cheezecorn wrote:
Hi-I am refinishing a small Jesus figure from a crucifix. It is carved
out of cedar and both arms have seperated from the body at the
shoulder. There are small spike type things in each arm that have held
the arms in place. I'm curious to know the best method for gluing the
arms back on to minimise the apperance of the seam at the shoulder.
This image is close to the figure I have:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Beautiful-Hand-C...QQcmdZViewItem

The problem with re-glueing is the residue of old glue left in the
joint. Even if you can get your new glue to stick to the old glue,
your bond is still only as strong as the old-glue-to-wood bond; and
that was the one that failed in the first place.

So, your first task is to get back down to bare wood on both surfaces
yet still keep a good joint without gaps. That may be nearly
impossible given the small size of your figure. I'd try gently
scraping the surfaces with a single edge razor blade or exacto knife.
If you can get to a point where you have bare wood on both mating
surfaces, then dry clamp it with rubber bands or something to figure
out how you're going to hold it in position while the glue dries. It's
not necessary to apply a lot of pressure as long as you can keep it in
contact without moving for 30 minutes or so. I'd use a regular wood
glue such as Titebond, or Elmer's Carpenter's Glue. You can wipe away
the squeeze-out with a damp rag before the glue dries.

DonkeyHody
"A bulldog can whip a skunk, but it's probably not worth it."