Glue it to it

On 14 Dec 2006 09:33:48 -0800, "Lou" wrote:


So, just to turn the corner a little, If a person was to consider
buying a project that is
wood glued with epoxy but, started over 20 years ago, should that
person consider the
project with 20 year old epoxy connections or should he run the other
way?
Lou

My Jungster II all wood construction is twenty years old this year. It
is stuck together with epoxy (T-88) and seems to be pretty sturdy yet.
It has been continuously hangered. It has been flown into the hot
south west and the damp middle west (Oshkosh) and lives in
California's central valley.

Ed Sullivan

Earlier, Lou wrote:
So, just to turn the corner a little, If a person was to consider
buying a project that is
wood glued with epoxy but, started over 20 years ago, should that
person consider the
project with 20 year old epoxy connections or should he run the other
way?

Plenty of 30-year-old composite sailplanes are glued together with
epoxy. Not only that, but about half of their structure (by weight)
_is_ epoxy. No sign of them spontaneously falling apart in the air.

So, I'd say that age itself isn't a factor. More important is how its
been stored or used, and the quality of the construction.

Thanks, Bob K.
http://www.hpaircraft.com/hp-24

Lou wrote:
should that
person consider the
project with 20 year old epoxy connections or should he run the other
way?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Lou,

The question of durability involved boiling sample coupons then trying
to peel them apart.

Based on musical instruments assembled with low-tech hide glue, when
properly sealed, the moisture content of the wood -- and the strength
of the joints -- can remain stable for a hundred years or more. By
comparison, when not subjected to an outside agency such as heat, mold
or moisture, the joints produced by virtually all modern-day adhesives
are relatively ageless.

When purchasing someone else's project a detailed inspection by more
than one pair of eyes is always the wiser course. We now have more than
seventy years of experience with epoxies as an aircraft glue. There is
no inherent fault in using epoxy versus some other adhesive. What
changes is the inspection criteria and that information is best
supplied by someone familiar with the particular adhesive used in the
project.

-R.S.Hoover