[2007] Gorilla Glue Strikes Again.

[AwayWeGo]

When our grandson comes over for meals or snacks, he frequently used a spcial Child Chair set up in front of a special Child Table, which is actually any of the little 3-leg tables out of a set of small, stacking low tables just the right size for a little guy or a little girl. Last night there was a major oooops ! that left a plateful of spaghetti on the floor & 1 leg broken mostly off the Child Table.

Even though no misbehavior or rambunctiousness was involved, Grandson felt bad that the table was broken, possibly thinking he was somewhat responsible even though he's only 4 years old. He wanted that table fixed pronto. By that time I had gone off to band practice & Grandma Carol explained that Papa Alan would fix the table "later." That didn't sit 100% right with Grandson, but he accepted it & the evening ended happily.

Next morning, Grandma Carol (better known to TUG denizens as The Chief Of Staff) said, "We better work together on getting that table fixed." I said OK & got out the Gorilla Glue & the C-clamps for some fixa-fixa-fixa. I filed down the rough edges of the broken-off cheap sawdust-board material so that the broken piece containing the screw anchor for the table leg would fit back into the space it broke out of, then wet down the surfaces to be Gorilla Glued, smeared on some Gorilla Glue, & applied the clamps. It's working. As the Gorilla Glue cures, some of the excess foams up & out along the line between the pieces being stuck together, showing only on the underside of the table.

The table has practically zero monetary worth. The main value in this exercise is being able to show Grandson next time he's over that his Child Table is OK once again -- no harm done.

Grandparenthood is really something special any way you shake it. What's really strange is that nothing about the experience of fatherhood adequately prepared me for the joys of being a grandfather. Who'd a-thunk?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[Icarus]

You need your own blog, Alan.

-David

 

[Keitht]

Wouldn't it be easier just to glue your grandson to the table??
Guess who doesn't have kids, never mind grandkids

 

[AwayWeGo]

Blogga-Blogga-Blogga.

You need your own blog, Alan.

My son the computer scientist -- father of my grandson & chip off the old block -- has a fine blog of his own. Check out Bit Guru on the World Wide Web. As for me, my blog is TUG-BBS.

Just about my whole life is on TUG-BBS. I didn't jump into TUG-BBS with that in mind. It just worked out that way over time. And TUG-BBS has advantages over a plain-vanilla stand-alone web log. Being involved in timeshares to varying degrees gives us all an interest in common with each other. Plus, TUG-BBS offers the pleasure of enjoying the (virtual) company of lots & lots of very nice people whom I have come to think of as friends even though I have scarcely ever met more than 1 or 2 TUG people face to face -- & that very brief meeting was several years ago. And since just about all of us TUG folks are out & about from time to time at various timeshare resorts in & around Orlando & the Outer Banks & Branson & Las Vegas & Massanutten & Williamsburg & Hawaii & Cancun & Aruba & Atlantic City & the Manhattan Club & so many other great places, there's always a chance that 1 day some of us will meet face to face. Wouldn't that be something?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[bslag]

I know what you mean...

What great grand parents you are to go to such effort! as you implied, it probably would have been easier to discard and buy a new table. But I know (I have a 4 year old), they often get something in there little brains and nothing else will work. My guess is the next time he walks in your house the first thing he does is ask about "his" table!

 

[CSB]

If I met a fellow TUGGER I would probably not know it unless they wear their user ID. I go to the Toronto User Group meeting. We do not wear our user ID and I may not be able to link the user name with the actual person.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Recognizing People From T.U.G.

If I met a fellow TUGGER I would probably not know it unless they wear their user ID. I go to the Toronto User Group meeting. We do not wear our user ID and I may not be able to link the user name with the actual person.

That's what makes it so important to know the TUG Secret Handshake.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[JLB]

I know people are from TUG when they walk up and say, "Are you JLB and is this where we are eating ribs?"

If they say, "How ya doin with yur neighbors?" I know they are also on TS4Ms.

It's fun when you are meeting people for the first time, after knowing them for a long time. More than once we have sat and looked at another couple for quite awhile before either couple worked up the nerve to go over and say, "Are you waiting for . . . ?"

Just to make it clear one more time, John and Sandi's email address reminds me of Doug and Shelley, so when Sandi emails me and we plan dinner or something I have to do a double-take. Of course, dinner with either is great.

 

[fnewman]

That is the thing we have enjoyed most about the TUG cruises - getting to meet some of these people face-to-face. I hope to meet some new ones on the upcoming cruise next February. RU?

 

[bigfrank]

I have been using GG for about 6 months. It works great and so far the tip has not clogged.

 

[bobcat]

GC

I have been using GG for about 6 months. It works great and so far the tip has not clogged.

