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So what's the word on the street regarding this stuff?

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Doug

Don't let fear or common sense stop you from trying to build something

My students and I have built 5 guitars with it so far this year. Works like designed, has a uv dye in it to help you see it with a blacklight and therefore clean it up before finishing. It dries hard too. I see no downside to it and have made the switch.

Sounds like a nice product -- I've used the Titebond with UV tint for years, nice feature to make sure there is no residue to impede the finishing process.

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

I have a bottle of the old FG glue I bought last year and when it arrived it was all clumpy and looks like wet buffalo mozzarella cheese. I guess I'll try the new stuff and see if it's any better.


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"After forty-nine years of violin building, I have decided that the search for a varnish is similar to the fox hunt. The fun is in the hunt."
Jack Batts Maker and Repairer of Fine Violins

Shelf life issue was exactly why I never bothered with the old LMII adhesive.

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

Really? I found a bottle from 2012 in my fridge males in the condiments and it looks like I could still use it. Those only issue I ever had with it was the pointlessness of paying extra for glue that only glued things like lots of other glues glued things.

paying extra for glue that only glued things like lots of other glues glued things.

That could very well be? Never used it. But if I recall the ads stated shelf life 6 months to a year but if it smells like sour milk don't use it. Complete turn off to me. Not sure about the new stuff?

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

I think that is standard issue advert for all PVA glues...more or less...

I definitely used it for a while, and then I had a little heart to heart with my wallet and asked, 'Is this actually any better or are you just being a fancy guy?' And the answer was tite bond will do.

Did not know of this product. But it appears to only come in Titebond 2. Am I mistaken? I love the Titebond original.

We have not purchased any in a while but it was Original formula Florescent in quart bottles, that was the smallest size available.

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

Don't care for Tite Bond myself. Just too rubbery. Elmers Carpentry Glue is better, but still prefer HHG over them all. Used the old LMI glue for certain tasks, but always kept it in the refrigerator till I opened the bottle. I would only use the bottled glue on instruments for 3 months, then relegate it to gluing up purfling stacks, molds or just household tasks. LMI was much harder than the other PVA glues, but I didn't like it for joining tops and backs. I will probably buy a bottle of the new glue to try it out on similar tasks, but would never use it for major guitar work.

I think the old stuff was great. I used it for closing the box and gluing linings as well as end blocks. Hide for joining plates and bracing and bridges. Hard for a luthier to go by smell as our sinuses are so screwed up from years of wood dust.

I noticed that when separating a joint with heat it kind of popped apart rather than the rubbery release I felt with Tightbond. Felt more like how hide releases.

It might be interesting to test glue something with the new stuff and take it apart with heat and see how it releases.

I'm going to try some.

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

I wonder if it tastes as good as the old stuff.... hahahaha

Have you seen failures in those types of joints using the LMI glue, or is there another reason you don't like it for that use?

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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

Yes, I had a mandolin self destruct many years ago, seams just started falling apart. Was probably a foul smelling bottle, but as Terry says, my nose doesn't work that well. I do about the same as he does, and use HHG for the major sound producing and strength areas and LMI for the kerfing and such. I've had a couple of problems with top and back seams in the past too, but with HHG, the problem was solved.

I used the new LMI glue for the first time the other day. Its handling characteristics for lack of a better term seem a bit different to me than those of the old white glue. It spreads a bit differently as if the viscosity might be a little different. Not a problem, just an observation. On the other hand, I found that scooping up squeeze out using a cut plastic straw was problematic. With the old glue, the squeezed out glue blobs would scoop right up on the edge of the straw after allowing a short time for it to set up a bit and without leaving anything behind. When I tried the straw trick with squeeze out of the new yellow glue, it didn't come away from the joint cleanly. In fact, it tended to draw out thin strands of glue connecting the end of the straw to glue still remaining at the joint. This was irritating because if the strand broke, it would drop onto the surface and become something that needed to be cleaned up. Maybe I need to let it set up longer before trying to remove it, but I never saw the white glue draw out thin strands of glue like that.

Has anyone else been using the new glue and seen anything similar?

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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

Really? Do we need another glue?? I can already screw up things with the glues we already have. Another glue is just gonna add to my woes.

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Under Compensated Nut!

I've popped a couple of bridges off that were glued with Titebond and they were really hard to get off

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

I used the old LMI white glue for many years in my mandolins and later in my guitars. I used to use Titebond, but the LMI white seemed to creep less than Titebond. The glue was always kept in the fridge when not in use, and replaced after 12 months. I usually had 2 bottles, one newer one for the more critical joins and the older bottle was used for joins with a big surface area such as headstock veneers etc. In all those years I never had one single failure, and certainly nothing like what Hans has described. I strongly suspect Hans' bottle must have been past it use by date. One bottle is still in the fridge and is still in use, still smells sweet, although won't be much longer when it is all gone . Was very bad news when LMI announced it was no longer available. I now have some of the new yellow glue and have made one flat top mandolin, a mountain dulcimer, and the first guitar is almost finished. It is quite different from the old white glue, as has already been stated. Not having to store it in the fridge and wait for it to warm up when I want to use it is great, much less gumming up of sandpaper is also very much appreciated. My drum sander appreciates that! However, it does not dry quite as hard as the old glue, and does take a few days to reach maximum hardness. 24hrs is not enough, so if gluing a bridge I would not put the strings on for a few days. So far I have had one failure, which makes me question whether I should persist with it. However, the failure was mostly my fault doing something stupid so it might not be the glue. The mandolin is the best sounding flat top I have made to date so that was a big success, although it is unlikely it was the glue that made it sound so good. So far so good. No sign of any problems on the mandolin. Because of the one failure I don't trust it enough just yet to say I have switched, but I intend to persist. One more failure and it is cactus.

I've had problems with the new yellow stuff. And I threw it all out, after they refunded my money. Not sure where this "put it in the refrigerator" comes from....LMI told me they do not recommend doing this.

Peter and brazil66 (or anyone else) - Could you describe the failures that you had with the new glue?

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

I have a bottle, but have limited use of it. I think I will just go back to good old Elmer's Carpentry Glue. It works and has worked for years. Not as much creep as Titebond. I used to keep the old LMI white in the fridge and it worked just fine, but that's hindsight.

I just got my first bottle last month so I cant comment. I am in the process of building a coco dread now so I should have some user thoughts soon.. Ill have to wait a decade for durability results

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

I have been using it on a couple of ukuleles. Under a vacuum clamp I found that the squeeze-out hardened a little quicker than the old. I use to remove the clamp at 10 minutes to clean out the squeeze out, with the old LMI glue it would lift off then and not smear. With the new glue it was hard at 10 minutes requiring a bit of work to remove it. On the second bridge glue up I cleaned the squeeze out after about 5-6 minutes and all was good.

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http://www.Harvestmoonguitars.com

I have built a dozen guitars or more with the new LMI glue and have had no issues with it so far.