How To Fix Metal to Wood

How do you fix metal to wood?

When a brass handle falls off a drawer, the answer is a two-part epoxy. Selleys Araldite 5 Minute is the strong, durable general purpose adhesive for this job, and it can be used to repair almost any broken fixture around the home. The whole repair takes about five minutes of work, and the same method applies to a metal bracket on a shelf, a nameplate on a door, or a handle on a cabinet.

The reason epoxy is the right family here is that metal and timber are very different substrates. Timber is porous and slightly absorbent; metal is non-porous and often carries an invisible film of oil from manufacturing or handling. A two-part epoxy cures by chemical reaction rather than by drying or by soaking into the surface, so it does not care that one side is porous and the other is not. What it does care about is that both surfaces are genuinely clean, and that is where most metal-to-wood repairs are won or lost.

What you need

• Selleys Araldite 5 Minute
• A clean rag
• Acetone or nail polish remover
• A clean, disposable surface for mixing — cardboard works well
• A nail or a stick to mix with

How to fix metal to wood

1. Make sure both surfaces are clean, dry and dust-free. All traces of grease, rust, paint and similar should be removed.
2. Carefully cut the sealed tips off the end of both syringe nozzles.
3. Dispense both parts — resin and hardener — equally onto a clean, disposable surface such as cardboard and mix them together with a nail or stick. You have 2 to 3 minutes to use the mixed glue.
4. Apply the glue mix to both surfaces and press together.
5. You do not need to clamp, but do not strain the bond for at least 30 minutes. It will gain maximum strength in 16 hours.
6. Scrape off excess adhesive and wipe mixing utensils with a tissue dipped in acetone or nail polish remover, then replace the cap from the plunger onto the nozzle.

Why each step matters

Cleaning is the step that decides the result

Epoxy bonds to a surface, not through a contaminant. Rust in particular is not a surface to glue to — it is a loose layer sitting on top of the metal, and the bond will lift the rust off rather than hold the metal. Take rust, old paint and grease back to bare, sound material. On metal, a light abrade improves the bond further: the Araldite data sheets quote their strength figures on clean, abraded metal, which tells you what condition those numbers assume.

On the timber side, make sure the mortise or recess the fitting sits in is free of old glue and dust. If a handle has pulled out and taken splinters with it, clean out the loose fibres so the epoxy meets solid wood.

Mixing thoroughly, and quickly

Dispense equal parts and mix them properly — an under-mixed epoxy cures soft and never reaches its rated strength. Mix until the material goes creamy and small bubbles appear. Then move: the working time is 2 to 3 minutes at 20°C. Mix in small portions if you have several fittings to do, rather than one large batch you cannot use in time.

Applying to both surfaces

Glue mix goes on both the metal and the timber. This matters more than it sounds — it makes sure the epoxy has wetted out each surface properly rather than relying on the squeeze from pressing them together, and it fills the small gaps where a cast fitting does not sit perfectly flat on the timber.

The 30 minutes and the 16 hours

These are two different things. The 30 minute figure is the initial bond time, during which the joint should not be strained — it is holding, but lightly. The 16 hours is when the epoxy reaches maximum strength. In practice: leave a drawer handle alone for half an hour, but do not haul on a fully loaded drawer until the next day.

Allow longer in cold weather. Lower temperatures extend the curing process across the Araldite range.

Choosing the right Araldite for the job

Araldite 5 Minute suits most household metal-to-wood repairs. The rest of the Araldite range covers the cases where it does not:

Product	Working / set time	Initial bond	Maximum bond	Strength
Araldite 5 Minute	2–3 minutes at 20°C	30 minutes	16 hours	Up to 75 kg/cm²
Araldite Rapid	90 second set	10 minutes	16 hours	Up to 75 kg/cm²
Araldite Super Strong	5 minute set	30 minutes	16 hours (full cure ~24 hours)	Up to 150 kg/cm²
Araldite Extra Time	60 minutes working time	6–8 hours	24–72 hours	Up to 150 kg/cm²

Figures come from the products' technical data sheets and are indicative results rather than a basis for preparing specifications.

The choice usually comes down to how long you need to fiddle. A single drawer handle is a 5 Minute job. A row of eight handles, or a large bracket that needs aligning against a straightedge, is worth doing with Araldite Extra Time — 60 minutes of working time means you can position everything before anything sets. Araldite Rapid, with a 90 second set and initial bond at 10 minutes, suits repairs where you simply cannot clamp and have to hold the part in place by hand.

Those strength figures are quoted per square centimetre of bonded area on clean, abraded steel. That is worth understanding before you rely on it: a small handle with 2cm² of contact is not carrying the same load as a bracket with 20cm². Where the load is real, increase the bonded area rather than reaching for a stronger glue.

