: I will begin stripping my first wooden-strip kayak (Guillemot Expedition)
: next week. I will be using cove-and- bead strips as well as planned
: beveled strips.
: I have carpenters glue, hot glue gun, stapler, duct tape, packing tape,
: spring clamps, c- clamps, sheetrock screws, dowels, straps, mirror clamps,
: bungee elastic chords and "Super Glue".

: My questions are.
: 1. How much liquid or hot glue do I use?
: 2. How often and where do I place the hot glue?
: 3. After the hot glue cools. Can it be sanded or does it need to be removed?
: 4. Is there a special hot glue sick that works best?
: 5. Has anyone used "SUPER GLUE"?
: I enjoy the bulletin board and I'm looking forward to your inputs.
: Thank You, Paul in Tennessee

Hi Paul,

It sounds like you are ready for action. I was building completely staple less but found that I had to cheat here and there. The hot glue doesn't work that well for me and seems to pop loose in those really tough places. I poped off a starter strip on the keel yesterday and found that it really stuck to the wood of my cross sections but it came off of the strips like it was never there. That is good for sanding but not so good for sticking. Yesterday I received my order for 2oz of surup consistancy super glue and accelator from Woodcraft. The two used together is like spot welding. I used it yesterday on two already half-lap glued joints that I put into a sever twist and bend that wasn't bonded good and instantly they were solid. I just put on the super glue and sprayed it with the accelator and it fried instantly to glass hardness. When putting two internal surfaces to gether you put super glue on one and accelator on the other and press them together. I used it as a spot weld yesterday on an area that I had glued and clamped but wanted that extra hold while the yellow glue dried. I tried to pull the haul to a cross section that I had to lean on with my weight, and super glued and it really stuck to the strip but pulled away from the duck tape covering the cross section. I am afraid to try it strip to cross section (bare wood to bare wood) for fear of tearing up the haul trying to remove the forms later. I think it will stick that good. One other thing I am doing to hold those really tough spring like strips. I am using a 1 1/2" pole barn nail for metal siding. It is about 1/8" in dia and so I drill a hole for it so it won't split the strip. These nails have a rubber gromet on them that keeps the head of the nail from marring the wood and also keeps the nail head sticking up so you can later pull them out with vice grips. Then I plan on using a plug drill to make matching plug to fill the nail holes. Sorry for rambling on so.

John