72chevy4x4

I was mocking up an edge detail with some polyurethane glue and it came out surprising well. But, I picked up some 'clear' poly glue and was wondering if anyone has tried mixing the 'clear' poly with powder from the Corian. I've found that a joiner set to 1/16" of inch provides a lot of fine powder, much more than finish sanding.

Does the Corian (or Integra) adhesives have different adhesive properties as compared to polyurethane glue? From the quick research I've done, it looks as if it might provide a weaker bond due to glue not getting into pores as it would with wood.

Ken Dolph

When we started selling Corian for non-traditional uses, 15 years ago, we tested many adhesives. Since our customers were going to have difficulty getting or using the duPont Seam Adhesive we wanted to offer other solutions.

Polyurethane glue gave us a joint strength of less than 300psi with catastrophic failure. duPont Seam adhesive is over 1,100 psi with incremental failure. The methylmethacrylate in the adhesive is similar to that in the Corian and will cause smoe minor melding of materials.

When I spoke with the inventor of Corian, Dr. Slocum, he said that the dupont labs found that CA would be the best adhesive for Corian. There were application problems with it and they had settled on the epoxy system they now use. with the CA bonding system we have developed, we achieve over 3,000psi at the joint.

So, if you are looking for strength, skip the polyurethane glue.

As and aside. It is a common misconception that glues enter the pores of wood. They cannot because their surface tension forms a bubble in each pore. That is why it is common.y believed that you cannot glue end grain. With CA and baking soda, we developed a system that will allow you to edge bond even 7/16" OSB with a joint that we are not able to break.

I hope this helps,
Ken

Tinstaafl

Ken, is there a website where I can read up on this? Sounds interesting.

Ken Dolph

Tinstaafl

There isn't one. I have not yet put up the full information. I have gleaned the information from many places, including the manufacturer of the CA we sell.

CA does not cure properly in the presence of acid. That is the first reason to use CA with wood, since it is usually acidic. Baking soda will neutralize the acid.

Liquids cannot get into the pores of wood easily. That is why it can float until it is water logged and why you can strip wood finishes off easily. Dry powder, like baking soda, can enter these pores.

When CA hits baking soda, it turns inot a hard tough plastic.

Ergo, when you rub the edges with baking soda, then apply CA you have a billion tough plastic mechanical joints.

Other things that effect CA:

Humidity - 35% or more is necessary to cure CA.

Time - 24 hours without sudden impact. The polymers grow for 24 hours and a sudden impact stops this growth. Long polymers = Strength

Temperature - above 55 degrees F.

Air - CA is an anarobic adhesive and will not cure in the presence of oxygen. That is why joints must be as tight as possible. Of course, if the gaps are filled with baking soda, it eliminates the oxygen.

Put all of these together and you have a nearly perfect adhesive for wood.

That leaves the application process. If you apply dots of CA, as recomended on the package, to baking soda prepared wood, the CA will set before you can put them together. That is where Wicking Grade CA comes in. Ours even has a surfactant added to allow for greater penetration. So you put the prepared surfaces together then apply CA to the edge of the joint and it wicks into the joint. Leave it alone for 24 hours and you have a great joint.

I hope this helps
Ken