First Large Feehand Puzzle Attempt

[William Young (SE BC)]

This picture represents a tiny portion of the Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island in BC , Canada.
I went and played music at the local hall last evening between 7.00 and 9.30 PM and then came home and cut out this puzzle.

I am starting to get the hang of the tabs because I can pull from either corner and it slides the whole thing.
Still having trouble trying to get certain pieces to form their own
puzzle part without cutting through them. Like the tall tree trunk for instance . I did however manage to get a small evergreen and a few flower clusters to have their own identity as a single piece.
It is going to take some practice but I am starting to get the idea of how it's done and like Carter says . . it's phun ;D
I had a problem with the pattern wrinkling somewhat when applying it to the wood with Aleene's glue (brown bottle ) no matter how much I tried to smooth it out. Maybe someone has had better luck with another product for that ? ? ?
W.Y.

[CanadianScroller]

Nice work Bill, I recognized the picture right away.

The glue can be tricky, I have found if I dilute it ever so slightly and use a rubber roller to remove the wrinkles, starting at the center and working out.
I have also used contact cement with success, same thing, starting at the middle and working out.

[wwalker47]

Good work

Nicely done, Bill.

-Bill

[Ann]

Bill! This is really lovely! All the best in working out your minor kinks.

Ann

[Greenfield_Bob]

I had a little trouble with Tacky glue also. I went to Mod Podge and works better for me.

Bob

[William Young (SE BC)]

Bob;
I have never worked with Mod Podge but I have seen it in craft stores. What kind of consistency is it ?
It seems to come in plastic jars rather than a glue bottle shaped container.
How do you apply it ? Paint it on, spread on the wood with a spatula ? Does it require any mixing or thinning ? Are there different grades of it that I should know about like thin, thick , medium etc. ?
Guess that's enough questions for now about something I know nothing about
W.Y.

[harrisg]

Is there any reason you're using Aleen's glue or Modge Podge instead of spray on adhesive? Inquiering minds want to know?


Harris

[Greenfield_Bob]

Bill, Mod Podge is thinner than Tacky glue. I just pour a little on the wood and spread it out, not real thick on the wood.

harrisg, the only adhesive that I have used is what I put on patterns.
Mod Podge is cheaper than spray adhesive, I guess that is why I don't use it.

Bob

[SharonW0111]

Just a little heads up on the tacky glue -- I have a few tubes that have to be 10 years old that I thined down with water to get them back to useable again- they had never been used before so I figured it couldn't hurt to try -- works just like new again- does take a lot of stirring and a good bit of water but it still is worth the effert. I use a tube fairly thick now just so I can dip my small dowels and things in and get a good bond that way--some I have thinned down so I can spread it with a paint brush - still works great .. si if you have any tacky glue glue that is thick .just thin with water and stir with a stick and it is good as new...
Sharon--
By the way will-- beautiful job

[William Young (SE BC)]

Thanks Sharon.
Mine was quite thick. Perhaps that was my problem.
I will try thinning it for that job and if that doesn't work I can always try the spray adhesive or Mod Podge .
W.Y.

[Carter-Johnson]

Bill, I find that the thickness of the Aileen's glue is its main asset. I spread it thinly and evenly with a large plastic paint scraper and it has proven to be the most reliable, most durable and least messy way of adhering pictures for puzzles.

Again, good job!

Carter

[William Young (SE BC)]

Thanks Carter.
I'll hang in there and give it another try.
W.Y.

[SharonW0111]

You are very welcome - just don't put spraay adheseve to hold it cause it won't last . Use the tacky glue cause you want it to stay then tacky glue over your picture- that will seal it to the wood for a permanent bond- and you can use a good white bristle artist brush to apply the glue and it will wash right out of your brush- you can use the brush to work out the wrinkles on the picture too-- hummmm I wonder if I applied this to my wrinkles if thst would take them ou??? Naaaa --to many of them -lol
Sharon

[GrayBeard Phil]

HarrisG:

To respond to your question about problems with Spray Adhesive and puzzles:

Over Spray: any spray from a can will put some of product (glue, finish, paint etc.) into the air which does not reach the project (airborne particulate.) This overspray can remain airborne for as long as 30 seconds. If my furnace kick in (heat or A/C) dispersal is worse. It lands everywhere. Even though I spray inside a U-Haul box, overspray starts to coat everything.

