"Wood" Glue is Best? (groan)

The Thrifty Rocketeer continues...

 Our story of the construction of the Cottontail Rabbit "Goonie" (it goes by several different names) will continue in a moment or two.   But first, I have a few side questions to deal with.

 First, it's been suggested that I flip or turn a few of the photos from last entry.  Believe me, I would if I could.  I'll try to find a tool that will allow that.

 Second, someone asked if I had considered other wood glue besides Elmer's Wood Glue. (that too goes by many names, but we all know it as Elmers Yellow Carpentry Glue or similar description that sets it off from "School Glue" or "Glue All".

While I showed you the bottle for Elmers Wood Glue last entry, I forgot to point out the cap or spout.  It has the distinctive orange cap or opening.  I have confirmed it's $2.09 at Lowes.
But you'll note there are two different styles shown below.   While both bottles are examples of washable school glue, note the bottom cap twists to open, and it dispenses a small thin bead of glue when open. This is how most school glues operate.

The second style at the top, shows a wedge opening. It's a pull-top opener that disperses a band or horizontal stripe of glue.  While this is best for carpentry and gluing two pieces of flat wood together, it's tricky if not impossible to dispense small amounts when building a rocket.  Oh, I've learned to get along with it, but believe me, there must be easier ways to create a fillet than with this wedge pull-top cap.

So, it's not unusual to see a builder or rocketeer switch caps...putting the small twist cap onto the body of the wood glue bottle, and dispense a small thin bead that can be directed.

Unless you have a young rocketeer who wants to build his paper and cardboard LPR rocket with school glue, I would ditch that glue but save the spout-cap. (If you're thrifty and want to try papering your fins, by all means save the bottle, but my single experience was that wood glue did a better job than the white school glue, even at that.)

Next up:  Other glues before we return to the Rabbit...
Location: 12109 Harmony Rd, Athens, OH 45701, USA

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