PRACTICAL TIPS FOR BALCOTAN PRODUCTS

• Balcotan is not recommended as a filler because the foaming property, activated by contact with air, causes it to aerate within the filled area. Similarly, Balcotan is not ideal for gluing thin veneers (less than lmm thickness) unless using a press covering the whole glued surface, because the glue could come into direct contact with the air through the thin veneers and expand.
• It is best to spread the glue using a spatula with 2mm serrations, rather than a brush. This makes covering large areas especially easy. Spread rate is 150-200 gm/m² (approx. 6m² per kilo).
• Use a barrier cream on your hands before starting to glue. Gloves give complete protection. There are no known cases of sensitisation caused by Balcotan, but individual sensitivity cannot be ruled out. (Scrubbing with soap and pumice stone will remove glue on hands).
• Balcotan is best stored cool, dry and sealed. Regular - 60 100 has a shelf life of a minimum of eight months, Rapid - 60 101 and Gel - 60 115 stores for six months.
• Balcotan is resistant to freezing temperatures although it may partially crystallise when stored below 0°C. If that happens, slowly warm up the glue to 30°C. Keeping the glue at about 20°C makes it flow better on very cold days.
• The adhesive will expand at the edges of a joint until it has set. Clean up excess glue after it has cured.
• Balcotan sets to a consistency that is flexible and tough, not brittle or crystalline. The glue line does not creep. It does not create hard veins in the work and the cured glue can be cleaned up quickly and easily, without damaging cutting blades. For instance, cleaning up the inside of a strip-planked hull is a quick and simple job requiting only hand tools.
• Balcotan is honey coloured but blends even with dark timbers. It does not stain or react with the wood. It absorbs wood stains to a degree and is completely compatible with glass/resin coatings and the finishing processes in use today in all industries. (If in doubt, contact us).
• Once cured, Balcotan is resistant to weak acids, alkalis and a large number of organic solvents.

SUITABLE MATERIALS

Balcotan will successfully glue all timber, woodfibre boards, plywood, MDF, cork, cement-based boards and certain synthetic resin sheets (such as melamine).
Being solvent free, Balcotan is also ideal for bonding rigid formed insulating materials such as polystyrene and polyurethane. Success has also been achieved in bonding some PVC plastics and polypropylene matting.
Balcotan cures with complete satisfaction where one of the materials being used in the bond contains moisture. Where neither material contains moisture, curing will still take place in the usual climatic conditions of these islands; there is rarely a need to supplement the ambient moisture.
Balcotan will glue timber containing up to 25% moisture. Note however that if the glued piece is then transferred to a drier environment the inevitable shrinking of the wood creates stresses which could deform the piece, cause it to crack or to split at the joint.
Green oak does not glue well with Balcotan. The strength of oak, the enormous shrinkage as it seasons, and the acidic tannin in the wood conspire against a long-lasting effective bond.

EXTREME APPLICATIONS

Ultra-violet rays harm the adhesive film only where direct contact occurs. The rays are not transmitted through the glue line. Cured Balcotan is resistant to temperatures up to 200°C. It is also recommended for use in cold and damp conditions. Balcotan has been used successfully for gluing the laminates of sledges used by the ice patrols of northern Greenland (working in temperatures down to -60°C) as well as the structural glue-laminated beams structures of ice skating rinks and bridges in Switzerland.

SUPPORT

Please do not hesitate to call us with any queries. We are glad to offer support and advice on the use of Balcotan based on over twenty years of our own experience. We can also refer any specific gluing needs of our customers to the technical laboratories of the manufacturer, Forbo-CTU, in Switzerland. For decades, Forbo-CTU has worked in partnership with industry to find technical solutions to sticky problems.