Tight bond ii

[tmill66]

I am afraid I may have meesed up my pearl inlay so bad that the best option may be to start over. Is there any way to get the peghead veneer off (rosewood), glued with tight bond II.

[sunburst]

Heat.
A house hold iron will do it, but it's best to get a thrift store one, especially for Rosewood. You don't want to use it on your cloths after that. Heat the overlay with the iron, slip a putty knife under the edge and separate the joint.

[Rick Turner]

I would suggest not using Titebond II on any musical instrument. It never dries hard, and it's subject to even more cold creep than Titebond I. It's bad news for instruments.

[tmill66]

Thanks so much for your replies. I will try to salvage what I have before starting over. But I feel better knowing I may have other options. How about tight bind III or just stick with original tightbond.

[Rick Turner]

I've banished Titbond from my shop. For overlays like that we'll use the Franklin's polyurethane glue; for most wood to wood joints, though, we use the LMI Instrument Makers' white glue. Hot hide glue is a very good choice, too.

[Paul Hostetter]

Good luck with heat and Titebond II. It hasn't worked for me. Nothing has, it's vile stuff. You may have to abrade the overlay off and start from scratch.

Original Titebond (or equivalent) is all I'd use, and at that, I don't use it much, preferring other glues to it. I haven't personally liked the LMI stuff.

[Mike D]

Could someone clarify whether Titebond II is and AR or PVA-type glue for me?
More to the point, I'm building an IV kit, and I've usually used ProBond for my woodwork projects. I don't see Titebond sold around here, and the Probond label doesn't specify whether it's an AR or PVA type glue. It's just yellow glue to me. Is this the same type of stuff that I should avoid once I hit the glue-up stage?
I cut the oval hole last night. Nerve racking but fun.
I'm also going to replace the veneer on the peghead with some maple, so I'm appreciating this thread and the cafe in general.
Mike

[Rick Turner]

You might just want to take the plunge and learn how to use hot hide glue. Just remember, have everything ready to go and do a dry clamp-up first.

We use the LMI stuff in production here, and it's been great. I think there may have been a bad batch in years past, and it's definitely one of those glues that should not be accidentally frozen in a UPS truck.

[Paul Hostetter]

Titebond et al - the "yellow glues" - are aliphatic resin (AR) adhesives, which is just a type of Polyvinyl Acetate (PVA) adhesive. But Titebond II is formulated to be non-reversible. Old original Titebond (not offically known as Titebond I) *is* reversible. It can be softened with heat, it softens and dissolves in water, and it falls apart on contact with acetic acid/vinegar. Titebond II does none of these - it's less reversible than epoxy.

In some cases, it doesn't matter of course, but one of the cardinal rule of instrument making and repair is that, with those rare exceptions, you *want* your glues and adhesives to be reversible.

There are numerous other brands of plain old yellow glue, but this ProBond stuff you have is a urethane glue. Designated for interior/exterior use, it's waterproof and not reversible. It's also famous for oozing after clamping, more than other glues. I don't personally see the point of using something problematic when the good tried-and-true stuff is so easily available.

[Mario Proulx]

"Probond" is a name Elmer's has affixed to a full line of glues(may as well remind everyone that Franklin has used the name "Titebond" in the same manner, using it for everything from Polyurethane glue to liquid hide glue,and now no less than 3 PVA's..).

Some of the "Probond" are polyurethane glue(the one Paul speaks of), some are even epoxies, but the yellow Probond is a PVA, and very much like Titebond original(though perhaps a bit thicker with a faster "grab". It's plenty good to use on instruments, holds strong, reverses readily. I use it on some joints, though my preference is also hot hide glue as much as I can.

[Mike D]

Thanks everyone for the clarification. The Probond I have is the yellow PVA type. I've used polyurethane glue in past for gluing up kayak paddles. Yeah, that stuff sure foams up. I couldn't see using that for the intricate glue lines needed for instruments.
Anyway, I can now proceed better informed.
Mike

[Mattg]

I had the same problem with a rosewood peghead veneer. I tried to make a turquoise inlay of two mountains a stream that ended up looking like two eyes and a nose. I used the iron but I put a damp rag underneath the iron. Steam seems to help. By the way, it was not titebond II but just plain titebond. The process will also completely ruin the veneer you are trying to remove.

PS take care not to heat up any other neck or peghead joints in the vicintity. Just thought I'd toss that in.