Cigar Weekly

qajariaq · 04-11-2004, 11:16 AM

On the humidor that I'm building, the rear panel is captured in dados on the top, bottom, and side panels of the cabinet. While it fits very well (no noticeable movement possible) I'd like to put something in the dados to seal the panel when the cabinet is glued up. I had originally thought about some type of caulk or sealant, such as Lexel or other silicones, because they stay flexible and would allow for some expansion/contraction. Lexel conains some rather nasty solvents, says their website - not something I want to risk ruining my cigars or delaminating the rear panel*. There are other non-toxic silicones, such as aquarium sealants, but they may not cure down in the dado or next to the kiln-dried wood (they cure with moisture). Normal household caulks might work, but I am not so sure of long-term performance (50 years plus) since the panel cannot be removed once the cabinet is glued up. The sealant manufacturers don't seem to want to give out any info beyond MSDS sheets, so I can't find out what will work for this application.

The only other idea that I have is to use a glue of some sort. Epoxy would work (and I have some System Three T88 - good stuff) but it does run somewhat before curing, and I risk it running out of the dado and onto other surfaces, leaving voids for air leaks. I also have some polyurethane glue (Gorilla Glue) that expands and doesn't run in the quantity used on a glue joint. It cures with moisture, but I know that the wood can be dampened before application, unlike other moisture-curing sealants. It does, however, expand (thats good and bad, depending on how much glue you use!) and will fill any voids between the panel and dados - theoretically - but would not allow for any expansion/contraction.

Any other ideas? I'm thinking that I should just use gorilla glue (since the rear panel is a laminate i.e. shouldnt ever expand/contract) and tape off the edges of the joints so that any foamed glue can be removed easily. What do the 'experts' do?

*The rear panel is a peice of 1/2" MDF veneered on both sides with 1/8" mahogany veneer that I made. It is glued up with Titebond cold-press veneer glue.

04-11-2004, 11:16 AM	#1
qajariaq Contributing Editor Club Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Posts: 2,678	A technical quesion... On the humidor that I'm building, the rear panel is captured in dados on the top, bottom, and side panels of the cabinet. While it fits very well (no noticeable movement possible) I'd like to put something in the dados to seal the panel when the cabinet is glued up. I had originally thought about some type of caulk or sealant, such as Lexel or other silicones, because they stay flexible and would allow for some expansion/contraction. Lexel conains some rather nasty solvents, says their website - not something I want to risk ruining my cigars or delaminating the rear panel. There are other non-toxic silicones, such as aquarium sealants, but they may not cure down in the dado or next to the kiln-dried wood (they cure with moisture). Normal household caulks might work, but I am not so sure of long-term performance (50 years plus) since the panel cannot be removed once the cabinet is glued up. The sealant manufacturers don't seem to want to give out any info beyond MSDS sheets, so I can't find out what will work for this application. The only other idea that I have is to use a glue of some sort. Epoxy would work (and I have some System Three T88 - good stuff) but it does run somewhat before curing, and I risk it running out of the dado and onto other surfaces, leaving voids for air leaks. I also have some polyurethane glue (Gorilla Glue) that expands and doesn't run in the quantity used on a glue joint. It cures with moisture, but I know that the wood can be dampened before application, unlike other moisture-curing sealants. It does, however, expand (thats good and bad, depending on how much glue you use!) and will fill any voids between the panel and dados - theoretically - but would not allow for any expansion/contraction. Any other ideas? I'm thinking that I should just use gorilla glue (since the rear panel is a laminate i.e. shouldnt ever expand/contract) and tape off the edges of the joints so that any foamed glue can be removed easily. What do the 'experts' do? The rear panel is a peice of 1/2" MDF veneered on both sides with 1/8" mahogany veneer that I made. It is glued up with Titebond cold-press veneer glue.