34B 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



bi'lns about quite a ilillViLiicu iii the measurement 

 of flake glue. In fcTouiid glues these lueehanlcal 

 vailallons aie uot so great. However, there can 

 be an alninilance of line ground with the euarser, 

 or approxlmatel.v eiiual parts of thin and coarse, 

 or there may lie an unusual (juantit.v of thin 

 and coarse, or there may be an unusual <|uantlty 

 of coarse ground. The latter condition, how- 

 ever. Is seldom. It ever, found In ground glue. 

 With these variations in mechanical conditions 

 in cases wOiere glue Is measured instead of 

 weighed, uniform results In a solution can hardly 

 be obtained by the u.ser. I, of course, under- 

 stand tliat the hydrometer is employed by quite 

 a number, but this Instrument Is simply to prove 

 tile condition of tiie sobition of glue, and is of 

 little service after such solution Is made up. 

 Then again, the h.vdromcter readings are changed 

 by. variations of temperature, and with the gen- 

 eral run of factor.v help very few can figure 

 same to a correct basis. In fact, many of them 

 look upon an Instrument of this kind as a 

 ••fussy" proposition in their work. Personally, 

 I do uot disregard the use of the hydrometer 

 for gauging the consistency of solution where 

 ground gluf is used, but owing to the incon- 

 sistency of flake glues, bcllove it to l)e less prac- 

 tical. Mecitanlcal conditions should be a neces- 

 sary quality stipulated by the user In purchas- 

 ing this glue, that Is to say, the user should 

 specify a standard weight for a given volume 

 of dry glue, such standard measure, if so se- 

 lected, could he, for e.'sample. cubic foot or 

 bushel measure. If this one point Is demanded 

 by the user he is certain of at least one uni- 

 form eondUion, and If affords a basis for de- 

 termining results from any glue he handles: 

 nlsc) for establishing a method of using his 

 works. 



It is. of cotirse. possible to enlarge on this 

 point by repealing what I have in the past 

 casually observed, but itelieve the point has been 

 made clear lo you. If. then, a mechanical con- 

 dition has been decided upon as above outlined, 

 a further point In standardizing the use of glue 

 could be brought about by establishing a stand- 

 ard for the measurement of water to be used in 

 the solution. This can be accomplished by sim- 

 ply providing a rod graduated to show say one- 

 lourth, one-half, three-fourths and an entire day's 

 requirements of glue. This is simply offered as 

 an Illustration, Its application to your work de- 

 pending, of course, upon the capacity of your 

 glue-handling equipment. 



To me a method of this kind would offer a 

 means of obtaining an .absolute uniform solution 

 of glue tiiroughout the entire day and every 

 day, which would be left to your practical work- 

 ers entirely. 



If a further check is thought desirable, such 

 a check could be entrusted to someone higher In 

 authority, and could be made by using an accu- 

 rately standardizing hydrometer and thermome- 

 ter. This, then, would provide an accurate 

 gauging, and would, no doubt, enable you to 

 check any waste that might otherwise obtain, 

 as well as give you the assurance that glue is 

 being used in strict conformity with your in- 

 structions, which instructions of course will have 

 been based on a scale of cost per square foot of 

 surface glued, such scale obtained when deciding 

 on the glue in use. 



In this connection permit it to be said that 

 should, for any reason, glue solution remain at 

 the close of the day^s work, draw it off in a 

 stock receptacle, such as shallow pans, which 

 will permit of it cooling off and allow same to 

 be utilized next day, without in any way haz- 

 arding the quality of fresh glue made for the 

 new day. Where this is not done we have 

 known it to happen, and not infrequently, that 

 a leaky valve permitted of enough steam to enter 

 the jacket to sour the glue contained therein, 

 and when you add to this really decomposed 

 substance good fresh glue the next morning, you 

 do not and cannot Itope to obtain the same de- 

 sired satisfactory results that will be realized 

 if the unused glue is drawn off as before men- 



tioned. Too much Importance cannot be at- 

 tached to this particular point, and I believe a 

 good many of (lie manufacturers of glue appre 

 ciate tills to be the prime cause of many com- 

 plaints where all the blame Is laid to the in- 

 ferior quality of the glue. 



I'erhaps someone would suggest the Introduc- 

 tion of a preservative. This, however, will posi- 

 tively deteriorate the adhesive properties of the 

 solution, as well as to encourage a tendency to 

 foam or cause a chemical reaction even more 

 damaging. 



I-et It be understood that mauipulation on the 

 Iiart of the gitie manufacturer to give extreme 

 weight In a given volume, in order to meet the 

 requirements. Is inipractical, if not indeed impos- 

 sible, where maximum body and adhesiveness 

 and other working properties enter into con- 

 sideration, as Ibey of course must to be adapted 

 to veneer laying purposes. 



