: I have another question raised in your book that stumps me. Here is the quote
: from your book, "I believe heat from the sun hitting the deck has
: produced enough heat to reactivate the glue. The glue could become soft
: and creap, causing the deck strips to shift. This could cause the
: fiberglass sheathing to be stressed and turn white."

: I don't see how this is possible. My PVA glue bottle says its good to 500
: degrees F. I don't know the kindling temperature of epoxy but I know that
: cedar will burn at 250 F. Even if it did reactivate, how could any
: movement occur when every square inch is epoxy coated on both sides?

PVA glues clog sandpaper because they soften (are reactivated by heat from friction) this is why you must scrap off all PVA glue residue before sanding.

Different PVA glues have different heat levels for reactivating. Regular yellow PVA becomes flowable at 250 degrees Cross-linking PVA becomes flowable at 350 degrees. The cross-linking PVA glue Titebond II has the highest temp rating. That is why I use it.

Fine Woodworking magazine has an article (Oct 94 #108, page 48) on using PVA glue to apply veneers with a household iron and gives specifics on glue temps. You can do this because PVA glue can be reactivated by heat. The PVA glue is applied to the veneer and substrate and allowed to dry. Then you can position the veneer and iron on. I don't burn veneers when I do this.

What they write on their label and what is relevant to your use may be quite different. We're talking about creep problems. This may be at much lower temperatures.

Epoxy will soften (but not reactivate) under temps above 100 degrees. You may not have problems unless the structure is under stress. I had deck loops glued on with epoxy pop off in the summer sun, under stress from shock cord.

I've been at shows during summer months where I've had boat decks get so hot, I could not hold my hand on them.

If I build it and it
: fails I can take it back to the shop and hopefully make a better decision
: when I rebuild it.

Hopefully, your life won't be threatened when the failure occurs.

All the best,
Rob