Need Help With Gluing Exotic Hardwoods

[calibrator]

Hello,

Just spent 30 minutes composing my story here, only to have it dumped by the site when I went to prereview it. 5 paragraphs gone.

Long story short, I need to glue 2 pieces of oily Cocobolo together. These are the grips that split on me for no GOOD reason;

https://www.hogueinc.com/new-blackha...uero-coco-bolo

Thanks in advance for any kind input !

[ithacaartist]

A successful glue joint starts out with both sides clean, which we'll presume both sides of your split are.

Remove any pieces of errant grain that were displaced by the trauma. The goal of this is to remove any barrier to a literal hairline crack remaining when testing its reassembly, and out-of-place slivers of wood will hinder this big-time.

I think the choice of glue would be yours, from whatever formulas are recommended for wood by the various manufacturers. I'd go for either a waterproof wood glue or cyano acrylate gel, which gives sufficient working time.

Gluing without clamping is a waste of time, so make yourself a setup that will squeeze everything together straight and true, as you want it. You want to see glue pushed from the hairline crack. Clean off the excess that's squished out so you can keep track of the crack, and whatever you can reach when the clamping is finished. The solvent dampening the rag/toothbrush should be whatever the glue's maker recommends.

When revealed by un-clamping, cured glue that's where you don't want it may need to be removed mechanically--scraping/sanding.

Refinish the grip, or at least blend in the area of the repair, if needed.

That should do it. Posting pics of your progress would be great...

[gunbugs]

I'm fond of two part epoxies. To remove the oil, hit the surfaces of your repair with brake cleaner, and be sure to rub the epoxy into the wood, so it gets well into the grain. Then, as Ithacaartist said, clamp well, and remove any excess you can get to.

[Deputywood]

I've had good luck using acetone to de-oil the two pieces to be joined together. Ithacaartist gives you good advice.

[calibrator]

Thanks Guys ! Pretty much what I expected. I did read on some forum that Gorilla Glue was a decent choice.

[Kiwi]

Gorilla Glue expands when setting, not a good choice.

[gunbugs]

Here's one I was working on today. Buttstock from a Mossberg turkish import. About a 6" chunk broken out of the side of the grip. Brownells Acra-glas Epoxy, and several clamps. We'll se what it looks like tomorrow. I'm sure it'll need some cleanup.

https://forum.lugerforum.com/attachm...1&d=1754613138

https://forum.lugerforum.com/attachm...1&d=1754613138

[Kiwi]

Surface preparation and clamping is the key, better clamping, better result
I used to have access to carbon tetrachloride for degreasing, but cant' get it now. Acetone works.

[calibrator]

I was mostly concerned about the type (brand name) of glue to use. Several of my search results remarked that Cocobolo was especially hard to glue since it was naturally a very oily wood.

Part of my dumped first attempt at posting this thread was that I bought the Hogue grips 6/6/24. Mounted on the pistol, put in a fleece lined case and put in the safe in my bedroom. Maybe it came out 2-3 times a month to show off when company came over. It was NEVER fired, dropped or abused. Just noticed the crack on it's last viewing. The grip still looks pristine, except for the crack.

Hogue felt I had gotten my $$$ worth since I had it over a year. They GRACIOUSLY offer me a 25% discount on a fresh pair . Hogue makes good stuff I'm sure, however, ... the 1 piece concept for difficult to glue media makes me question their professionalism. If I had shot that pistol, as I was intending to do in the near future, I'm sure it would have cracked completely and catastrophically at a public range with who knows what results.

Hogue's Customer Service is anything but, IMHO !

[Edward Tinker]

If you type slow or you like to make it perfect, write the original in word or other word processor and then copy and paste it here on the forum.

[spangy]

Writing a long post only to have it accidentally 'delete' BEFORE you post it is maddening.
I have done it several times.
Now I press 'save' often, then post when done.

[calibrator]

They don't "accidently" delete, it's a feature of this site. I've been lurking here since '09, and don't recall it being an issue back when. I like to get up, get some coffee, go the bathroom, locate a link I want to add (I have 2 monitors) ... etc.

I usually get dropped when I click the preview button to see how it will actually look. I'm immediately asked to log in again, and when I do, I'm no longer at the point I was at, with no obvious way to navigate back to it.

I guess Ed is right about Word, it just adds a layer I'd like to do without.

[ithacaartist]

Ed has discovered the way to avoid this mishap. I start out any posts that threaten to be extensive in a new email, then copy and paste the text to the actual post before I dump the email draft.

[biffj]

I used to make small music boxes with Cocobolo and gluing was pretty painful. It has a lot of oil in it and that makes it tough to glue. It also tends to warp as it dries out. This can cause cracks and splits usually along the grain. Using acetone or other solvents to remove the oil just creates a dried out area that is sure to crack at some point.

The best results I found were to let the wood dry well prior to doing anything with it. Once dry I set it up in a fixture to glue and used superglue after clamping. The thin superglue will wick into the joint if its tight. I also tried some of the new at the time gel superglue. It has to be applied prior to clamping but will fill gaps better. I do have one of the music boxes still that hasn't come apart in 20 or more years.

Good luck with your repair. Cocobolo is not an easy material to deal with. That is why its usually used in small parts like knife grips or other simple one piece applications.

Frank

[calibrator]

Sounds like if I want accident-free reliability, I should ditch the 1 piece grip and get a more conventional set-up. Too bad, they look great.