The main benefits of using quality aracite adhesives

I sometimes hear the recommendation not to use airbrush adhesives because they are not resistant in wet or outdoor conditions. PVA (polyvinyl acetate) or aracite adhesives, also called adhesives for wood due to performance in this area, are of many kinds. Like any other product on the market, there is the economical and top-of-the-range version, depending on the qualities with which it leaves the factory. There are PVA adhesives that do not resist humidity, but also adhesives that resist even if the glued product is boiled. The important thing is to use the one recommended for the purpose of the job. There is no point in buying an outdoor resistant adhesive if you are making indoor seating, nor is there any point in risking using one that just says 'wood glue' with no other specifications if you are going to make solid wood panels for beehive manufacture.

When you use the right PVA adhesive for your job, you'll get other benefits you may not have considered when choosing it. Here are just a few of them.

PVA adhesives are non-toxic

PVA adhesives are water-based. They do not emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as solvent-based ones do. As we have already said hereemissions of volatile organic compounds are regulated because of the negative effects on the ozone layer and human health.

Apacet adhesives do not have emission of free formaldehyde such as those used to make chipboard or MDF. Solid wood furniture (panel, solid wood panels or laminated wood) glued with PVA adhesives is safe in this respect.

With PVA adhesives you can work without gloves and without a mask, there is no danger if you get dirty or drop adhesive on another material. It washes off with water and there is no need to neutralize afterwards. It doesn't mean you can eat it though, as it is still an industrial chemical.

Do not yellow over time

A quality PVA adhesive does not yellow over time. They are adhesives that change colour over time from moisture or UV radiation. This is not the case with aracite adhesives. If they do not become transparent after drying, at worst they remain the original white colour. This is a very useful property when adhesives are used in projects where the bond line is visible.

Adhesive film remains flexible after drying

The property is valid for a quality PVA adhesive. Flexibility is related to the fillers added to the adhesive. These are materials added to economical products to decrease the percentage of polyvinyl acetate (polyvinyl acetate), while the final product remains the same consistency. After drying, however, these adhesives form a stiffer film.

If the adhesive is of good quality, the film formed will be flexible and will not crack if the glued object is subjected to forces that cause partial deformation.

After drying, the film becomes transparent

Like flexibility, transparency is influenced by the added filler materials. Don't expect to take a very cheap product and get a solid panel where the glue line is not visible. A quality product however will form a transparent, virtually invisible film when dry.

Such adhesives are used for solid wood panels, laminated wood or light beams. The glue line is not visible. We can tell that the object is made of several layers of wood just by the natural pattern of the wood. Such products can be stained without problems with stains, as the staining is uniform (as long as the wood is uniform), without showing any glue lines.

If formulated for outdoor use, it is highly resistant over time, even in harsh conditions

A common misconception is that airbrush adhesives are not good for gluing objects used outdoors. If they are made to be used in humid conditions and to resist UV radiation (adhesives in the D3 and D4) are very resistant.

Outdoor PVA adhesive is not attacked and decomposed by moulds or fungi and is not affected by large temperature variations or solar heat. Unlike other types of adhesive it has a very good resistance over time and in most cases it will yield the wood before the glue line. If the adhesive is applied correctly and the manufacturer's recommended steps are followed, the glued objects will have a very long life, even in outdoor conditions.

Do not affect the pH of objects they come into contact with

It may seem like an insignificant benefit, but for those who glue paper, boxes or other more sensitive objects, it is not. An acidic or basic adhesive can change the colour of objects or influence their subsequent behaviour. PVA adhesives, with their neutral pH, do not produce any side-effects, and gluing is safe with no surprises afterwards.

There are manufacturers who push the limits of adhesives by testing them under extreme conditions. This is the case with TISZABOND adhesives produced and distributed by Szolvegy

TISZABOND is the brand of PVA adhesives distributed by the company Szolvegy from Târgu Mureș. The company has a very strict quality control system, both in the factory and with distributors and customers. Quality control is done by a neutral laboratory and product samples are taken randomly from the factory, distributors' warehouses and even from customers' production lines. This ensures continuity in quality levels.

Furthermore, they have a habit of testing objects glued with TISZABOND adhesives much more harshly than they are normally tested. For example, wanting to test the resistance of a D4 hardening adhesive to high temperatures, they boiled pieces of glued wood for 6 hours. The adhesive was used to glue together lightweight beams that were to be autoclaved at high temperatures. The glue performed very well under long boiling followed by sudden cooling and splitting, thus assuring the beam manufacturer that they would have no problems during impregnation.

Another test was done with a laminated beam that also had tooth joints, using D4 one-component adhesives. After gluing, the beam was left outside for 4 years in rain, wind, snow or strong sun. It was in contact with the ground so that the action of the humidity was even stronger. It has stood the tests well being a guarantee for the manufacturer.

To be sure that the work you are doing will not have any problems you just need to make sure you choose a quality adhesive suitable for the place where the glued object will be used. Don't choose your glue by considering price alone, saving money can come with very unpleasant consequences!