: Help please. I need to find a "tried and true" glue that will
: replace epoxy for glueing a hardwood tip on a Greenland paddle, and also
: for scarfing gunwales for a skin on frame. Epoxy based glues or finishes
: are out for me as I have developed a severe epoxy allergy. The glue must
: be available in Canada.

In the days of long-ago, before I discovered epoxy, the woaterproof glue that was most commonly found was resorcinol.

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RESORCINOL

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Resorcinol is a phenol formaldehyde resin, black in colour. It is a marginally less toxic but more expensive alternative to Urea Formaldehyde glue. It performs better under heat-stress than epoxy resin, which is another less commonly used bonding agent for plywood, etc.

Apparently, some architects and builders recommend exterior grade plywood with slightly less gaseous glues for internal building applications. This is probably not a bad idea, considering the effect of formaldehyde at even very low concentrations.

Interior Grade Bonds (ie, types C & D): These are both made from Urea Formaldehyde and are not suitable for structural applications.

Exterior Grade Bonds (ie, types A & B): These are made from phenol formaldehyde (A) and melamine fortified urea formaldehyde (B) and are intended for structural applications. (Melamine is a nitrogen compound.)

This is from: http://forests.org/ric/good_wood/glue.htm

Also try: http://www.adco.co.uk/adhesives.htm

PGJ