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Hardwood Record — Veneer & Panel Section 



May 10, 1921 



Glues and Their Resistance to Steam 



*'Can you tell us what glue will resist the action of steam?" 



This is a question which a large manufacturer of quartered 

 oak veneers recently asked HARDWOOD RECORD. 



The following reply to the question was written by one of the 

 leading authorities of the country on glues: 



"The answer to the query as to what glue will resist the action 

 of steam must depend on how long the glue is supposed to with- 

 stand such action. Strictly speaking there is no glue that will 

 not be affected by steam. Any of the water resisting glues will 

 resist the action of steam for a time. How long depends on the 

 quality of the adhesive and the power of the steam. 



"Casein glue having a high percentage of lime will stand up 

 better than that having a low percentage of lime. The casein 

 forms the adhesive and the lime the w^ater, or steam, resisting 

 qualities. But it has characteristics which make it impractical 

 to use in most wood gluing operations. Then, too, the life of a 

 silicate of soda joint is short. 



"The blood albumen glue is really the best water resisting 

 adhesive when properly mixed and applied. Best results are 

 obtained where the fresh blood is used, rather than when the dried 

 blood is used as a base. Blood albumen glues cannot be used 

 on thick plies of wood because their efficacy depends on the 

 action of the hot plates used in the gluing operations. The diffi- 

 culty in making plywood waterproof, regardless of the glue used, 

 is on account of the nature of wood. If wood is impregnated 

 with water it will swell, then on drying it will shrink. As the 

 result of such action the fibres get torn from the bond and the 

 plies come apart. The w^ater resisting qualities of plywood may 

 be greatly assisted by the application of w^ater resisting finishes 

 to the surface. When such are used and renewed as necessary 

 the panel may be kept practically v^'aterproof, but this is the result 

 of preventing the wood from becoming w^aler soaked rather than 

 because of waterproof quality of the glue. 



"There are several formulas for making glue waterproof, but 

 such mixtures are not practical in ordinary plywood making 

 operations. They are best adapted to brush w^ork on the cabinet- 

 maker's bench. One of these formulas is: Mix animal glue as 

 usual and then add linseed oil in the proportion of one part of 

 oil to eight parts of glue. If it is desired to keep the glue liquid 

 add one- ha If ounce of nitric acid for each pound of glue, which 

 will also prevent the glue from souring. 



"Another method is to soak animal glue in w^ater until it swells 

 as much as it will without losing its shape. Thus softened it is 

 placed in an iron crucible without adding water. Add linseed 

 oil according to the quantity of the glue and let the mixture boil 

 on a slow fire until a gelatinous mass results. Such glue unites 

 materials in a very desirable manner. It adheres firmly and dries 

 quickly. A little borax will prevent putrefaction." 



Sunken Joints in Furniture Panels 



A defect in manufacture known as a sunken joint is sometimes 

 noticeable in thick panels, especially tops for tables, desks, and 

 other pieces of furniture. This defect appears as a long, shallow 

 depression in the surface, and may be very conspicuous when 

 viewed at certain angles. 



In modern practice furniture tops are generally built up of five 

 plies of wood, consisting of a thick core, cross banding, and faces. 

 The core is usually made of a number of pieces of lumber glued 

 together. Investigation shows that the defect in question occurs 

 over joints in the core stock. 



The Forest Products Laboratory finds that too rapid progress 

 in the preparation of the core is the basic cause of sunken joints. 

 The wood next to the joint absorbs moisture from the glue and 

 swells. If insufficient time is allowed between the gluing of the 

 joints and surfacing of the core, which is the next step in manu- 



facture, more wood will be removed at the joints, because of the 

 greater swelling there than at intermediate points. During sub- 

 sequent drying and seasoning, greater shrinkage takes place at 

 the joints, causing permanent depressions. 



The remedy for sunken joints is an extension of the seasoning 

 period between gluing and planing. The proper length of this 

 period will vary with the thickness and species of wood, and 

 atmospheric conditions, but it should be long enough to allow 

 the moisture added by the glue to evaporate or to distribute itself 

 throLii^h the wood. 



Southern Company to Build 



1 he Southern Wood Working Company of Birmingham, Ala., 

 has acquired a new location and will commence the erection of 

 a new factory building within the next few days, according to 

 Thomas C. Dobbs, president of the company. The new plant 

 will be situated with ample railroad trackage at Helen street on 

 the Alabama Great Southern Railroad tracks. 



The lumber of the buildings has been ordered and the machinery 

 for the new plant is expected to arrive within the next few^ w^eeks, 

 it was stated. 



The new plant will specialize in the manufacture of cedar chests, 

 tables, sw^ings and interior decorations. The capital stock of the 

 company has been increased, and the new plant will be one of 

 the biggest of its kind in that section of the South. 



Next Evansville Market in September 



The Evansville Furniture Manufacturers' Association has de- 

 cided to give another furniture market in Evansville some time 

 in September, the exact dates of the affair to be fixed later. The 

 manufacturers were well pleased with their first market that was 

 given in April, which brought buyers and visitors to Evansville 

 from twenty-tw^o states and from Canada, Cuba and Mexico and 

 they believe that the market in September will bring more buyers 

 to the city and that the sales will be considerably larger than 

 they were during the April market. The manufacturers are well 

 pleased at the results of the last market and say that Evansville 

 received more publicity than she ever had before on any one 

 proposition. The market will be made a semi-annual event and 

 it is predicted that it will increase in size and the number of 

 sales from time to time. The various furniture, chair, table and 

 desk factories in Evansville are running on an average of from 

 thirty-six to forty hours a week and in some instances they are 

 operating as high as forty hours a week. When this time will 

 be lengthened is not known, but the manufacturers say that 

 trade has been stimulated some since the holding of the last 

 market and that they believe there is going to be a much better 

 demand for furniture during the last half of the present year 

 than there was during the first six months. As soon as conditions 

 in the South pick up it is believed there will be a better demand 

 for furniture. Evansville furniture manufacturers sell a great 

 deal of their wares in the South. 



Grimwood Brothers, corner of Lower First and Vine Streets 

 at Evansville, Ind., who started in the phonograph manufacturing 

 business a little over a year ago, have incorporated their company 

 and will manufacture phonographs on a larger scale than ever 

 before. The company acquired a tract of walnut timber near 

 Owensville, Ind., a little over a year ago and has been getting all 

 the good walnut lumber that they needed in the manufacture of 

 phonographs. The conipany is turning out a fine line of phono- 

 graphs in walnut, mahogany and other woods. 



