I am making 2 dozen frames using a strap clamp and hot glue from a glue
gun (I posted earlier). I did this project once before, but I am
getting very different results and need some advice.

The glue is setting up within 10-15 seconds, so I cannot get the frame
to draw tight. My workshop is barely 70 degrees, and it was probably 90
degrees this summer when I did it before. Also, it is a different brand
hot glue.

I only need the minute working time the package says I have. Would I
have any luck pre-heating the frame pieces in the oven so they were warm
to the touch? Any other ideas? A different brand? These are high temp
glue sticks BTW. A very fast, very strong epoxy? I cannot afford to
clamp each one overnight.

Thanx!

"marcus" wrote in message
...

I only need the minute working time the package says I have. Would I have
any luck pre-heating the frame pieces in the oven so they were warm to the
touch? Any other ideas? A different brand? These are high temp glue
sticks BTW. A very fast, very strong epoxy? I cannot afford to clamp
each one overnight.


Hot glue can be reheated and reset many times. I own this heat gun which I
have used for this

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=35776

for $20 you can get the joints in approx the right position and keep
reheating them and tweaking them until you are happy. Alternatively, if you
just use regular titebond woodworking glue, it sets up enough to take out of
the clamps in a half hour and can be handled after 24 hours.

Frank

I love hot melt for many reasons. I even tried using it on picture
frames like you. Since how a frame looks has a lot to do with how
closed and neat the miters are, I would tend to stay away from hot
melt. Yes, you can heat the frame materials and it will probably do
OK. If you aren't going to use something to reinforce the joint, then
I might try hot stuff or some other brand of medium thick
cyanoacrylate. It is quick and pretty strong. And you don't have the
problem of the adhesive potentially creating a gap No glue is going to
be real strong on an unreinforced miter.

I love hot melt for many reasons. I even tried using it on picture
frames like you. Since how a frame looks has a lot to do with how
closed and neat the miters are, I would tend to stay away from hot
melt. Yes, you can heat the frame materials and it will probably do
OK. If you aren't going to use something to reinforce the joint, then
I might try hot stuff or some other brand of medium thick
cyanoacrylate. It is quick and pretty strong. And you don't have the
problem of the adhesive potentially creating a gap No glue is going to
be real strong on an unreinforced miter.

Thanx
I have tried reheating with a heat gun, and was pretty unsatisfied. I
think your idea of titebond is the way to go -- clamp them for an hour
or so, let them sit overnight, then drill and pin them.
btw -- is scraping the hot glue off the failed joints sufficient? I
don't want to sand them down and resize the frames if I don't have to.
Cheers!


Frank Ketchum wrote:
"marcus" wrote in message
...

I only need the minute working time the package says I have. Would I have
any luck pre-heating the frame pieces in the oven so they were warm to the
touch? Any other ideas? A different brand? These are high temp glue
sticks BTW. A very fast, very strong epoxy? I cannot afford to clamp
each one overnight.



Hot glue can be reheated and reset many times. I own this heat gun which I
have used for this

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=35776

for $20 you can get the joints in approx the right position and keep
reheating them and tweaking them until you are happy. Alternatively, if you
just use regular titebond woodworking glue, it sets up enough to take out of
the clamps in a half hour and can be handled after 24 hours.

Frank

Well, strong and fast is more important than pretty. I am thinking
titebone now.
Cheers!
-- clh

wrote:
I love hot melt for many reasons. I even tried using it on picture
frames like you. Since how a frame looks has a lot to do with how
closed and neat the miters are, I would tend to stay away from hot
melt. Yes, you can heat the frame materials and it will probably do
OK. If you aren't going to use something to reinforce the joint, then
I might try hot stuff or some other brand of medium thick
cyanoacrylate. It is quick and pretty strong. And you don't have the
problem of the adhesive potentially creating a gap No glue is going to
be real strong on an unreinforced miter.

marcus wrote:

I have tried reheating with a heat gun, and was pretty unsatisfied. I
think your idea of titebond is the way to go -- clamp them for an hour

Hot glue has a few uses, but I haven't figured out what they are. I own a
glue gun. After searching for it for an hour, I finally just melted a glue
stick with a torch to do the one little project I needed it for. (Sticking
the carpet liner back inside a trumpet case I had worked on.) This was the
first time I had gone looking for the glue gun in probably eight years.

Try some real glue, and I think you'll be much happier with the results.
Like many things in life, you get out of it what you put into it. Hot glue
sticks fast, but the bond it makes just isn't very good. Take four
popsicle sticks. Put a dot of red hot hot glue on one of them, then clamp
another one perpendicular to the first, making a + shape. Put a dot of
yellow glue on another one and squish the last one on just using finger
pressure alone. Don't clamp. Let it dry. Try to separate them.

The hot glue that was clamped (or not clamped, either way) will come apart
with little effort, while the yellow glue that was just stuck together will
take some real effort to break the joint, and one side or the other will
have bits of wood stuck in it. That's with yellow glue that isn't applied
correctly. If you clamped it properly, you'd probably snap the popsicle
sticks before you ever got that joint to break.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

Yeah -- I am beginning to think my earlier success was dumb luck.
Cheers!
-- clh

Silvan wrote:
marcus wrote:


I have tried reheating with a heat gun, and was pretty unsatisfied. I
think your idea of titebond is the way to go -- clamp them for an hour


Hot glue has a few uses, but I haven't figured out what they are. I own a
glue gun. After searching for it for an hour, I finally just melted a glue
stick with a torch to do the one little project I needed it for. (Sticking
the carpet liner back inside a trumpet case I had worked on.) This was the
first time I had gone looking for the glue gun in probably eight years.

Try some real glue, and I think you'll be much happier with the results.
Like many things in life, you get out of it what you put into it. Hot glue
sticks fast, but the bond it makes just isn't very good. Take four
popsicle sticks. Put a dot of red hot hot glue on one of them, then clamp
another one perpendicular to the first, making a + shape. Put a dot of
yellow glue on another one and squish the last one on just using finger
pressure alone. Don't clamp. Let it dry. Try to separate them.

The hot glue that was clamped (or not clamped, either way) will come apart
with little effort, while the yellow glue that was just stuck together will
take some real effort to break the joint, and one side or the other will
have bits of wood stuck in it. That's with yellow glue that isn't applied
correctly. If you clamped it properly, you'd probably snap the popsicle
sticks before you ever got that joint to break.

hi I would use the wood glue too, but to answer your question about hot
melt glues , there different formulations of hot melt glues some that stay
open longer than others, some are plaint while some get very hard ect. But
these are use for various different industries. you may want to try a carpet
layers supply house or a craft store good luck

Len
"marcus" wrote in message
...
I am making 2 dozen frames using a strap clamp and hot glue from a glue gun
(I posted earlier). I did this project once before, but I am getting very
different results and need some advice.

The glue is setting up within 10-15 seconds, so I cannot get the frame to
draw tight. My workshop is barely 70 degrees, and it was probably 90
degrees this summer when I did it before. Also, it is a different brand
hot glue.

I only need the minute working time the package says I have. Would I have
any luck pre-heating the frame pieces in the oven so they were warm to the
touch? Any other ideas? A different brand? These are high temp glue
sticks BTW. A very fast, very strong epoxy? I cannot afford to clamp
each one overnight.

Thanx!