After you use the glue, squeeze the bottle so the clue comes to the top. Then put the top on. The clue can harden and be of no use. I purchased a bottle and that is what the hardwear store told me.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Clogga-Clogga-Clogga.

I have been using GG for about 6 months. It works great and so far the tip has not clogged.

My Gorilla Glue bottle tip clogged up before long. With just under half its original volume left, the 4-oz. bottle now has a crust of hardened Gorilla Glue 1/8-inch thick sealing off the remaining usable glue that's left underneath. To do fixa-fixa-fixa on the Child Table, I had to unscrew the lid of the Gorilla Glue & use a screwdriver to break through the hardened layer so I could get at the gluey stuff below. That got the screwdriver all gluey, so I just used it as the Gorilla Glue applicator, cleaning it off afterward the best I could. So it goes.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[fnewman]

A good paint thinner will clean it off of your tools before it dries, of course. You can also use some on a rag to remove any glue that squeezes out when it expands.

 

[Topeka Tom]

PU Warning

Gorilla Glue is the most popular brand of polyurethane glue, generically known as PU glue. Elmer's makes a brand that locally sells for roughly half the price.

They are finding that PU is nasty stuff, like epoxy. Try not to get it on you, and let it cure in some ventilation.

I like it for birdhouses, because the foaming fills the really crummy joints I tend to create, and I don't need all its strength, anyway. The bottle says that the foam has no structural strength, which I interpret as meaning it isn't as strong across a big gap filled with foam. No big deal as I use mechanical fasteners anyway, the glue is just to prevent the nails from working loose with the frost.

 

[bigfrank]

I was out tonight and guess what. We were talking about GG. I was told that you should wet what ever you are gluing first with water. The Gg starts to foam and adheres better.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Squirta-Squirta-Squirta.

I was told that you should wet what ever you are gluing first with water. The Gg starts to foam and adheres better.

That's how we do it -- works fine. Who'd a-thunk?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[AwayWeGo]

Generic Gorilla Glue.

Elmer's makes a brand that locally sells for roughly half the price.

Next time we'll go with Elmer's or maybe even some generic Home Depot house brand & see how well that works. There's only an ounce or so left in our partly dried-out original 4-oz. plastic squeeze bottle of the real mccoy -- maybe enough for 1 or 2 more small-scale glue jobs.

Meanwhile, The Chief Of Staff gave me a roll of Gorilla Tape -- used it so far for 1 job (fixing cracks on an under-car plastic spare tire cover). With luck, I won't get any flat tires & therefore won't need to crank down the spare -- meaning that (with luck) I won't actually find out how well the Gorilla Tape repair job is holding up under there.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[bigfrank]

That's how we do it -- works fine. Who'd a-thunk?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

I have not tried it with the water yet but with out the water it works great. Only thing I don't like about the GG is that it takes to long to set.

 

[Topeka Tom]

PU uses

water in the process of setting. Often it can get plenty from wood, for instance, but to assure that it sets faster and stronger, using some water helps.

It can get water from the air, but once it skins, that process is over.

If it can get water, it sets faster. (I think I already said that -- twice )

 

[AwayWeGo]

1 More Repair Out Of Same Old Gorilla Glue Bottle.

Most of what's left in our original container of Gorilla Glue has dried up & crusted over. But there's still a little remaining in super-sticky semi-liquid form down at the bottom -- enough for 1 more fix job this morning. After that, who knows.

Occasionally 1 of the spot-welds will break off a music stand base, leaving the 3-legged stand with just 2 functioning legs & thereby converting a complete & formerly OK music stand into a hunk of junk. I don't do welding, so I improvised a workable fix for the music stand base using Gorilla Glue.

I drill 2 holes in the hub where it overlaps with the leg that broke off. Then I position the loose leg where it belongs on the hub & use a pencil or felt-tip pen to mark the spots on the leg that line up with the freshly drilled holes in the hub. Then it's drilla-drilla-drilla to make 2 holes in the leg that line up with the holes in the hub. Using a reamer, I enlarge (just slightly) the holes in the hub so that self-tapping screws will just slide through without biting -- the screws only need to bite into the corresponding holes in the leg.

Next, I moisten the surfaces where the leg overlaps the hub & I smear on some Gorilla Glue. I line up the holes & fasten the leg onto the hub using the self-tapping screws. Reacting with the moisture, the Gorilla Glue foams up & fills all the spaces between the pieces being joined -- more thoroughly than the original spot-welds, actually.

The screws stay in even when the Gorilla Glue hardens. Screws plus Gorilla Glue could be overkill. Or instead, it might just be reinforcement. The 2 or 3 times I've fixed music stands that way previously, it has worked OK. Friday night, the fixed stand will go to band practice with me & stay there after the rehearsal is over.

