I’m thinking of making an assembly jig for a project that will be iterated many times. I’ll be gluing with a wood specific CA glue and there is always the chance of some squeeze-out. I know I could make the jig from a plastic that CA doesn’t stick to but I was wondering if there might be a cheaper way?
Does anyone know of a finish that CA won’t stick to so I can use good ol cheap MDF?
thanx
Maybe butcher wax paper? You can get a whole huge roll from Cabela’s…Feels like the waxy side of the paper that stickers come on. I’ve used it for wood glue…will test for you tonight with Gorilla Super Glue (CA) and see if it works…will post results tomorrow 
according to the all-knowing internet…
" Delrin would be your best bet. CA won’t stick to it. "
I’m sure Delrin would work like a charm but we are talking about orders of magnitude difference in price from MDF so if there is a chance a finish will work I’ll give it a try.
When turning pens, if you don’t use the delrin bushings, some peeps use a coat of carnauba floor wax on the bushings to prevent CA from sticking. (and like @nunzioc stated above, wax paper should work)
You can wax the MDF, or use silicone spray lubricants. I use clear packing tape as a release barrier on MDF when I use it to help pattern composite parts where I’m using epoxy resin. This way I’m not putting anything onto the MDF itself (like wax) which might make it unusable for some other purpose later where the wax is a detriment. Plus the tape is removable.
Oh, clear packing tape sounds like something to try and I have plenty around the house.
You could look into a PTFE mold release spray or get a sheet of adhesive backed PTFE. That’s usually what we use when we are bonding something and don’t want it to stick to the fixture.
Does it take much of the surface off , when you remove it ?
No, it doesn’t affect the surface of MDF. It will pull any loose bits and dust, but no affect other than that.
Excellent
Some good info.
I have the opposite problem: I want to stick wood to acrylic along a long edge, less than 1/8" wide. Does anyone have any recommendation? Will CA glues do the job?
Dry film spray or mold release spray with at least 5% Ptfe. It produces a white chalky surface that won’t let adhesives stick. You can just spray down your work surface. We use 3M
I would go with pretty much any kind of wax, but that’s what I have around. Or the tape.
There are so many specialized ca glues now that I bet one will do it. The problem you might have is ca tends to leave a white residue on plastic.
You actually have several options!
CA glue clouds the acrylic because of the solvents.
2-component Epoxy and Urethane adhesives are good options because they are solvent free and won’t attack the acrylic.
You will have to scuff the acrylic to promote adhesion. You can lay down two strips of masking tape on either side of the glue joint though to help keep both the scuffing and gluing neat and tidy if the aesthetics are important.
Depending how much strength you need, I like to also glue angles (like steel or aluminum angles) into the corners on either side of the face/edge joint. This increases the surface area of the joint and boosts strength many many times over that of the joint alone. This wouldnt be needed if all edges of the part are glued together thus locking it rigid, but say you’re just making a Tee-shaped item, the leverage the long part gives you can eventually cause a joint failure.
Here’s one that’s readily available at any wal mart, home improvement or hardware store.
Awesome, thanks @markevans36301 and @mpipes!
This is a great tip, that I have been told and have forgotten many times.
I generally forget about it too, or just get too lazy to simply lay masking down, but with this car project I’ve tried to utilize it more because of the shear volume of detailed finish work I have ahead of me.
A quick glance through this thread did not find aluminum foil which I have found works.
