White glue vs wood glue

[genzod]

Is there a difference ? When instructions call for white glue can I use wood glue or do I have to pick up regular Elmer's white glue ??

 

[chrism]

Go ahead and use wood glue or carpenter's glue. That is all you need especially for low power rockets. The advantage that wood glue has over typical white glue is that it is tacky and will set up quickly so that you won't have to hold the fin to the body tube and wait until it dries.

The only caution is that wood glue can "grab" quickly, so you'll have to be careful using it when sliding a motor mount into the body tube.

 

[Rex R]

yellow/wood glue tends to shrink more than white glue...as a result if you use it for motor mounts you can see where the centering rings are(the glue pulls the tube inward as it dries).
rex

 

[genzod]

The two applications were for 1 an art applewhite saucer cinco and for tying an shock cord knot on a large rocket

 

[Rex R]

for paper to paper such as the saucer you want to stay with white glue. the increased shrinkage of yellow glue will tend to distort the paper.
rex

 

[luke strawwalker]

Good advice so far... while yellow and white glue are interchangeable to a degree, you'll find that they work better when used for the proper purposes...

White glue is best for paper/paper joints and some paper/wood joints (other than fins). IOW, for motor mount centering rings inside tubes, tube couplers, paper wraps, etc. the white glue is a better choice. White glue doesn't tack up as fast or shrink as much as yellow glue, which is a benefit when sliding parts together (like motor mounts or tube couplers into tubes) but the flipside is, it's not quite as hard as yellow glue and softens slightly at lower temperatures. For this reason, I usually use yellow wood glue to glue the centering rings to the motor tube itself, which is exposed to more heat but is less sensitive to the shrinkage effects of yellow glue. Then I use WHITE glue (note that white glue is NOT "School glue"-- school glue is pretty sorry-- get genuine white glue, Elmer's, Aileenes, etc... not SCHOOL glue) to glue the motor mount into the rocket itself.

Yellow glue is superior for wood/wood and wood/paper joints (primarily wood to paper tube, IE gluing fins on the rocket). The superior strength of yellow glue is a real benefit here. If you're papering your fins, you wan to use white glue for that... it works much better than yellow glue for that application.

Fillets are best done (IMHO) using a third glue, which is basically a thickened white glue, called Titebond Moulding and Trim Glue... It works TERRIFIC for this purpose-- far superior to any other material I've tried...

Later and good luck! OL JR

 

[nmartin]

Has anyone used Elmer's Glue-All for their paper to paper joints? Is Elmer's Glue-All a new name for their white glue? I just got back into building after a 17 year break.

 

[tbzep]

Has anyone used Elmer's Glue-All for their paper to paper joints? Is Elmer's Glue-All a new name for their white glue? I just got back into building after a 17 year break.

Elmer's Glue-All is a very, very old name for their standard white glue. Elmer's School glue is the stuff that will wash out even after it dries. It has been around a long time too.

 

[nmartin]

Thank you for the Elmer's Glue-All answer.

 

[luke strawwalker]

Has anyone used Elmer's Glue-All for their paper to paper joints? Is Elmer's Glue-All a new name for their white glue? I just got back into building after a 17 year break.

Yes... Elmer's "Glue All" is their STANDARD white glue... IOW, the "good stuff". The "School glue" is the watered-down version of it, and not really any good for building (you CAN use it, but it's weak and lousy-- get the good stuff and forget the "school glue" unless you have a kid in the house doing crafts or can pick up a few bottles for 25 cents at school supply sales and use the twist-lock fine tip applicators for your "Glue All" and wood glue bottles, by swapping out the stupid "blade cap and tube/slit" bottle cap applicators on the Wood glue and the glue-all that I've seen lately... then give the school glue to a neice or nephew or neighbor kid or something...

Aileene's Tacky Glue is also a very good white glue... stay away from the Elmer's "blue stuff" and other such "gel" glues... Gorilla wood glue is okay, but their polyurethane (brown) glue has limited usefulness (and a VERY limited shelf-life.) CA is primarily for hardening balsa cones, transitions, and fins if you don't paper them, IMHO, and maybe gluing on little detail bits. Personally, I like Titebond II more than any other wood glue, but that's personal preference.

Good luck! OL JR

 

[cwbullet]

Good stuff. I will have try te tacky stuff. Thanks.