Non-Uniform application: Spray application of adhesive is non-uniform. The nature of a spray is not to be uniform. Because of overlap of the spray pattern, there will naturally be heavier build up of adhesive some places compared to areas of less than desirable amounts of adhesive.

Not Temporary: Applying a spray adhesive for scroll saw pattern attachment is normal because the pattern is not part of the completed project. The graphic art is part of the completed puzzle.

Attack ink and paper: The solvent in spray adhesives may, and probably do, affect the inks and paper used with graphic arts and Photos. Mod Podge and Tacky Glue are, IIRC, water based, and less toxic.

Non-similar material adhesive: Photo paper and graphic art backing paper are considered to be slightly different material than wood as far as adhesives goes. Paper has no cell structure compared to a plywood veneer.

Glue and Finish: The adhesive needs to be non-reactive with the heavy coat finish on the puzzle. Most puzzles are intended to be man-handled by the end-user. Therefore a protective coat on top of the puzzle is applied before the puzzle is cut. The top coat finish and the graphic art glue needs, obviously, to be non-interactive with each other. (aside: want a complete mess? try Mod Podge with Ink Jet Photo Paper with a top coat of home brew shellac. Trust me Methyl Alcohol and Mod Podge should never be allowed in the same room; don't play well together.)

Triple thick glaze works well with Mod Podge.

I have not tried to use any water based contact cement. I have read that Titebond has a water based, low toxic, contact cement that may work, but needs a least 30 minutes dry time, and could be as long as 60 minutes for full dry of adhesive before assembly.

Hope this answers some of your questions.

Phil

PS: WY good job on your puzzle. Looks good.

[William Young (SE BC)]

Thanks for all the informative responses on this topic. It is much appreciated.
There is another issue however associated with cutting out these puzzles apart from glueing the pattern to the wood. And that is the issue of blades.
Ben Fink has not responded to this thread yet but he did in a reply in another site and here was my answer to him.

Hi Ben;

As my first 125 piece puzzle I learned a few things. My picture was from an inside page of one of last years calendars. I have since learned that it would be better to use the outside cover of the calendar or pictures from magazine covers which is generally heavier paper.

Then there was an issue with blades to overcome. I was using your Pegas Ultra Thin Puzzle blades . . . For the first quarter of the puzzle I broke two of those blades and it scared the living beegeezies out of me when they snapped because I havn't have a blade break on my saw for several years and I wasn't prepared for it..

So I had to stop and think why it was happening . I couldn't believe it was blade quality because all other blades I have tried in the Pegas lineup were above and beyond my expectations of any blade I have ever used. But then I had never used that thin a blade ever before.

Turned out the problem was me and not the blade. I have always been a very aggressive scroller and seldom using less than # 3 or #5 blades.so I was always pushing the wood through the blade in production mode . Once I figured out that , I had to slow my saw down a little after having it on one speed for several years and then using a lighter touch when pushing the wood into the blade everything went fine. The last 3/4 of the puzzle was cut with the third blade and I expect it still has lots of life left in it. Just goes to show that us old scrollers can still learn new tricks..

I just noticed that you have upgraded the blades page in your site today. Looks "cool". Nice coloring and more attractive looking than before.

http://bensscrollsaw.com/blade.html

This puzzle cutting is a new slant on scrolling for me but I find it quite enjoyable. Those Pegas Ultra Thin Puzzle Blades leave such a fine kerf that it will make it quite a challenge for anyone putting those puzzles together because the pieces have to fit together so snuggly..

W.Y.