Murphy's glue-up....

[Bowjunkie]

Yesterday I glued up a bow in a new press and I've never had so much trouble. Everything that could have gone wrong did. The worst of it happened while trying to pull the lams and riser down onto the press, everything fell off into my arms. I was covered. Ahhhk. So eventually i get everything back in position and try again... put the tape on the riser and try to pull it all down into the deep deflex of the press.... yep, slipped off again, this time onto the floor. Ever drop epoxy coated lams and riser onto a bunch of osage shavings and dust? It ain't pretty. Besides that, the riser broke at both fadeouts! Back to the drawing board... I grab another piece of bocote, whip out another riser as fast as I could, slather it up with glue, put new plastic on the press cuz I got it all tore up, and reassemble.

I get everything together, in the hot box for the night, clean the epoxy off my hands and arms, throw my epoxy covered clothes in the garbage, and call it a day... figured I salvaged it. Then I go out this morning to shut the box off and find the firehose deflated.   Are you kidding me!?!

In over 15 years of this, I've never had such a mess.. Who knows, maybe it'll be ok... lol. I ain't gettin my hopes up.

[Roy from Pa]

LMAO, wish I could have been there Bro:)

[Bowjunkie]

To help me or heckle me?

[Roy from Pa]

To heckle ya:) You could have at least taken pictures:)  

[Robertfishes]

Wow, that's a tough glue up..good job on getting thru it so far. Pditto keeps his air hose hooked to his compressor, he sets the regulator for 60 or 65psi.. I try to keep a spare riser and veneers arround just in case. I hope the epoxy set up before the pressure dropped out

[carpin'mark]

Times like those I always remember the old Laurel & Hardy line "Well Stanley, this is another fine pickle you've gotten us into." Somehow I'm always Stanley.

[Furtaker]

I've had days like that
Seems like when it rains it pores

[Roy from Pa]

I've already glued a bow up backwards:) Heck I even made me a sweet left handed bow once, only trouble is, I'm right handed:)

[BCWV]

Yep! I've also had those days. Sometimes it seems they come way too often.

 I almost did the left handed thing a few bows back but caught it just in time.  

[takefive]

My last glue up was pretty much a disaster, too.  I glued up an all wood R/D tri-lam that wound up Unibonded to my wood form.  So I figured I'd just pry it out and of course the belly wood decided to splinter on one edge and I went into shock.  But I did finish it and am really hoping it holds up.  On the bright side, the next one has to go better, right?

[Bowjunkie]

I'm glad you guys can sympathize with me... a misery loves company kinda thing I guess  

Roy, I couldn't have taken pictures. I was COVERED in glue... and in a PANIC.

I worried about that thing all day today. I came home, went right out and took it out of the press... The hose was completely flat, but when I cleaned the glue up off of the sides, it actually looked ok. As far as I can tell, all the glue joints are tight, it's tight at the fades, everything looks fine.

Whew... I got lucky this time.

Next time I'll test the firehose first.

Robert, I like that idea about keeping the compressor hooked up to it. I might look into that.

[Roy from Pa]

LMAO, wish I had been there. Drinking your beer and laughing at ya would have been so cool.  

[Dan Bonner]

Thats a rough day in the shop! I have had my fair share of screwups myself. Made two lefties that were supposed to be righties. Dyslexia is a bummer. Made a couple new left handed buddys though. Ive also broken a ton of bows back when I experimented with carbon. It is routine for me to practically bathe in smooth-on every time I glue one up. Glad to hear it turned out ok. Nice recovery!
Bonner

[D]

That would have been funny to see.  Well funny now looking back, not so much at the time.  That glue gets sticky..lol.  The majority of my clothing has some smooth-on on it somewhere.  Glad it all worked out though.  I bit it still will make a sweet bow.

[eflanders]

That happened to me too once and I resolved to prevent that from ever happening again.  I went down to the hardware store and got me a box of "fender washers" which are over-sized washers.  I drilled a hole off-center in each of them and then screwed them loosely into the sides of my forms using the off-center holes.  This allows them to pivot up to prevent the lams from sliding off or down as needed for removal.  I stole this idea from someone else on here.

[Bowjunkie]

I have 5 such 'keeper plates' I made along each side of the press, but generally don't put them on until right before the firehose. By then, all the components are on and pulled down onto the press with tape. I wait til then so there is plastic between the plates and glue. It was never a problem on the bows with more mild deflex and reflex.

That's an idea though. I should be able to put something there temporarily...  until things are held in place by the tape.

Does epoxy stick to Teflon? I think I have some. Time for a little experiment?

[Roy from Pa]

I have found that if I don't have any beer till after the glue up is done, I have less problems like you described in your first post. Just Sayen Bro:)  

[Bowjunkie]

Ahhh, that had nothing to do with it... I only had two and they were girly  beers (lites) left over from the bachelorette party  

[Roy from Pa]

Hey Dude, this is Roy your talking too. LMFAO:)

[Robertfishes]

Bowjunkie, I used the Teflon spray once, I took the form out side and set it on two 5 gallon buckets and sprayed it down. when dry I brought it back into the shop.. The stuff I have dries nicely leaving a whitish coating onto the form. The problem I had with it was that it is a "Spray" and I was worried that if used in the shop airboure Teflon could get on my bench, tools,walls and everything in the shop..I use Johnsons paste wax in the green can, I bought an extra pack of wax applicators for a couple of dollars. I am gonna stay with the wax, I think I can see the wax if it gets on something the spray, maybe not. With my back and knee It's hard for me to take the forms in and out of the shop, if it was easier for me I might give the Teflon spray another shot.