 

[nmartin]

Good advice so far... while yellow and white glue are interchangeable to a degree, you'll find that they work better when used for the proper purposes...

White glue is best for paper/paper joints and some paper/wood joints (other than fins). IOW, for motor mount centering rings inside tubes, tube couplers, paper wraps, etc. the white glue is a better choice. White glue doesn't tack up as fast or shrink as much as yellow glue, which is a benefit when sliding parts together (like motor mounts or tube couplers into tubes) but the flipside is, it's not quite as hard as yellow glue and softens slightly at lower temperatures. For this reason, I usually use yellow wood glue to glue the centering rings to the motor tube itself, which is exposed to more heat but is less sensitive to the shrinkage effects of yellow glue. Then I use WHITE glue (note that white glue is NOT "School glue"-- school glue is pretty sorry-- get genuine white glue, Elmer's, Aileenes, etc... not SCHOOL glue) to glue the motor mount into the rocket itself.

Yellow glue is superior for wood/wood and wood/paper joints (primarily wood to paper tube, IE gluing fins on the rocket). The superior strength of yellow glue is a real benefit here. If you're papering your fins, you wan to use white glue for that... it works much better than yellow glue for that application.

Fillets are best done (IMHO) using a third glue, which is basically a thickened white glue, called Titebond Moulding and Trim Glue... It works TERRIFIC for this purpose-- far superior to any other material I've tried...

Later and good luck! OL JR

Thank you for the titebond molding & trim recommendation. I bought some at lowes this morning. Used it on the upper stage of an Estes loadstar ii. It worked great!!!! I will use this glue for my fillets. No bubbles.

 

[luke strawwalker]

Thank you for the titebond molding & trim recommendation. I bought some at lowes this morning. Used it on the upper stage of an Estes loadstar ii. It worked great!!!! I will use this glue for my fillets. No bubbles.

Yall are welcome... (Cw and nmartin). Glad to help.

Yes, the TMTG is really the cat's pajamas for fillets... do 'em all at once and bam yer done...

No bubbles unless you go with a REALLY big fillet all at once. Once I had it bubble, but I was doing fillets down between three equally sized tubes, and had some air trapped underneath the fillets and the fillets were probably twice the size of the ones I would usually make.

Not particularly difficult to repair, but took a little extra time.

I've never had the stuff bubble on regular fin fillets though...

Good luck with your projects! Later! OL JR

 

[boomtube]

Back when we had to chase the Mastodons off our launch fields I used thinned Elmer’s white glue to coat/seal the balsa parts on my rockets.

I had it down to a science and could get a finish that looked like plastic.

Somewhere in the ensuing years the formula for Elmer’s must have changed as nothing I try now allows me to repeat this effect using white glue.

One aspect concerning white vs. yellow. White glue is less likely to grab and freeze a motor mount exactly where you don’t want it.

In addition; if you happen to be gluing balsa/basswood fins onto a paper shroud you might want to try the Elmer’s White as it will soak into the paper and create a stronger region around the joint. In fact you might have to redo the fillets three or so times before you actually get a fillet.

 

[hcmbanjo]

Something that hasn't been mentioned in this thread:
Many have had problems with the new "Stronger Formula" Elmer's White glue.

Using the Stronger Formula engine mounts and couplers are freezing up before getting them all the way into position.
Some have had better luck with the Aileene's Tacky Glue for gluing parts that need to be slid into place.

I've since started using epoxy (very slippery but runny) for engine mounts and couplers.

Something else to remember about white and yellow glues.
Use white glues where any glue joint (not covered by paint) will be seen.
White glues dry clear, yellow glue dries yellow.
This is especially important on models with printed wraps like the Dr. Zooch kits.

 

[BeerorKid]

I have been using the Titebond II Premium Wood Glue and am pleased. I was using multiple coats and schmearing down the fillets (finally figured out what those are) with good results. Titebond make great products. I have a bottle of Moulding and Trim on the way. My next fillets are going to rule after learning your tricks.

 

[o1d_dude]

I NEVER use white or carpenters glue when joining tubes with couplers. Learned the hard way that bad things happen.

Epoxy is the best thing to use on couplers.

 

[cwbullet]

I NEVER use white or carpenters glue when joining tubes with couplers. Learned the hard way that bad things happen.

Epoxy is the best thing to use on couplers.

Amen. Especially if it is the original titebond, but that is another story.