|
DHS has brought out a new water based glue, called DHS No 15 Aqua glue. Below
is a review of the 50ml bottle, used to glue a rubber to a blade.
 A new blade and rubber
was used to test this new glue from DHS. The glue come in a 50ml sealed bottle,
with a 2 sponges to be used as applicators. One sponge is white and very soft
& absorbent, whereas the other is black and quite firm... I'm uncertain
which one is meant to be used.
I removed the the silver seal off the top of the bottle, revealing a thick,
white and odourless liquid. I poured a little glue onto the rubber and blade,
and spread it out with the applicators. The white applicator seemed to absorb a
lot of the glue, although it was very good to spreading a thin layer of glue.
 
The black one was good for getting a even layer everywhere, but felt not as easy
to spread with. In the end I think anything can used to spread the glue, so it's
not really a issue. Care should be taken to make sure that edges are covered
completely on both the rubber and blade.
 
Both the rubber and glue were left to dry for about 10mins, after which the
glue was virtually transparent. The surface felt a little tacky on both, and did
not seem to soak into the surfaces at all. There was no signs of any stretching
or doming on the rubber.
 
I applied the rubber to the blade, lining it up at the bottom, near the
handle first, then pushing down the rest of the rubber, and used a roller to
make sure it was attached firmly with no bubbles.
The rubber felt like it was attached firmly immediately, so it was easy to
handle and to cut. I did notice that around the edges, a few spots had not stuck
down well, since I had not put the glue on either the rubber or blade in those
spots. I think you really need the gluer on BOTH surfaces to get a good bond.
I clamped the rubber for 20mins just to be sure, but it looked and felt
exactly the same afterwards, so I suspect it may not even be required.
The glue washed off the applicator sponge quite easily by holding in running water and
squeezing, but it must be done before the glue starts to dry.
Performance
The bat played as normal, no signs of any speed glue effect at all. This is
pretty much what I expected.
Next (after an hour) I removed the rubbers from the blade. Removal was fairly
easy, although I had to pull firmly, very much like a well glued on rubber with
standard VOC based glue.
it was interesting to see that virtually all of the glue had stuck to the
blade, not the rubber... which is quite a nice feature, but this won't be the
case on all rubbers, since I tried it on a test piece earlier, and glue did
stick to the sponge as well.
 
Now since this is a water based glue, you might think it will dissolve again
when you make it wet, to make the removal easier... well think again... this is
not the case. This glue seems very much like many other water based glues out
there, eg like the Donic water glue... once they dry, water will not
soften the glue again. The only one that I have seen, that does dissolve again
in water, is the Falco Water glue.
 The removal of the
remaining glue was not too hard...still easier than most VOC based glues, which
seem to soak into the surface more. You need to rub fairly firmly on the
surface, and start rolling the bits of glue off.
Conclusion: This glue works quite well, and does not seem to be much
different to most of the other water based glues out there. It's a good and safe
alternative to VOC based glues. The 50ml bottle should do quite a few bats, as
long as you don't soak too much of the glue into the white applicator sponge.
I believe the DHS Aqua glue that comes in the 500ml bottle is the same stuff,
although i have not tried it. The 98ml tube is supposed to be a thicker version
of the same glue, that is recommend to be used with the DHS Intensifiers speed
glue alternative, to provide better adhesion to keep down the strong dome of the
rubber.
Click here for pricing or to purchase DHS No 15 glue from One of a Kind
Trading Australia |
