Split and Glue Injector

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  • tomscanio
    Forum Newbie
    • Jan 2003
    • 80
    • McKinney, TX, USA.

    Split and Glue Injector

    Have an old headboard that belonged to my folks. It has a large split in one section. I have a glue injector that looks like a bellows attached to a long needle. I can get the needle into the cracked area but it's a large area. I wonder if normal PVA (yellow) glue can be easily sucked into the bulb and then squeezed back out in a timely fashion before the glue sets up.

    Has anybody used these and did you have to water down the glue a little to get them to work well?

    Thanks,
    Tom Scanio
  • smc331
    Veteran Member
    • Apr 2003
    • 1016
    • Charlotte, NC, USA.
    • BT3100

    #2
    Tom,

    Does the split go all the way through? If it does the best way to get the glue all the way through is to apply a liberal quantity of glue on the surface of the crack and apply a vacuum to the back side of the crack. Guaranteed to pull the glue all the way through! Then just clamp and clean up the excess as usual.

    If not, there are PVA wood glues with longer open times that will allow you to work at it a bit longer before it sets up.

    My Dad used to use hypodermic syringes with large(r) needles to apply glue to cracks - he got them from our local veterinarian. You can also find them at commercial paint and wallpaper outlets. Dad did thin the glue if necessary, but very little. Hope this helps!
    Scott

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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    • cabinetman
      Gone but not Forgotten RIP
      • Jun 2006
      • 15218
      • So. Florida
      • Delta

      #3
      If you are going to use the bellows type, fill the bellows from the top, then fill crack, and then clamp up for some squeeze out, and let dry. Or you can just keep applying glue to the crack and forcing it in with your finger, then clamp up and wipe off excess.

      This injector for higher pressure injection is from Woodcraft. It may work better than the bellows. You could use TB II if you are all set up with rags and clamps, or TB III if you need more time.

      Comment

      • Joe DeFazio
        Forum Newbie
        • Jan 2006
        • 78
        • Pittsburgh, PA
        • BT3100

        #4
        I typically inject thin CA glue into a crack like that, followed by medium-viscosity CA, then clamps. Set up your clamps first, doing a dry-run if necessary to be sure that you'll be able to clamp extremely quickly before the CA sets. Also plan for CA squeeze out. I sometimes use clean-release masking tape adjacent to the crack. Immediately after injecting, I clamp (within seconds), thoroughly wipe off any CA squeeze-out with a disposable shop towel (the stuff that spreads out goes onto the masking tape, from which it is also wiped off), and then pull the masking tape before the CA has a chance to set. The whole process takes seconds (preceded by several minutes of preparation and lots of thought and even some choreography, though).

        Without seeing the crack, I am not saying for sure that CA is the best choice for this repair. It does take some experience with the quick setting nature of CA, clamping, and dealing with any CA sqeeze-out. If it is an heirloom, and if you're not comfortable with CA, other adhesives might be easier to control, clamp, and clean up any resultant squeeze-out from.

        But if you do decide to use CA, here are a few tips....

        You can get medium-viscosity CA into a regular syringe with the following method:

        Unscrew the needle apparatus from the syringe. That leaves a plastic nub sticking out at the end of the syringe. Take note of the *outer* diameter of the nub. Then, trim off the nozzle on the bottle of medium CA so that the *inner* diameter of the nozzle matches the *outer* diameter of the syringe nub. Insert the syringe nub into the CA nozzle, turn both upside down, and withdraw the syringe plunger to fill it. Turn right-side up, disengage, and screw on the needle apparatus. You can then, with a fair amount of pressure on the plunger, get that medium CA way down inside a crack.

        You can fill a syringe with thin CA the same way if you're careful, or, if you're brave, trim only the tiniest amount off of top of the thin CA nozzle (leaving almost no hole at all), insert the needle with some judicious wiggling, invert and withdraw the plunger. The first couple of times that you try this, wear disposable gloves and an old shirt, do it over newspaper, and of course, keep it away from your face. It does work once you get the hang of it.

        You can often get syringes from a kindly pharmacist if you explain what you'll be using them for (works for me, anyway).

        One more note -- though CA accelerator works very well, it can soften and discolor lacquer finishes, and possibly shellac as well, so be careful about squiriting it near such finishes. It can also turn CA an ugly and chalkish white color if used in excess.

        Good luck with your project,

        Joe

        Comment

        • gary
          Senior Member
          • May 2004
          • 893
          • Versailles, KY, USA.

          #5
          Fixed a cherry kitchen cabinet door with a long 12" split in it with this technique. Sealed the entire crack with blue painters tape. Open a small hole at far end. Inserted glue syringe through the tape on the end and kept injecting glue until it came out the other end. Removed tape and then clamped it.

          Can't see it now - I used white glue as it's almost invisible. The tape will force the glue all the way down the crack - nowhere else for it to go. You can add a caul to reforce the tape if necessary.
          Gary

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          • scorrpio
            Veteran Member
            • Dec 2005
            • 1566
            • Wayne, NJ, USA.

            #6
            Two words: dental floss

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