MTFCA Forum

I picked up this brass spider steering wheel at Chickasha. It is held together with tape right now. What glue should I use to relaminate this? Regular carpenter wood glue, gorilla, ???

I would use two pack epoxy, with some filler to thicken it up, just because that's what I have on hand. It works a treat, is strong and weatherproof, and fills any irregularities at the same time.
Allan from down under.

With my dial-up connection, I can't see your steering wheel picture, but I can tell you NO GORILLA GLUE! It expands as it dries and will not give you a good glue joint. IMHO, it has very limited legitimate uses.

Tightbond wood glue.
Take it completly apart, clean the old glue and dirt off the surfaces, scratch grooves into the surfaces that you will be applying glue to by scraping with the side of a hand saw. Time and effort to prep the wood is essential to a good bond. Use Titebond or Titebond II wood glue, clamp it together and leave clamped overnight. For best fit, clamp the wood parts together while it is attach to the spider.
Epoxy glue is good but has a limited working time, with all the alignment, adjusting, and clamping, it may set up before you are ready.

I agree with Humblej. Titebond is the best wood glue.

MWalker wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 22, 2021 10:01 am

I agree with Humblej. Titebond is the best wood glue.

I with them but more specific its just a dollar or two more than their other exterior version

. Get the III it is truly waterproof after it dries, the stuff will not wash out of your clothes even with hot water.

Frank is faster the I.

Agreed. “Tightbond”. Ultimate or Premium yellow wood glue. First, blowout the crack with air pressure. Hopefully, you have wooden wood clamps (not steel), because it must be clamped tightly with the joint closed tightly for maximum strength. Use your finger to push the glue deep into the joint. Scrape remaining glue on edge of joint and push more in. You can use air pressure (yours or an air compressor) to get the glue deeper. Keep a damp rag handy to wipe off excess, then wipe again after clamping. Check a minute later because it will continue to ooze. Almost impossible to get off once dried. Steel clamps will cause dents to the material. Wooden wood clamps are not so likely to dent, but it would be beneficial to put some padding between the clamp and steering wheel. “Irwin quick grip” clamps are good too. The jaws are padded with rubber and you can get 300 lbs of pressure with the 12” clamps and they are very reasonably priced. You can get them at Lowe’s. Will need at least 4 or five for a uniform seal all the way around. When you are done, sand the surface with 220 grit sandpaper and using gloss or satin spray paint and spray paint the ring to seal the composite ring from moisture. Spray the spider with gloss black. I like the Rustoleum Gloss Black Appliance Epoxy for both. Jim Patrick

Do not use the appliance paint- it is for indoor use only and due to the sun will fade quickly. Use their automotive paint.

Good point. My ‘26 T coupe is garage kept in a controlled environment so in 15 years my painted steering wheel has not faded or oxidized, since it is basically an interior environment, but I understand that T’s are stored in all types of conditions. Rustoleum Professional gloss black spray enamel is good too. Whatever you use, you need to seal the wheel so moisture cannot get to the composite material and swell it. Jim Patrick

Chewing gum and friction tape !

Wait ! They don't make friction tape anymore, do they ?

Seriously, whatever glue one prefers, make sure it's "fresh". Better to buy small quantities than use something that's been around for any length of time. Aliphatic resin glues tend to degrade in the container.

"Gorilla Glue" (urethane chemistry) can get a bad rap when improperly used. The fact that it expands is often a good thing, ensuring that all surfaces are coated. It is waterproof, which can be a plus. The expanding foam which it produces is either squeeze-out, or evidence of poorly mated surfaces which will not glue well with Tite-bond either. Another plus is that drools of squeeze-out foam can be easily cut or sanded off without gumming up sandpaper or tools. If this wheel cannot be reasonably coaxed into well-mated gluing surfaces, perhaps an epoxy-filler type of adhesive would be better.

Another great thing about Titebond is that, being thin, it will penetrate deep into the porous composite material of the ring and when it cures deep down inside, will harden and stabilize the composite material, making the bond between the two joined surfaces even stronger. The clear 2 part epoxy is very strong, but you only have a short time to work with it (most start to cure in 5 minutes, while, with the Titebond, you have plenty of time. Jim Patrick

I had a senior moment and did not notice that this thread was in regards to the repair of a laminated wooden steering wheel and not a composite one. No problem. Everything I suggested can be used to repair a composite or a wooden steering wheel. Jim Patrick