The Marquetarian magazine

There were, however, some very interesting articles in that first issue and we have taken this opportunity to reproduce a couple of the items in these pages for you.
Unfortunately, due to the quality of that original printing we have had to resort to "OCR'ing" some of them into "Word" and then displaying them as "clean text" for you.
The "Editorial" luckily, has stayed 'clean', so, here it is:

A photo-copy of the very first "editorial" ever to appear in the Marquetarian.

To see a full page reproduction of the above Editorial: "Click Here"

(The next sample extracts from the magazine have been "OCR'd" in order to preserve clarity.)

"Glues for Marquetry" by D. K. Walters.

What glue shall I use? How often have we asked ourselves that question!
Indeed there are so many types and varieties of glues and cements on the market today that it is a difficult matter to decide which is best.

There are however certain glues for certain jobs, and to avoid disappointment in 'laying' a picture it is important to determine first (before deciding on any glue) :-

a/.    The method of laying the picture

b/.    What stresses, strains, heat etc., the finished article demands.

Numerous ways of laying a marquetry panel have from time to time been published, but it is my experience that there is only one way which is really satisfactory namely by cauls. Briefly this method consists of placing the glued picture and baseboard between strong boards or cauls under pressure, the cauls being either heated or left cold, depending upon the glue.

Next we must decide how the picture is to be used after completion. As a wall plaque or as a decoration on trays, table mats, fire-screens, table tops etc., in short, what special properties are required of the finished article. Having decided these two points we can now consider which types of glue will best fit in with our requirements. It is impossible of course to describe every type of glue on the market in an article of this size but the following are particularly suitable, covering most conditions and being fairly easily obtainable.

UNIVERSAL COLD GLUE  As sold in tins or tubes, ready for use without application of heat. This type is very suitable for laying marquetry pictures which require no special properties. It is easy to handle and is fairly slow drying, at least six hours cramping time is required and twenty four hours before the article is safe to work. This type of glue is normally non-staining but it is NOT heat or water resistant. Although a cold setting glue, it has the advantage that if a mistake is made or a bubble appears in the pressing it may be softened by the application of heat (a hot iron) and the blemishes removed.

HOT ANIMAL GLUE   A glue similar to the above but requiring to be heated before use. It is a fairly quick setting glue and consequently the cauls must be heated before the picture is pressed between them, this calls for some very quick work and the cauls must not chill before the pressure is applied. This can be a difficult glue to use for the home-worker with limited means of heating the cauls. The glue is very strong but again it is NOT heat or water resistant and due to its greater powers of penetration is liable to seep through open grained and porous veneers.

CASIN GLUE. This glue is made from skimmed milk and is marketed as a light coloured powder. It is made up as required by the addition of water and is used cold. Casin glue is extremely strong and to a certain extent is heat proof and waterproof. It is however inclined to stain hardwoods and is therefore unsuitable for use with light coloured veneers and, although some makers market a non-staining variety, these are less water resistant. A further drawback is that once laid, nothing can be done to rectify any defect occurring to the pressing.

SYNTHETIC RESIN GLUES.

These are a modern development, and there are hot and cold varieties but as the hot types require complicated apparatus and are critical to handle we shall only discuss the cold types here. The cold synthetic resin glues can be put into two categories as follows:-

a)       The “separate application” glues – this type comes in two parts – the syrup and the hardener. The syrup is applied to one surface and the hardener to the other. When the two are brought into contact under pressure a chemical action takes place causing the glue to harden.

b)   Combined hardeners – here the hardener is mixed with the syrup before application to the surface. 

Both these types give one of the strongest glues known and they are both heat and water resistant and normally non-staining (although some makes do stain hardwood). Drying time can be varied from very fast to very slow depending on the type of hardener (most makers market three ‘speeds’ of hardener). The fastest in my experience is one which is dry in twenty minutes pressing time – it must be remembered however that the faster the hardener, the less time you will have to get all your cramps done up on your cauls as setting commences immediately the two are brought into contact.

There are however two drawbacks to this glue. Firstly of course, once pressed, no mistakes can afterwards be rectified. Secondly the shelf life of the syrup is only about three months although some makers now market it in powder form which keeps indefinitely. In a well pressed picture the glue holds perfectly, but if the joint is not really tight the glue is inclined to crazing or cracking, which of course develops a weak spot in the work. To counteract this a special form of this glue called “Gap filling” glue is now available and with this less pressure is needed. It is especially suitable for marquetry work as any small gaps (they appear in the best of work) between the edges of the various veneers are filled with this glue which is so pale a colour (care – at least one may give red glue lines) that when sanded and polished they are virtually unnoticeable. These glues are slightly more expensive than those described in items given above.

In conclusion may I say, from my own experience that for a simple picture requiring no special properties use the COLD UNIVERSAL GLUE  with cauls under cramps, for work requiring heat and water resistance such as tea trays, table tops etc., use a gap filling (synthetic resin), again using the cauls and cramps. Before using any glue or cement be sure to read the makers directions and follow them.

Don’t FORGET that heat and water resistance can also be obtained and improved by certain methods of finishing and polishing, but there, that’s another articles…..

Editor’s Note: Mr D. K. Walters, XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX, Guildford, Surrey, states that he will supply the names of various brands of glue if members requiring same will write to him enclosing a stamped addressed envelope.