggested should not have ended up with any gaps to speak of. The plug should be a nearly
flush fit into the drilled hole. A quick swab down inside the hole to spread the glue
around a bit, wipe a bit on the outside of the plug and quickly force it into the hole.
Wipe away the squeeze-out with a damp rag and let the glue dry for a few minutes. Trim off
the top of the plug with a sharp chisel -- no, not that one, you'll need a SHARP one --
and drill the new screw holes. Put the hinge in place and drive in the screws and you're
done. In about the same amount of time that it takes to mix up the epoxy. No muss, no
fuss. In this case I'll stick (pun intended) to Titebond II.

Regards,

Del

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NBWW wrote:

> Del
> I'm interested in your choice of glue for the rim repair. I'm a long time user
> of titebond products, and find that their "yellow" glue doesn't do as well as
> their "white" glue if the surfaces do not mate well.  Titebond's Molding Glue
> has gap filling properties, but to what extent I'm not sure. It has worked
> well to fill small missing slivers and small gaps. Also, the "whites" tend to
> give a little to alignment stresses and heat usually will separate the joint.
> Epoxy is used for "permanent" repair, gap filling in a major way that requires
> high strength. For this rim repair,  the epoxy would not be my choice either.
> Judging by the damage described, I  would have used the maple plugs and the
> molding glue.  Any thoughts?
>
> Paul Chick RPT
> Plainview MN