Using CA glue and excellerator for tacking parts together.

I am interested to know if anyone else has tried using CA to tack parts together up to the stage of applying epoxy fillets on the inner hull.

I watched a YouTube video posted by Nick Shade, assembling a Stich and glue Night Haron. My work area is not heated. Using a portable electric heater to bring the temp up to between 60 and 70 degrease every time I apply Epoxy is something I am trying to avoid. 

As long as this will not weaken the finished kayak and think this may be a useful and time saving method of Building any of the Stitch and Glue Boats.

So far I have used the CA glue for the puzzle joints. I just want to make sure this will not result in a weakened finished product.


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RE: Using CA glue and excellerator for tacking parts together.

CA is fine for tacking pieces....but it does not take the place of epoxy.

and when you do the epoxy work, you have to have the appropriate temperature....

so if you are going to work through the winter, and want to minimize the costs of heating there are three main things to focus on:

1) keep your epoxy inside and nice and warm so it stay very liquid and easy to mix and work with.

2) organize your work such that when you have to do your epoxy work, you can get a lot done during your 'heated' sessions

3) use something like a plastic tent minimize the space that actually needs to be heated.  as an example, i work in an unheated garage and use electronic space heaters when i need to do epoxy work..   but instead of heating the whole garage, i put a plastic tent over the part i am working on and then put the space heater under the tent.....which keeps the part warm without the cost of trying to heat the entire garage.

i hope that helps, 

h

RE: Using CA glue and excellerator for tacking parts together.

I learned Nick's CA glue technique from the manual when I built a S&G Petrel Play.  I subsequantly used that technique on a Shearwater Double Build.  With the exception of puzzle joints, CA glue does not replace the epoxy.  He just uses it to get more precise panel seams than you can get with just copper wire.  On the PP, you first wire the boat together, tack with CA and then remove the wires prior to filets.  In addition to more accurate seems, this allows you to get smaller filets because the wire is not there.

He also uses CA to assemble puzzle joints without thickened epoxy.  Again, the advantage is that you can get very precise joints.  This only works because on his designs, both sides of the joint will eventually be glassed.  During the glassing process, the joint gets enough epoxy to be strong enough.  Since the Shearwater Double calls for glass tape on the back sides of puzzle joints, I felt comfortable using the CA glue. 

If the design you are building does not have glass on both sides of the puzzle joints, I would advise against using CA glue.  You should use thickened epoxy to ensure sufficient strength.  

    

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