Glueing Polycarbonate Bibs In Wood?

[woodenfeather]

Hi Guys,

Just wondering what the experts use to glue their diving lips into wooden lures. I've been using epoxy but I have to drill small holes or carve grooves into the lexan to get it to hold.

After working with acrylic on some work related projects and seeing how they chemically weld the stuff, is there a solvent glue that bites into the lexan and also grips the wood?

Thanks for any suggestions.

[BobP]

I don't know of a glue like you're seeking. I use Devcon Two Ton epoxy because it doesn't turn brown like 5 minute epoxies. The problem I see with a glue that 'bites into' polycarbonate is it will surely cloud any part of the bill that it touches. As well as cutting slots in the back of a lip, sanding the area of the lip that is hidden in the slot will also increase the strength of the glue bond.

[Vodkaman]

Others may or may not agree with this. I fit my lip just before the top coat. I fix the lip in position with the slightest touch of CA glue (instant). This allows me a few seconds to get the alignment right and if I get it wrong, I can still retrieve the lip and have another go.

When applying the epoxy top coat, I push the epoxy up to the lip slot, overlapping the lip. I can then flex the lip slightly. This promotes capillary action and draws the epoxy into the joint, more than sufficient to hold the lip.

If the eye loads were through the lip, I would select a more secure method. But on my lures, the glue only has to secure the lip to the body and not take any loads.

Dave

[Fishwhittler]

Try mixing some acetone or lacquer thinner in the epoxy. Either one of those will eat into the bill to some extent, and that may do what you want. It doesn't work real well though, and some brands of lexan (Makrolon®, for example) are impervious to either of those solvents. I use lexan from US Plastics that is affected by solvents, but whatever you do it's going to be tricky to accomplish exactly what you want.

Another option you might try is ABS cement, but I don't know how well that will stick to wood.

Ben

Edited November 13, 2010 by Fishwhittler

[woodenfeather]

Thanks for the replies.

I like the idea of mixing solvent into the epoxy! I think I read somewhere that they sometimes use acetone to weld acrylic. As far as it clouding up, if it's anything like acrylic, it turns optically clear when you glue it.(unless it's humid, then it will blush just like lacquer).

I thought maybe I was missing something because when I look at some lures like rapalas, they have a very strong glue joint at the lip. You'll break it before it will come loose. When I use epoxy, I can remove the lip without to much damage to the lure. I am going to get in touch with the company that supplied us with the acrylic adhesive at work. I'll let you know if I find something better.

[Seeking 56]

2 part epoxies will work if your lure is not going to pound bottom. If you plan on pounding bottom, I suggest West System Six 10. It's a tickened epoxy that comes in a self metering cartridge (caulking tube). It comes with a static mixer that will mix both parts together as it comes out.

I do not use the static mixer, I just squeeze and mix both parts myself.

I carve grooves on both sides of the polycarbonate fill the slot with the adhesive and insert the lip. A great feature of this product is that it does not run like epoxy and has a working time of about 40 minutes. It dries to an opaque yellow.

The only negative thing about this product is that it's expensive, $27 for a 190ml tube but, it does go a long way.

s54

[mark poulson]

Have you tried sealing the bill slot with diluted D2T first, to seal the wood and make the gluing surface stronger, before you epoxy in the bill?

[woodenfeather]

Have you tried sealing the bill slot with diluted D2T first, to seal the wood and make the gluing surface stronger, before you epoxy in the bill?

Hi Mark,

The epoxy adheres to the lure no problem, it's the plastic it doesn't stick to. I should have prefaced this by saying I do use epoxy for this application and have since I started making lures. I was just wondering if there was something better you guys were using.

S 54,

Thanks for the info. I did some searching and found some stuff that would be perfectly suited for this application in every way but, like you found, the cost.

3M makes a product called scotch weld DP 100 that looks good but you have to buy a gun and tips. The working time is too short also.

We used this stuff at work a while back that I think would be awesome. It welded the acrylic, and the drops that spilled on the plywood work table are still there. My only concern, other than price, is I think it might be too brittle. If I can justify it as a work expense I'll get some and try it.

Here's a pic.