The Bém Steno-Injector
I used to be working in Vienna on a small Syrian chest of drawers once I first realized about Jiří Bém’s Steno-Injection machine, a pressurized glue dispenser. We had a whole bunch of abalone and tortoise shell elements to attach down, change, and/or flatten on this little mission, and I spent almost 5 weeks utilizing the Steno-Injection machine to verify we received glue beneath each piece.
This machine was particularly designed for wooden and furnishings restoration. With it, you’ll be able to push heat conceal glue by way of a 0.3mm needle with adjustable ranges of compelled strain. Conceal glue isn’t the one glue you need to use with it, nevertheless it was designed with protein adhesives in thoughts.
If you’ll want to get glue into a good joint, right into a tiny cut up or break, or beneath veneer with out having to take every little thing aside, whereas ensuring that you simply really received the glue the place it must be, there’s principally no higher method.
Jiří’s machine is battery powered and moveable. It really makes use of a Makita drill with a custom-rigged foot pedal attachment as the facility behind the strain. It has its personal syringe cartridges and an adjustable hotter, so you may make positive your glue is able to go on the proper temperature. It additionally makes use of versatile springs for drilling the holes, so that you don’t want to fret about continually breaking tiny drill bits. As somebody who has seen quite a lot of college students break all of my high-quality drill bits a number of occasions, I discovered that final characteristic actually fairly intelligent.
I’m actually not the form of one that likes to advertise any instruments or hawk any merchandise, however I’ve to say that Jiří’ has put collectively precisely the factor that our occupation actually wants most, and he’s completed it very thoughtfully.
The one draw back is the value tag (in fact). If you’d like fine-quality small-batch specialty gear, that’s all the time going to be the catch. So please, earlier than you learn any additional, help Jiří. In case you restore or restore furnishings, purchase one among his machines in case you can. It makes the entire means of getting glue the place you want it a lot extra simple.
With that stated, nonetheless, till I save up sufficient cash to purchase one among these for myself, I need to admit that I’ve been experimenting with a a lot clumsier various.
Whenever you’re utilizing the Steno-Injector and the glue comes up some place else, you’ll be able to really feel assured that the glue has really made it beneath the floor.
Discovering a Stopgap Answer
When you expertise working with the Steno-Injector, it’s actually exhausting to return to anything. Beforehand I had tried to get a brush or a spatula with glue on it into the areas the place I wanted it. I’ve used syringes, however making an attempt to pressure glue by hand will be very uncontrollable. Generally if the glue is thick, you simply can’t generate sufficient pressure along with your hand to make it undergo a fine-enough needle. I’ve seen the needle leap off the top of the syringe whereas I’m making an attempt to pressure it, and glue goes in every single place. It’s not one thing you actually need.
In our workshop, Oliver Hull modified a Fast Grip clamp to assist with the method, holding the needle and utilizing the quick-grip operate to push the glue by way of. It’s undoubtedly higher than utilizing the syringe by hand, nevertheless it’s a far cry from the pressurized Steno-Injector.
In the midst of 2025 I made a decision to attempt to discover a higher answer. We had two jobs coming in that had a whole bunch of veneer patches between them, and I actually wanted a greater option to get glue in there effectively.
The answer: one thing aptly referred to as an computerized glue dispenser machine.
Within the industrial manufacturing world, there’s a nice want for managed shelling out of glues, epoxies, and numerous different fluids. Whereas I’m sitting right here making an attempt to push glue by way of a syringe with a modified clamp, if in case you have various hundred thousand {dollars} you should buy your self a six-axis fluid-dispensing robotic.
These are maybe just a bit bit exterior of my price range, however fortunately there are some smaller, cheaper benchtop alternate options. So with none data of what I used to be doing, I gave one a strive.
Right here I’m testing the glue dispenser for the primary time with Lee Valley Excessive Tack Fish Glue.
My Glue Injection Trolley
I’ve this factor, and I can’t bear in mind who I purchased it from and even who makes it. I didn’t purchase it with any intention of writing about it. I totally anticipated it to fail miserably.
It connects to my air compressor and has a tube going out to a syringe. You possibly can regulate the psi output straight on the machine, which I actually like. If I’m doing thick fish glue and have a 0.5mm needle, I’d use a psi of round 85. Once I’m utilizing heat glue and have a needle of 0.4mm, I’ve it round 65 psi. If I’m simply pushing PVA by way of a bigger needle, I solely must set it to 30 psi.
If I need the glue to come back out slowly, I set it decrease. If I actually need it to push by way of some deep woodworm tunnels or one thing, I’d set it greater. The management is very nice, and it means if I’m doing a bunch of comparable work, I discover the proper setting and simply go to city.
When utilizing heat conceal glue, I preserve that syringe in a bottle hotter on one other shelf of the trolley between makes use of.
It additionally has an computerized suck-back operate, which signifies that my syringe doesn’t preserve dripping glue once I’m not utilizing it.
In the end, it really works. I’ve to have it on a trolley with an influence wire and an air hose linked to it. It’s not as high-quality or snug to make use of because the Steno-Injector, nevertheless it does it make my job a lot simpler.
If I put the needle beneath the veneer, or right into a cut up I don’t need to totally open, I can press the foot pedal and push the glue in till I see it come out some place else. It means I know that the glue has made its method beneath the place I want it. And if I management the psi appropriately, there’s minimal mess and no injury. It’s excellent.
With restoration work, I actually can’t emphasize how a lot of a distinction having a managed pressurized glue injector makes. Along with that, although, I’ve discovered myself utilizing it on quite a lot of tasks that require gluing, even once they aren’t restoration jobs.
I’d be actually to listen to from others who’ve labored with both of those or another fluid injector-type gadgets. I believe there’s quite a lot of untapped potential right here.
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