BTW, Friday's band practice is dress rehearsal for a world premiere performance of a new concert band version of The Sea Princess by Seymour Barab, arranged by Robert Pouliot, music director of the City Of Fairfax Band. Guest artist singing & narrating The Sea Princess at the Saturday evening performance (May 5, 2007) is Bob McGrath, a versatile performer best known for his TV appearances on Sesame Street. The Sea Princess is based on Hans Christian Andersen's Little Mermaid -- not the kinder, gentler Walt Disney version of the story.

Fairfax Band's 2006-2007 concert season opened with a world premiere & will close with the world premiere performance of another piece of music -- not too shabby for a community ensemble of (mostly) amateur musicians. The opening concert back in October 2006 featured the world premiere performance of Foundation by Mark Camphouse, which was written on commission as a memorial to the late Ray Abell (1935-2002), who was band president for many years. (Ray was the kind of guy that the longer you knew him the stronger your admiration grew for him. But that's another story.) Then our season-closing May 5 performance will feature the world premiere of Bob Pouliot's band arrangement of The Sea Princess. A repeat performance of Foundation will also be on the program.

I never expected I'd get to play a world premiere performance of anything, much less 2 world premieres, much less 2 different world premieres in a single concert season. Who'd a-thunk?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[bigfrank]

You guys jinxed my non cloging bottle. I went to use it and guess what

 

[bobcat]

glue

You guys jinxed my non cloging bottle. I went to use it and guess what

You must take all the air out of the bottle after each use and then cap it. If you do not the glue will harden.

 

[susieq]

Grandparenthood is really something special any way you shake it. What's really strange is that nothing about the experience of fatherhood adequately prepared me for the joys of being a grandfather. Who'd a-thunk?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

Alan,

I always enjoy reading your posts ~ you must be somebody really special ~ you seem to be able to make entertainment from anything. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I know what you mean about Grandchildren ........ If we had known how much fun they'd be, we'd of had them first!!

Sue

 

[AwayWeGo]

The Air In There.

You must take all the air out of the bottle after each use and then cap it. If you do not the glue will harden.

Shucks, I'd do that if I could figure out any way how. It would be an improvement if the stuff came in squeezy toothpaste tubes that don't let in air instead of regular plastic squeeze bottles. Even recapped, my Gorilla Glue squeeze bottle lets in plenty of air. That's how come it's drying up & crusted over. So it goes.

Meanwhile, it turns out the May 5, 2007, Fairfax Band concert will have 2 world-premiere numbers on the program, not just 1. The other world premiere in addition to The Sea Princess is Jerry Brubaker's new concert band arrangement of The Music Of Disneyland :

The Music Of Disneyland (Arranged by Jerry Brubaker). At the movies, on TV, via Internet, and all over the theme parks, music is just as big a part of the magical Disney experience as are Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. Arranger Jerry Brubaker (a member of the City of Fairfax Band) has arranged a lively bunch of Disney tunes into a sprightly piece titled The Music of Disneyland, featuring “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah,” “The Mickey Mouse Club March,” “Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life For Me),” “You Can Fly,” “The Great Outdoors,” “A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes,” and “It’s A Small World.”

Jerry Brubaker, BTW, was Chief Arranger of The United States Navy Band before he retired to civilian life, joined the City Of Fairfax Band, & kept on doing outstanding professional musical arrangements commercially instead of doing'm for Uncle Sam. The Navy Band's loss is Fairfax Band's gain.

Tickets will be available at the door. If you're in the area, come on by the Fairfax High School auditorium & listen. The stick comes down at 8PM.

If you can't make it, you can hear an MP3 of The Music Of Disneyland that's on The Maestro's web site -- it's a studio recording made by professional players strictly for promotional purposes. The other MP3 on The Maestro's web site is a MIDI file of The Sea Princess for rehearsal purposes only -- a pale shadow of the real mccoy.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[AwayWeGo]

Foundation --- Music, Not Glue.

One of the BBS entries below refers (down near the end) to Foundation, by Mark Camphouse, commissioned by Fairfax Band as a memorial to the late Ray Abell. The piece now has been commercially published so that bands & ensembles everywhere can play it if they want. Not only that, the publisher has made available by Internet a professional studio recording of the piece so that music directors & band conductors can listen to Foundation before deciding whether to add the score & instrumental parts to their music libraries. While it remains on line, the rest of us also have an opportunity to listen. For that experience, feel free to click here.

The piece is serious music, but it is not mournful or somber. It is concert hall music, not church music -- even though the melodic materials the composer used are How Great A Foundation & Be Still My Soul, 2 of Ray Abell's favorite hymn tunes. And it is an original concert band piece, not just an arrangement or setting of 2 tunes taken from the hymnal.

It was a privilege to be able to participate in the premiere performance of Foundation, & it is extremely good to know that this highly original way of memorializing our late friend & band president will resonate throughout concerts halls far & wide now that the piece has been published.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​