Limitations — when this method will not work

• Araldite will not bond PTFE, polyethylene or polypropylene. If the "metal" fitting is actually a moulded plastic one, check the material first — for polyethylene and polypropylene you need Selleys All Plastics with its primer pen.
• Bonds soften above 60°C (80°C for Araldite Extra Time). The strength returns when the temperature drops back, but this rules out epoxy for fittings that get genuinely hot.
• Pre-test on leather and rubber. Suitability has to be established before you commit.
• Araldite may discolour if exposed to UV. Worth knowing for anything on a sunny windowsill or outdoors.
• Cold weather extends bonding times. Do not judge a repair as failed because it is still soft in an unheated garage in winter.
• Structural loads need mechanical fixing. Epoxy is for repairing and refitting fixtures, not for replacing screws in something that carries weight or people.

Clean up and storage

Clean up any uncured Araldite with acetone or nail polish remover — this is much easier before the epoxy has gone off, so wipe the squeeze-out while you can still see it. Scrape off excess adhesive, wipe your mixing utensils, and put the cap from the plunger back onto the nozzle so the syringe is usable next time.

Safety: the hardener is the hazardous half

Araldite 5 Minute is classified Danger, and the two parts are classified differently. Part B, the hardener, carries skin corrosion Category 1C — causes severe skin burns — eye damage Category 1 — causes serious eye damage — and skin sensitisation Category 1. Part A, the resin, carries skin and eye irritation plus skin sensitisation. The larger Araldites are the same shape: on Super Strong the resin is Warning and the hardener is Danger, corrosive Category 1B, and both parts carry H317.

Most people have it backwards, and it changes the mixing step. The hardener is not the mild half. This page tells you to mix thoroughly and quickly — two to three minutes of working time — and then to apply to both surfaces. That is three separate moments with wet epoxy in play, under time pressure, which is when a finger gets used to spread a bead into a corner or wipe squeeze-out off a bracket. Mix on scrap with a disposable stick, never a finger, and have gloves on before the tubes are opened.

Cleaning is the step that decides the result, and it is also the exposure step. Abrading metal and degreasing it leaves you handling a clean, glue-hungry surface; then the epoxy goes on both faces. Nitrile gloves through all of it, and safety glasses — you are pressing two parts together at close range with a Category 1 eye hazard in the mix. A splash needs a fifteen-minute flush with the eyelids held open and urgent medical attention.

H317 on both parts is the long game. Skin sensitisation is not irritation. Once acquired it is generally permanent, and afterwards far smaller exposures provoke a reaction that tends to get worse each time. It is built from small repeated contacts — which is what fixing metal to wood with a five-minute epoxy, a few times a year, amounts to.

If the fitting turns out to be polyethylene or polypropylene, the product this page redirects you to, Selleys All Plastics, is not the gentler option. It is classified Danger — H225, highly flammable liquid and vapour, plus H319 and H336 (may cause drowsiness or dizziness). H225 vapour is heavier than air and travels along the floor, so a low heater or a pilot light anywhere in the workshop is the ignition source to think about, not just a flame on the bench.

Poisons Information Centre — 131 126 in Australia, 0800 764 766 in New Zealand.

Common questions about fixing metal to wood

What glue is best for metal to wood?

A two-part epoxy. Selleys Araldite 5 Minute is the general purpose choice, and it works because it cures by chemical reaction rather than relying on either surface being absorbent.

Do I need to clamp it?

No. With Araldite 5 Minute you do not need to clamp, but do not strain the bond for at least 30 minutes.

How long before I can use the drawer again?

Light handling after 30 minutes; full strength at 16 hours. Give it longer if the room is cold.

How long do I have once I have mixed the glue?

2 to 3 minutes at 20°C. Mix small amounts and work quickly.

Do I put glue on both surfaces or just one?

Both. Apply the mixed glue to the metal and the timber, then press together.

Does the metal need sanding first?

It needs to be clean, dry and free of grease, rust and paint. A light abrade helps — the strength figures for the Araldite range are quoted on clean, abraded metal.

Will it hold a heavy bracket?

It depends on the bonded area, not just the product. Araldite 5 Minute is rated up to 75 kg/cm² on clean abraded steel and Araldite Super Strong up to 150 kg/cm². For anything genuinely load-bearing, use mechanical fixings as well.

Can I use it on a painted surface?

Remove the paint first. The data sheet asks for all traces of grease, rust and paint to be removed, because the bond will only ever be as strong as the layer it sticks to.

What if the fitting is plastic rather than metal?

Araldite will not bond PTFE, polyethylene or polypropylene. Selleys All Plastics with its primer pen handles those; most rigid plastics will take epoxy.

Can I paint over the repair?

The Araldite data sheets do not publish a paintability figure, so treat that as unpublished rather than assuming. If appearance matters, keep the squeeze-out to a minimum and clean it off with acetone while it is still wet.

How do I get uncured epoxy off my hands and tools?

Acetone or nail polish remover on a tissue, before it cures.

What else can I use this for?

Almost any broken fixture around the home — see Glue Guide 101 for how the epoxies compare to the rest of the range, or how to restore a tallboy for the same technique used to fit new drawer handles without screws.