Which Wood Glue to use?

[DJ]

I have a Winchester with a looong, tight crack in the full-length forearm and am trying to figure out which would be the best glue to use.  It doesn't have any wood loss, so there are no gaps to fill, and it's just a matter of sticking the wood back together. 

Since it has a full-length magazine tube, I want to avoid:  a) gluing the wood to the magazine (if I leave the magazine in place during gluing); and b) having to clean a bunch of dried glue out of the magazine tube channel (if I take the tube out before gluing).  I'd like something durable and long-lasting, of course. 

I've heard of using Super Glue, but have never tried it, and would hate to experiment on this nice old rifle without some good info.  Oh, and I don't want to have to refinish the wood, either--it has nice character as-is.

So, does anyone have experience/suggestions?

Thanks--

--DJ

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

Howdy DJ

         Over the years i've used only Elmers Wood glue, with excellent results, clean up is easy and neat, and I've never had a gun stock or wood grip come apart afterwards, There are lots of wood glues out there , I choose Elmer's because I know first hand that it does the job. ( IMO )

                                                                 tEN wOLVES 

[River City John]

Ten Wolves is spot on. Elmer's glue would be a good choice. It holds well, dries fairly clear, and can be easily removed.



If the crack has been open to the air for a long time it will have darkened down and gotten dirt in there. Clean the surfaces carefully before regluing, and just accept that because of the darkening of the exposed wood surface the crack will always show a darker line.

I would remove the forearm to properly clamp it, then no possibility of getting glue on the metal.

[Major 2]

Elmer's Carpenters glue is my choice as well...it will be stronger than the wood around it when dry as well as waterproof.
and when still in a working state easy clean up with a damp rag.
a light coat of vaseline on any metal parts solves the residue on metal if you have to go that route...

Epoxies are super strong and the 90 Minute stuff is bulletproof, Super glue in my experience dose not work as well on wood as the other two

[Coffinmaker]

Form a professional woodworker, Elmers is not the best choice.  You need something resistant to moisture and oils and solvents.  For the easiest clean-up and a bond proof against most solvents and moisture, I have to recommend "Gorilla Glue" or the Tightbond equivalent.  For the highest possible strength, epoxy.  If you consider epoxy, look into Brownells "Acra Glass."
Skip the woodworking glues for the job you are contemplating.  All glues (except epoxy) require clamping.  This fix should be done with the fore stock OFF the gun.

Coffinmaker 

[Deadeye Dick]

I agree with Coffinmaker. I think I would go with Titebond as Gorilla glue foams up and the foam can be hard to remove if it gets into a crack.
Deadeye Dick

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

Howdy Gents

           I have to disagree with Elmers glue not being the best way to go, sure there are other glues out their, but for a user friendly product Elmers Wood Glue is hard to beat, after I glue a stock or grip, I clean it up with warm soap and water on a rag or papper towel, I will either wrap the stock or grip with tape , or if necessary use clamps until dry, after it is completly dry , i will either lightly sand or steel wool the area, then I  will seal the area with True Oil or use an oil finish, and rub it out untill you can't till there was ever a crack or split in the wood , and I've been working on restoring furniture, and building ,fixing and refinishing gun stocks and wood grips for 50 years now, I've never had any problems with gun solvents, gun oil , water or rain, what I fixed stayed fixed, so I think Elmers worked well for me, I don't know why it wouldn't work fine today for anybody else, I've used Gorilla glue and it's a good glue, but I don't use it on my stocks, Titebond is also a good glue and would probably be suited for gun stock work, in fact I did use it on one of my inlaws rifle stocks and it worked fine. 


                               It's not a big deal , use what you want , this is just my opinion on this subject 


                                                                   tEN wOLVES 

[Major 2]

I'm with 10 Wolves...Elmer's Lt. Brown or yellow Carpenters Glue
And I am a professional woodworker  some 40 years ,
Titebond is a good substitute for yellow... but the Lt. Brown tops it.

