It’s true: bonding work should represent one of the easiest tasks of your working day. We’re making life easier for joiners the world-over with an innovative canister-based system, yielding more coverage, more strength and more convenience for our customers. Now you’ve got your hands on a canister, we’d like to show you how to master your mist spray work. Thank us later!
This week, Tensor Tips shows you the very best practice to get the best results out of your mist-spray product. Before we go into our top tips, it’s essential that you identify the type of spray pattern you’re working with. Find out this information by consulting the relevant label on your canister or aerosol spray can.
Tensor Tip: Mist spray (also known as pebble spray) adhesives are released from the container as a fine mist, which creates a light and consistent droplet pattern on the surface it is sprayed upon.
How to Master Your Mist Spray
Here are some essential tips on ensuring accuracy and consistency with your mist-spray product:
1. Prepare the surface to be bonded; ensuring both faces are clean, free of dust, dirt and grease. If necessary, wipe clean with proprietary solvent-based cleaner. Do NOT use white spirit, methylated spirits or citrus-based cleaners.
2. Hold your spray gun at a constant distance of between 200-400mm from the surface, allowing the adhesive to droplet across the surface with approximately 50- 70% overlap to successive passes for thin laminates to reduce risk of telegraphing (note — correct coat weight must be achieved).
3. Maintain a constant speed of application during spraying, applying a consistent and thorough coating without allowing the adhesive to puddle or heavily ‘wet’ the surface. Maximum bond strength is achieved with coverage of between 80-100%, and a recommended minimum coat weight of 20 dry grams/m2.
4. Maximum adhesion will be obtained by spraying mating faces at 90° to each other, i.e. one face vertically, the other face horizontally. Double coating perimeter of face and edges is recommended, including areas around subsequent cutting positions.
Mist Spray Bonding Techniques
- Do not angle the spray gun or move in an arc while spraying. Hold the gun at 45° to the surface while spraying. Release trigger at end of each pass to optimize coverage.
- Many man-made boards such as plywood and especially flexi-ply and MDF are very absorbent and will need a primer coat. Allow to dry, then apply the normal application over the top of the primer coat.
- Many substrates should be regarded as difficult to bond, e.g. metal faced HPL, Colorcore etc. or products with memory (also soft and thick materials may require 2nd or 3rd coat). Best results are obtained by multiple coats rather than one heavy coat which may result in heavy wetting of surface and extended drying times.
- Allow adhesive to dry (see product data sheets for appropriate drying times). Test for dryness using the back of your hand only; the surface should be dry and the adhesive should not transfer to your skin.
- Position substrates correctly and press together working from centre outwards. Apply adequate pressure using a nip roller or 75mm hand roller and body weight as a minimum in order to achieve at least 35psi at the glue line.
- Immediate trimming/routing is possible. Full strength is achieved after 24-48 hours depending on temperature and humidity.
Tensor Tip: Repositioning is not possible after contact has been made.
Stuck? You Can Call on Tensor
Here at Tensor Joinery Adhesives, we’re proud to support our thousands of customers around the world with industry-leading advice, tips, tutorials, and how-to guides. To get some guidance around your product, access our bank of helpful resources. Alternatively, reach out to a member of our expert team who will be happy to help.
