Gluing up riser...

[Dick in Seattle]

Still chilled out of the shop and idly thinking about riser glue ups.   Does anyone glue up laminated risers using wood glues like Titebond II rather than epoxy?   Seems if it's gonna be enclosed between layers of epoxy laminated glass it might work.

If not, how long do you cook an epoxy laminated riser, as opposed to a bow?   Same length of time, or can you use the quick epoxy and a short cook?  

A Merry Christmas to all on the list and thanks for all the answers you've been giving as I feel my way into this thing.   Soon as it warms up, I'll have a bow to show for it.

[Aeronut]

I use Smooth-On and go the same amount of time.

Dennis

[kennym]

Same as Dennis here... When I heat it again gluing the bow up,I lay a pc of plywood or a sheet of foil over the center of the bow to lessen the heat slightly. Probably don't matter,but it makes me feel better!

[Apex Predator]

I lay up my risers with smooth-on in the house oven.  I like it at a higher temp than my bow layup later.  Normally that means 180-190 degrees.  I will normally go for 4 hours on the risers.

[TimZeigler]

Yup, 180 in my heat box.  Although with some woods I'm starting to wonder about overdrying causing checks.  I had some nice Osage that developed a check.  Could've happened during the glue up.

[Stephen Graf]

The Smooth On website has a technical bulletin for their glues.  For the EA-40 glue the bulletin says that it will reach full strength after 24 hrs cure at room temp.  It says additional strength can be achieved by heating it to 150 deg for 4 to 6 hrs (I think I remember).  The real purpose of raising the temp is to "trip" the glue at a higher temperature than you will be using the bow at.  Reason being that if the bow gets hot, the glue will start to weaken.  But when the glue is "tripped" at a higher temperature the carbon chains will lock together better and will not weaken until that higher temperature is again reached.  So, if you make the bow in the spring when it is 60 deg, and then shoot in the summer when it is 90 deg, no worries about changed performance.

For me, I lay up the riser and let it cure for 24 hrs.  Then I go about making my bow and then let it cure again for 24 hrs.  Then I stick it in the oven for 6 hrs.  But I am not trying to make alot of bows... So time is no real issue.

Bottom line - check out the smooth on website, lots of good info...

[PV]

I use smooth on but prefer urac on wood to wood. Put in a 180 degree oven and it's ready to shape in a hour.Cures just as well at room temp overnight.
After urac sets it doesn't seem to be affected by heat making delam in the cooking processs of the bow unlikely