It would, perhaps, uot be amiss to mention at 

 this point that there is positively no known 

 standard system affecting scientittc tests of 

 glue for any purpose, and while we may have 

 l)een placed in touch with many so-called glue 

 scientists, we have yet to find one whose state- 

 ments are not in themselves provably self-con- 

 tradictory. It is the practical application of 

 glue to a specific class of work that brings out 



S. l;. AMiKKSON, MEMPHIS, TEXX., DIREC- 

 TOR. 



both the good and the bad properties in the 

 various glues, and the larger the number of the 

 great faults eliminated and minor faults minim- 

 ized is. In our opinion, the glue for the user to 

 choose. And to decide these requirements no 

 expert witii greater capacities than those permit- 

 ting of quick development in any one of you 

 is necessary. 



Temperature, too, is an important considera- 

 tion that should be regulated, but must be done 

 in conformity with conditions obtaining in each 

 particular plant, for in each factory conditions 

 prevail peculiar to itself. For a glue manufac- 

 turer, to prescribe at what temperature his glue 

 Is to be used is, I believe, erroneous, and this 

 practice should be refrained from. As all will 

 readily see, the southern manufacturer, who ex- 

 periences warmer and more humid tempera- 

 tures, will require less heat in his glue solution 

 than will a manufacturer located in a northerly 

 climate, in whose plant the temperature is nat- 

 urally cooler and less humid : and where, as a 

 consequence, the beat emanating from the glue 

 Is much more quickly absorbed, due to the greater 

 difference in temperature between the glue and 

 the atmosphere surrounding it. 



My observation leads me to say that if I were 

 personally interested in the use of glue In the 



manufacture of any one article I would make 

 my standard of temperature 130° Eahr. This 

 di'gree of temperature, however, approaches the 

 danger point in using glue, and I woubl not ad- 

 Nocate using it at litis temperature without some 

 personal study and observation. However, if 

 time and study are devoted to the subject It will 

 be found that less glue Is required and less glue 

 shows through than where same reaches the 

 veneers at a higher temperature. Of course, the 

 tempentture of cauls must also be taken Into 

 a<'count. As a matter of fact, I believe they are 

 often the cause of glue showing through where 

 the thinness of glue solution is given as the 

 fault. 



While dwelling on the subject of temperature, 

 let us note that the matter of draught In the 

 glue room Is often responsible for glue troubles, 

 for once a skin has formed on glue all the hot 

 lauls you apply will not give you what you 

 have lost In allowing the glue to set. 



Getting back to the mechanical conditions of 

 flake vs. ground glue, much can be said on this 

 point, and the few remarks given to the latter 

 would illustrate what seems to me affords con- 

 siderable advantage in the use of same In this 

 the ground form. 



Inasmuch as uniformity of mechanical condi- 

 tion plays so important a part In the successful 

 use of this substance, the best possible reason 

 would perhaps be the one that glue makers, with- 

 out exception, can maintain uniformity in ground 

 glues to a greater degree than otherwise, for it 

 permits of their overcoming mechanical defects 

 which really do not affect anj- of the essential 

 \\'orking properties of the glue. Of course, you 

 are too practical and considerate to allow the 

 thought to suggest itself that In ground glue 

 ,vou are more liable to be taken advantage of. 

 For no doubt you appreciate that even though 

 possessed of no higher motive, with the great 

 number of competitors we glue makers encoun- 

 ter, there are not any of us who could success- 

 fully and profitably manipulate ground glues, 

 for it Is the manner in which the article does 

 your work and continues to do It that Interests 

 you : our every aim, then, is to maintain a uni- 

 form working quality throughout. Unfortunately 

 there are some who know not how, but these 

 same unfortunates are as dlsadvantageously sit- 

 uated on the flake or broken glues. 



A further advantage in the use of ground 

 glue is the time required to soak it, which 

 many of you appreciate is not ten per cent of 

 that required for flake glue, and to such of you 

 who have not been soaking flake glue, ground 

 glue offers even added advantage. In other 

 words, the advantage of ground glue is brought 

 about by the fact that a given quautit.v of any 

 ground glue will absorb water more readily than 

 the same quantity of the same quality of Hake 

 glue, due to the fact that a much greater area 

 of surface of ground glue is exposed to the action 

 of the water than is possible in flake glue, no 

 matter how much longer flake glue is allowed to 

 soak. 



We have tried, of course, only in a general 

 way to repeat what has suggested itself to us 

 from time to time, being mindful, however, to 

 confine ourselves strictly to our own phase of 

 the glue subject, and I am indeed hopeful that 

 some good may have come to everyone here 

 when reflecting what has been mentioned. This, 

 then, will have accomplished the object and pur- 

 pose of my remarks, and assuring you it affords 

 me great pleasure to be with you at this time, 

 I am, gentlemen, duly appreciating your kind 

 attention. 



W, E. Bonesteel then gave the following 

 interesting and instructive address on 

 knives: 



W. E. Bonesteel on Knives, 



Mr. President and gentlemen of Veneer and 

 Panel Manufacturers' Association : The subject 

 •Knives, Their Use and Abuse" is one that might 

 consume the greater part of a day, but I will 



