Official Luthiers Forum!

Does anyone know where LMI sourced their LMI yellow glue?
I think it was some sort of PVA glue.
I sure would like to find the original source or it's equivalent.

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Formerly know as Mandodiddle.

I think there's no knowing that any source offers the same glue as LMI with another label. Private labels may have contents unique to that label. What's wrong with Titebond/Titebond Extend?

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Peter Havriluk

I did not use that glue, but has anyone reached out to the LMI folks to ask? They don't really have any reason to keep the source a secret. I would say try reaching out and asking.

I was never a fan of the LMI glue and stopped using it after the first couple of guitars.

It represented a single point of failure in my supply chain and I can't have that. And through the years there were issues reported here on the OLF with users who may have had it freeze in shipping to the climates that they lived in. Can't have that either we have a thing called winter, or we used to have a thing called winter here in Michigan...

Titebond Original on the other hand pretty much did all the same things, was available everywhere, has date codes that can be read and I never heard of any issues from Freezing.

If you are in the "but it can cold creep" camp don't use it for the bridge, that's the only thing that may.... may cold creep on a guitar but not without a little help from abuse of the instrument in terms of temps and such.

My Heshtones were built with HHG, Titebond Original, at times West Systems epoxy for the fret board which I stopped doing after maybe ten were done with it and some CA in a very limited use applications for side dots and one little drop, only one little drop for my nut. Worked great for me and nearly 20 years later no issues.

Elmers Carpenters glue is the best!

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Mike Collins

Good luck with that. LMI is out of business.

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Peter Havriluk

I used Elmer's Carpenters glue for many years. But several years ago, I noticed that something had changed in the formulation that resulted in a thicker consistency. At that point, I switched to Titebond original. I have some of the last LMI yellow, but it gets little use.

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John

I recall some years ago where some of the OLF members had problems with the LMI glue. I liked it myself. My new favorite might be Lee Valley's 2002 cabinetmakers' glue. Long open time and dries very hard. Haven't switched over yet; still testing.

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

I did some glob tests and IIRC the OG TB dried harder than the 2002…

Chris Herrod now works for StewMac and is on LinkedIn. Everyone from LMI didn't die, they just moved on.

The glue may be dead though it was my impression that it was not just a private label it was a special formulation and not someone else's rebranded glue that could be had if we knew who made it.

So if my hunch is correct that means that someone else now has to obtain the rights to the formula, find a source to make it and contract with them, go into the glue selling and handling business which I seriously doubt that the demand for this glue would support and then distribute same with all the shipping and such for a perishable product.

LMI sold it because it complimented their line of business but I bet that over time the glue just was not a big seller. I can't think of a single professional Luthier who uses it and that does not mean that no one did of course I just don't know anyone.

You could contact StewMac if You want to pursue this and ask for Brock (VP) and ask them if they have any plans to resurrect the glue and offer it under StewMac label.

There have been a number of products that disappeared to never be available again that some of us appreciated. For me it was the brown binding tape from StewMac. Don't tell anyone I still have two rolls

Good luck and if you learn anything please let us know?

I still use the LMI yellow glue for gluing head and tail blocks and sometimes linings to the rim. When I run out, I’ll probably go to Titebond Extend. I used to use the LMI glue to join heel blocks to the neck plank and to glue the scarf joint at the peghead, but I finally developed processes for doing those joints with HHG. Sometimes I do the linings with HHG, sometimes with the LMI glue depending on my whim of the day. I had the belief (unsupported by any but minimal testing) that the LMI glue wouldn’t creep as much as the Titebond. Over the years (I made my first instrument in 1992), I have seen the Titebond creep, particularly on fingerboard to neck joints and the heel block to neck plank joint—I can feel the edge of the joint through the finish. I don’t like that, so I don’t use Titebond there. I think I remember from looking at the SDS sheets for LMI and the Titebond Extend that there might have been some starch in addition to the aliphatic resin or PVA in the formulation. I haven’t been willing to do the experimentation to figure how to add the starch myself. I’ll just buy the Extend when I run out of the LMI glue.

I have been using Tightbond Extend for a long time after seeing a post by Howard Klepper that it dried harder than Original. Can’t definitely verify that but spread some on packing tape to dry and it seemed more brittle.

I use it for linings, fretboard/neck, headstock veneer, end graft, and closing the box. Hide for plate joining, braces, and bridge.

I have gone to epoxy for the head and tail blocks as there is a curve and the possibility of small gaps. No downside there I can think of.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Hadn't found that - yet.

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

I don't remember the source but I remember an old discussion that it was relabeled Wilsonart PVA. https://www.wilsonart.com/adhesives/pva ... sive-wa-30

I don't remember the source but I remember an old discussion that it was relabeled Wilsonart PVA. https://www.wilsonart.com/adhesives/pva/wilsonart-30-pva-yellow-woodworking-adhesive-wa-30

We have been using Titebond Translucent 6123 for many years for my branded instruments and for our Cirrus line of guitars. It is colorless when dry and has never been known to fail on any of the joints that we have used it for. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ3GBB4?ps ... ct_details

I’m glad to see an endorsement for this glue. I’ve been using this for non critical joints, jigs, and for putting the label in the box. I’d like to use it for lining and blocks as well. I’ll still use HHG for braces and bridges.

Where all do you use it?

Brad


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Hey Mike hope you are doing great. It says "good heat resistance" in the description is it reversible with heat and if so at what temps do you know?

I've been using the Titebond translucent glue too for years. I switched to it after I was unhappy with the first bottle of LMI yellow glue I got after they switched to that from their previous white glue. I use it for everything other than inlays and side purflings (which I install separate from the binding using CA glue). It works great. No problems with it at all.

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

Interesting glue talk it never ends.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

According to the Titebond web page below, 150 degrees F reduces the bond strength of Titebond translucent by more than half, which is similar to both original Titebond and Titebond II.

http://www.titebond.com/product/glues/e06720fc-44f9-42b2-8c5c-77e7d85cf624

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

A nugget of useful facts: Titebond has lost half its glue strength at 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Hot cars easily get up to 150. Turning your Martin (and everything I made) into something it wasn't is awfully easy to do.

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Peter Havriluk

Something useful to ponder, thanks to the late, great Frank Ford (RIP):

http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Luthier ... etest.html

Yep and so does HHG. The one bridge lift that has occurred on my 54 1/2 Heshtones was in a hot car left for a week in the summer in Nashville and the bridge was glued on with HHG. It only lifted maybe 0.015" on the back and did not let loose but it lifted....