Gorilla glue is a great product in some applications . but it will expand if you misuse it , it can swell like a foam as it sets  ( seen it happen )

[minerotago]

I would never use a water based glue. Now I dont know what glues you have in the US of A but if you have PVA glue then I would avoid it as its water based and in rain could soften. I assume that you have the two pot mix types. Here in Kiwiland we have Araldite and used to have Epiglue. These are both two part resin glues and are by far the best. To protect the magazine tube I have wrapped paper around it then placed the forend carefully on and glued. Of course the forend glues itself to the paper but at the same time the forend and paper slide of the mag tube. You simply clean the paper with a bit of an effort from the forend.
I have had two Marlins and a Winchester 92 all with the stocks broken right off and split. I used Araldite and although I sold the Marlins twenty years ago I still use the 92 and if it splits again I can gaurantee that it will not be where it was glued

[Delmonico]

I agree with Tite-Bond, just as easy to use as Elmer's but a heck of a lot stronger.

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

                                    Hay Del, you got any coffee left in that pot , I could use a cup 


                                                                       tEN wOLVES

[DJ]

I thank all of you for your input.  For some reason it hadn't occurred to me to use a release agent on the magazine tube, but I'm definitely going to try that. Also nice to hear of experiences with different glues to help me narrow down the choices.

Thanks again, and Happy Shooting to you.

--DJ

[Virginia Gentleman]

Super thin super glue has worked wonders on my projects where wood is cracked or chipped.

[Matt Bastardson]

Elmer's makes a 'professional' or exterior version of its carpenter's wood glue which is purportedly 'waterproof' (i.e moisture resistant).  I've personally used all versions of Elmer's (professionally) and never had a problem.  As other's have said, cleanup is a breeze and the bond is stronger than the surrounding wood.
On the other hand, I have used the 'gorilla glue' (and other) products also, and ended up throwing them out the window as far as I possibly could throw.

An alternative would be to remove the original cracked forearm and use it as a pattern to make a replacement.  Shoot with the replacement and save the original for display.  My experience has been that when wood cracks like that on a firearm it is usually for a reason, and no amount of gluing will prevent the crack from appearing along a different grain line if you are shooting the gun and subjecting it to constant stresses.  (Also note that if the gun is an antique or collectible, gluing it lessens the value, as its considered a 'repair'....if that matters to you at all.)

[Short Knife Johnson]

Last spring I picked up a '93 Marlin chambered for .38-55.  The rifle had at one time ben rolled on by a horse.  The solution at the time (I guess) was to nail and screw it together, then wrap the wrist in wire, and pound the extruding ends of the nails flat.  So I managed to peel the whole mess apart without disturding the conditions of the old fix.  The buttstock was cleaved cleanly in two.  I carved some relief grooves, then mixed up a batch of Brownell's Acraglass.  When the halves were put back together, I reinserted the old hardware, and put in some brass woodscrews in the remaining nail holes.  This was to retain it's character.  Any overflow was cleaned up with rubbing alcohol.  The result is very solid, and drives a shooting partner of mine - who needs everything to look fancy - crazy because I just didn't slap on new wood.  I think Gorrilla glue would be a good option too.  From what I've used of it, I have been impressed.

[Old Doc]

Elmer's makes a 'professional' or exterior version of its carpenter's wood glue which is purportedly 'waterproof' (i.e moisture resistant).  I've personally used all versions of Elmer's (professionally) and never had a problem.  As other's have said, cleanup is a breeze and the bond is stronger than the surrounding wood.
On the other hand, I have used the 'gorilla glue' (and other) products also, and ended up throwing them out the window as far as I possibly could throw.

An alternative would be to remove the original cracked forearm and use it as a pattern to make a replacement.  Shoot with the replacement and save the original for display.  My experience has been that when wood cracks like that on a firearm it is usually for a reason, and no amount of gluing will prevent the crack from appearing along a different grain line if you are shooting the gun and subjecting it to constant stresses.  (Also note that if the gun is an antique or collectible, gluing it lessens the value, as its considered a 'repair'....if that matters to you at all.)

There are several bottles of Gorilla glue outside my window as well. After I use it once, I can never get anymore out of the container.