As per this question I'm needing to glue a wood veneer inlay into a metal bracelet, but don't know what type of glue to use.
I have a tube of Gorilla Glue, which I know is suitable for wood - should I source something else that can cope with wood and metal?
2-part epoxy is my usual recommendation when it comes to mating different kinds of materials together. That is usually one of the selling points.
I would caution with the use of Gorilla Glue for this. While is might be a viable choice you need to be careful of its expansion properties. If you do try to use it make sure you clamp appropriately and clean any excess that seeps out. That is general advice for gluing in general but you really don't want warping in the final product here.
Depending on the size of the veneer and how it is prepared there is a chance for small pockets to exist where the glue could expand. As long as you clamp firmly for the duration of the setting time you should be fine though.
I use G-S Hypo Cement which works excellent it is somewhat expensive. E-6000 is also a good choice.
Epoxy is certainly a good default for wood to metal joints, it also has the advantage in this application that it can be used to fill small gaps between the inlay an the surround and can be coloured or filled (eg with sawdust from the same wood or metal powder) to further disguise the join.
One downside of fluid adhesive is that it is quite difficult to completely eliminate excess glue 'escaping'. How much of a problem this is depends on the exact situation, obviously it is more of an issue where you can't do the final finishing with the wood in place.
One potential alternative is double sided tape, this is fairly commonly used for inlays and veneers and has the advantage of being very clean and convenient to use and can be cut to the exact shape required. You can get specific marquetry/veneer tape and there are also a variety of general purpose industrial tapes which should do the job.
Epoxy is the best choice. Remember surface preperation is more important than the bonding agent.
Wood, use good tac rag, but use 120 grit red garnet paper for a rough up, some wood fibers for the epoxy to grab. The wook should also be "dry" under 12% moisture contentant.
Metal, scuff also, no less than 120 grit Silicon Carbide (black) sand paper. Then use a no byproducts cleaner. Acitone use with appropriate safety steps.
Roll the adheared products, probably from the wood side, to remove as many bubbles as possible. You could use a vacuum chamber to remove all epoxy bubbles after mixing.
This set of steps should give you the best adhearance between dis-simular items, as you describe.
elmers glue is the a life saver you have to wait but it will do the job
Super glue is cheap, easy to find, and bonds together just about anything.
