Ozbow

Hi Guys
just like to know what glues do you bow builders use

speaking for myself , and building 'glass bows , I only use smooth on a two part epoxy with great properties that was formulated expressly for bow building. If your planning on all wood bows then titebond 3 is a great glue. One big reason for my choice is its long 'potlife' around 2 hours at a moderate ambient temperature, and that it dries clear. John Mcdonald of amso 128 in Aus stocks it.Others report good results with Techiglue, an australian product I believe but with a shorter pot life.

I have to agree with Bob that the extended pot life of Smooth on EA40 makes it an obvious winner in our warmer climate.

In the earlier days I was using Techniglue CA [in excess of 30 bows] and did not have any durability issues however pot life was an issue and on a hot day pot life could be less than 30 minutes. As temperature increases pot life decreases.

Daryl.

When I make my wood bows (single stave backed with bamboo or timber) I use Smooth On EA-40. I can't fault it. It is easy to mix, has a long pot life, spreads well, isn't too runny, cures in a couple of hours with heat or in 24 without. It bonds exceptionally well, and it doesn't smell too heinous.

I am disappointed with myself that I did not adopt it earlier.

It is the world standard in bow making epoxy for a very good reason.

++ for SmoothOn.

thanks for all your input gentleman I have made a few bows and only used smoothon I was going to try Techni glue so I put this post up just to see your professional opinion was, it has been about 5 years since I have built one though, as I got married the family grew had to find a bigger house and have been busy renovating and only just put up a shed so keen to start building again as I still have a few supplies and bamboo (should be well seasoned) to keep me busy for a while

Hey guys tried to email John has he changed his email address ??

http://amso128.com.au/contact

Add is on the main page of Ozbow.

www.ozbow.net

I use Techniglue on all my bows. Mainly because I live in a cold climate and Techniglue is fairly runny. Smooth on is fine on warmer days but I've never had any issues with either of the two glues.

Ranger

thanks guys

I have not made a laminated Bow in a long time. I'll put a good word in for Bote Cote http://boatcraft.com.au/Shop/index.php? ... x&cPath=15 Not too expensive, available in smaller quantities, never had trouble with working time and I've never had a Glue failure.

regards Perry

Since Perry was brave enough to suggest something other than Smooth On or Techniglue...

For laminate bows & backed bows I use an industrial epoxy, Australian made and available from most composite retailers (I forget the name of it, I'm afraid - it's all numbers & letters, not a snappy product name). It's thicker than Smooth On (more of a gel than a liquid) and has a 45 minute pot life, which is workable for me without issues. I do the occassional non-bow bit of work, so it's useful to have something which has the flexibility to be used in other contexts, like marine or aircraft. For timber-only bows I use Titebond III. It's good stuff, cheap & easily available from Masters or Carbatec.

Smooth On EA-40 is the world standard for bow glues but it is just a chemical epoxy, no different to many other epoxies. It just happens to be a product that is well marketed and does a great job in the context of bowmaking. There are other options if you do a bit of research but they might be overkill - if you're just building bows, there's no reason to use anything else (unless you can get something equally good or better, easier or cheaper). If you happen to have a composites retailer nearby and would prefer to buy over the counter rather than online, almost all retailers would have a product of similar or greater strength & viscosity for a price that is not too far off EA-40.

Edit: I believe a lot of people have also had success with Urac-185. There's a bow maker in Pennsylvania who uses this for his bamboo-backed trilams.

Nezwin wrote:......I believe a lot of people have also had success with Urac-185. There's a bow maker in Pennsylvania who uses this for his bamboo-backed trilams.

This product was discontinued some time back.

Daryl.