Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I was hoping to get a simplified answer from all you experienced glue guys
Like what you recommend for:
Wood to wood
Wood to metal
Wood to foam
Wood to canvas

Foam to foam
Foam to canvas
Any thing that I didn't think of that is used in TD construction

I realize there are many different glues for this application just looking for the easiest and cheapest that is usually locally found. Keep in mind that most us are laminating so any thing that comes in a caulk tube is not as good for covering large flat areas as say something that can be rolled on or sprayed on
There can be more than one answer
Just looking for an easy reference sheet as I know that this info is in here some where

http://www.thistothat.com/

TB2 (Titebond II) is your best friend. Buy it by the gallon. I have used it for virtually all of my wood to wood joints and some of my wood to foam joints (on foam to wood just use a thin film with no big drops, streaks or puddles... roll it on big flat surfaces or use old plastic credit/membership cards as scrappers... otherwise it might not dry well; you need a nice tight dry fit, too, because it does not expand). It worked good on machined joints in foam (i.e. router pockets for wood blocking), but I would not recommend it for rougher cuts or "sorta" flat areas that have been roughly sanded.

I used GG (Gorilla Glue) for all of my foam to foam butt joints and most of my recessed/inset blocking, however, it squeezes out (not always, but often) and cures harder than the foam board making it difficult to sand w/o gouging the foam. For this reason I am going to try using GS (Great Stuff) for my remaining foam work. From what I gather the trick is to knock it down so it doesn't foam so much. Also, use a drop or two of acetone (with disposable rubber gloves) to clean the spray can tip and straw; works marvelously and saves the rest of the can. I was reluctant to use it in the beginning (until I learned the acetone trick) then used it to patch a small hole in my wall; it sanded so much easier than GG because it was softer... maybe not as strong ( ).

I used the 3M 30NF green water based contact adhesive, but I don't think I would recommend it due to the cost, and I'm unsure about the performance (some areas of foam to ply that I cut out later seemed to pop apart too easily for my taste, whereas the test piece that I did with rolled on TB2, scuffed blue foam and either Okoume ply or pine could not be separated). I think as long as the joint is not so wet that the wood can not absorb all of the water content, and the joint is tight, TB2 works great for foam to wood. My guess is that the people who have had problems with the glue not curing had used too much glue or had brush streaks and pooling... or maybe it was climate related.

I would not use TB2 to join foam to foam.

I have also used the TB2 as a sealer coat on the underside of my floor (which will also get painted later).

I did use a little Bondo as filler in a couple of spots, not much.

That's it.

KC, I only used TBII, Gorilla glue was a mess for me. TBII took a little longer to dry in 98% humidity but it worked great and it is in all how your expectations and clamps you have for gluing. TBII for canvas to Foam, I put in 1/3 water to smooth out the thick areas. I used it with a small roller. For larg areas that is the easiest. Also it is the best for wood to wood, that is what it is made for. Worked Great.

Mary C.

This topic reminded me of an test FineWoodworking did several years ago. This was a glue test; 2 types of PVA glue, polyurethane, slow set epoxy and two types of old fashioned hide glue, the classic woodworkers glue. Here's a link to the article in PDF form and a link to a video.

The tests they did involved making 162 bridle joints, also known as an open mortise-and-tenon joint, with three classes of clearances, loose, normal and tight. After the glues set they used a machine that measures the force required to break each one. The results might be surprising to some folks.

Yeah , that was an interesting read....Thanks Don !!! Kinda’ knew the PU glues were weak , but they’re great for foam , the glue always stronger than the foam beneath ... Even water makes a great glue , as long as it’s freezing ...

I'll concur with what KC said about glues. I also used epoxy for my foam joints and my metal to foam joints. I used a lot of Gorilla Glue. Make sure to glove up with disposable gloves and avoid the urge to touch it until it is completely dry. It will turn your skin dark where you've made contact with it.

What Mary and Mel said about GG +1.

I kind of jumped thru hoops to try and contain the expansion. Lined edges of joints with blue tape (only moderately successful); used wax paper as a peel ply (not successful); used plastic coated freezer paper as a peel ply (reasonably successful); tried to reduce the amount of glue to minimize squeeze out (successful, but always left me wondering if I had starved the joint, so I would go a little heavier to make sure I had some visible expansion... and work to remove/level afterwards).

Always wore the blue disposable gloves and +1, don't mess with it until it has dried hard. On a couple of occasions I found weird "gumball" wads in the trimmings that had not cured, despite having adequate time. Not sure what that was about.

It is a good product and I believe is the "right stuff" to use for foam to foam (however, I would like to experiment more with GS because I feel it sands better). Others have had success with PL300 for foam to foam, but it seems to me that it would be more costly and harder to spread evenly because it comes in a 10 oz caulk gun tube.

I almost forgot I used TBII for the wood to foam also if you check out my build I did try several other glues and did use the great stuff to fill the cracks and to glue where it just wouldn't and there were spaces left. it will sand off so by using it for glue and to fill it worked out pretty good for me.

Mary C.