Best Glue For Laminating Bows

Gluing your bow laminations or bow backing is a critical part of the bow building process.

Best glue for laminating bows.

You don t want to use any kind of brittle glue on a bow. Let me explain my rankings. The bond created by the ea 40 clear epoxy adhesive is so strong that it easily holds these tiny laminated strips in place under the rigors of shooting a bow. 4 oz kit includes enough for 2 bows or 2 glue up joints i g.

The laminated block is then milled to shape revealing the intricate design. Some excellent glues for gluing laminations are smooth on cyber giegy and epon versamid. As the laminates pieces dry they remain in the shape provided by the mold. Some epoxies like loctite 5 minute epoxy are too brittle for bows but smooth on is perfect.

Wood to wood adhesion. But before a persons gets to the point that the benefits of laminating are outweighing the extra troubles a laminated bow creates you have to do some serious experimenting and to expect some failed bows. Catalyzed glues which top my list include urac 185 resorcinol and smooth on ea40. When laminating curved wood woodworkers need an adhesive that won t stretch or pull away at the edges.

A laminated bow offers more options as far as wood combinations and design goes. I also use it for gluing on tip overlays and back of the handle overlays. Ea 40 clear epoxy adhesive is transparent after curing. Use bow building glue that can handle the stresses of a bow s limbs.

For laminate bows the glue and laminate strips are secured in a mold of sorts which applies a bend to the limbs. Trilam one 2oz part a resin one 2oz part b hardner specially formulated 2 part glue for laminating bamboo various woods linen silk and other natural materials as well as fibreglass with the strength you need. All of these glues work well for fiberglass to wood adhesion. Such a glue is urea formaldehyde also known as plastic resin.

This is possible because each laminated strip becomes attached to each other via the epoxy thus they remain bent. Regular glues which i find useful are hide glue liquid hide glue titebond aliphatic resin franklin white glue and titebond ii in declining order of usefulness and importance to the bowyer.