Handle Repair - Gorilla Glue or Titebond III?

I have abused these handles. Time for repairs!

The question is, which will be stronger: Gorilla Glue or Titebond III? I have both on hand.

Gorilla Glue is a polyurethane adhesive. It sets faster but doesn't penetrate deeply into the grain.

I bought Titebond III for guitar repair. Woodworkers say it's better if used properly.

I may need to add some external mechanical support as well -- a bolt through the hoe handle and a heavy duty hose clamp around the other one.

What do you think?

I'm really liking the way FiberFix repair wrap works on things, it's a fiberglass thing, that goes on like tape and sets up. I'd say that whichever glue you end up using, wrap it well in a sturdy cloth that you glue in layers too. That style of repair, heavily glued wrapped fabric, that I'm using FiberFix type stuff for (I think I bought a different brand last time) for, is holding up much better than any other repairs ever have. I did put a hose clamp on one badly split handle, then the fiber over it.

Consider that idea, not just glue but cloth glued on too. :D

Personally, I'd use the Gorilla glue, but that's because I'm more familiar with it. So no useful vote from me :D

https://www.amazon.com/FiberFix-38401-Repair-Wrap-Tape/dp/B00B29A5K8

I'm with Pearl, on this - and for the same reason - I've never experimented with the Titebond product line, at all. I don't have any of the Fiber Fix wrap on hand, to try, either - but looking at some of my own stuff, it looks like it's time to get my hands on some of that, too.

As a result of research I did years ago and don't even remember, I use Titebond for wood. I've also used hose-clamps for tool handles and assumed I was somehow special. :-)

Christopher Weeks wrote:I've also used hose-clamps for tool handles and assumed I was somehow special. :-)

Hose clamps can do a LOT of things! I have some ropes that won't take knots that I hose clamp. No CLUE how they are supposed to be fastened.

I know a guy who said hose clamps, duct tape and ice cream were the essentials of life :D

I've had some luck with epoxy, and Titebond on short hammer handles, but not so much on rake and broom handles... The PLA wood glues are supposed to be stronger than the wood itself, but it can be difficult to get a splintered handle to fit back together perfectly, not to mention that it was a handle that failed at it's job already!
I think if you have a long fracture, wrapping it will make a big difference in strength, as well as protect you from the sharp edges.
The Fiber-Fix product seems great, though I've not tried it yet. Personally, I think I'd use cloth athletic grip tape, especially if the tool is used with bare hands.
I always view these repaired tools as being on borrowed time...

I have a REALLY heavy shovel. So heavy that I got it for free from a guy who said it was too heavy. Like cast iron shovel head heavy. Anyways, the handle was more crack than wood when I got it so I pumped it full of Gorilla Glue and then sanded it down after that set up. Then I spray painted the head with some silver krylon my wife had for crafting and... The Silverback was born! It's still too heavy...

Kenneth Elwell wrote:I think if you have a long fracture, wrapping it will make a big difference in strength, as well as protect you from the sharp edges. ... Personally, I think I'd use cloth athletic grip tape, especially if the tool is used with bare hands.

An excellent idea. The stuff I use for all manner of fixes, from gloves to short handles, is good old Canadian hockey tape. It sticks to itself really well and actually forms a solid mass over time. You can see some of it at the bottom right of the photo.

I'd use Titebond III and clamp it really good with hose clamps for 24 hours.

Many feed stores sell hickory handles you can hang an axe sometimes you can find long handles as well.

As for repairing them I would go with the tight bond  then wrap or clamp it as tight as you can and once dried I would drill holes in through the wider portions and drive a dowel through and cut and sand it flush then refinish the whole handle and wrap the narrower splintering with grip tape.

I glue, let it dry, then wrap. Sand down the handle a bit before wrapping, to remove any dirt, oil or original finish. Whatever wrap you use will stick much better to clean roughened wood. Often I wrap with heavy string or even baling twine. Cover the whole area with glue then tightly wrap and let dry. Then cover the string wrap with another layer of glue. This works especially well with splits near the head of axes. The thick twine protects the handle from any miss swings connecting with what you are splitting.

Abe Coley wrote:I'd use Titebond III and clamp it really good with hose clamps for 24 hours.

I do woodworking and some of my own auto repair.
Hose clamps are easy to get from auto parts stores.
I've used Titebond original, Titebond II, and Titebond III and have NEVER had any of them fail.  I've had the wood fail after the glue cured, but never the Titebond.
Titebond III is more water resistant than the original or Titebond II.
Wood glue like Titebond DRIES in a few hours.  But, it isn't fully cured for a few days.  So, glue it, clamp it, then give it 3 to 5 days before putting under much stress.

Thanks, Phil.

Question: When I worked in a guitar repair shop in the '80s the tech would mist the wood with water before gluing and clamping. He swore this made a much stronger repair, since the glue would seep into the pores of the wood. Since he was repairing high end instruments, I believe him -- but adhesives have changed a lot since then. Is lightly dampening the wood still a good idea?

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:Thanks, Phil.

Question: When I worked in a guitar repair shop in the '80s the tech would mist the wood with water before gluing and clamping. He swore this made a much stronger repair, since the glue would seep into the pores of the wood. Since he was repairing high end instruments, I believe him -- but adhesives have changed a lot since then. Is lightly dampening the wood still a good idea?

Wetting wood can make it conform to a shape better.
But, the only musical instrument I've made is wooden kazoos.  So, I don't know about guitars.
When glueing end grain you can get better bonding by adding watered down glue to the end grain several minutes before the actual glue-up and letting it soak in.  This might be the idea behind wetting the guitar parts.

I just wanted to add a second vote for dowels. I use them all the time to add strength, and it seems to work really well.

Douglas, the misting (or existing moisture in the timber) will be fine for the gorilla (polyurethane glue), although unnecessary in my experience. I have used this glue on construction sites for years with good results. Recently I have switched to tightbond II interior and am trying tightbond III exterior, mostly because it is less messy to clean up. So far I like it...but with a handle this far gone, I would replace it. Matt, carpenter. New Zealand

Good points, Matt, thanks.

I think the wild card regarding the strength of wood is our general dry climate, especially in winter. Wood literally shrinks, and becomes brittle. The lengths I go to to keep guitars alive is massive.

I know it's hard to tell from the photos, but both handles are quite salvageable. Oh, I have others, but this is a fine windmill to tilt at. And repair is the least amount of work too.

I just saw a YT made by a Boot at the Lab, about using sticks around the homestead. One of the uses was to replace handles for various tools. Possibly a good idea? If you can find quite dry sticks the right size. Have a look at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK6BuoX_0To

Actually, I have birch and ancient saskatoon that make pretty good "local wood" handles if you cure them properly.

But that's still a lot of work. And frankly it's hard to replace a good piece of hickory. Better to repair, and more efficient.

I went flat out for Titebond a couple of days ago. Stay tuned.

Somebody misplaced my bar clamps, so I sort of improvised. Highly professional! Haha.

One clamp slipped off, lower left, as the glue was setting. Shoot. Oval handles are tough.

Update: 2 years later the glue on the hoe handle (plus bolt) is holding up just fine. Wrapped in good ol' Canadian hockey tape, which is also holding up just fine.

I have not tested the other handle. Looks good though.

Edit: to be clear, I did drill through and add a small bolt with washers to reinforce the handle at the greatest stress point. Sort of a belt-and-suspenders approach.