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When you think of iconic brands – names like Hornby, Oris, Jaguar, Lego and Apple, for example – we associate these brands with uniqueness, high performance and high user satisfaction.

Ureka Global, a long established adhesive business based in Newport, acquired the Cascamite glue brand and have no hesitation in describing this product in the same way.

The Borden Company, located in Michigan USA, established in 1857, were owners and founders of the original Cascamite. Borden quickly became the country’s largest producer of dairy and pasta products. The business’ industrial arm produced wallpaper, plastics, adhesives and resins, and it was at this time that Cascamite was born and first hit the shelves across America.

A powdered resin adhesive that when mixed with water created a weatherproof glue for the bonding of timber for both interior and exterior applications, the Cascamite product quickly became popular with the timber processing industries and a firm favourite with carpenters and joiners owing to its ease of use and reliable bond strength.

Over the last 90 years, the Cascamite brand has had a number of custodians, each looking after this historic brand, safeguarding its legacy and crafting its future. The acquisition of the Cascamite brand by Ureka marked the beginning of a new chapter in this remarkable brand’s story. Ureka has revived and improved the original powdered formula, and in doing so, delivering the consistency, ease of use and bond integrity from previous decades.

The original powdered urea-formaldehyde resin glue provides a water-resistant product that repels moulds and fungi. A quick and simple mix for both indoor, outdoor joinery and assembly work proves to be more economical than a one part liquid. There are countless stories of extraordinary bond strength and joint or application longevity associated with the Cascamite brand.

Five exceptional adhesives

With such a rich history behind the ‘Casca’ name, you won’t be surprised to learn that the original trio of Cascamite, Cascarez and Cascaphen has now been joined by Cascapur and Cascamate, now creating a current range of five exceptional adhesives.

• CASCAREZ – a general purpose liquid resin, the fastest, strongest adhesive of its type delivering a bond in 10 minutes, which is ready to handle in 30.

• CASCAPHEN – a high performance PRF structural adhesive, for waterproof exterior applications, which will withstand constant immersion in water.

• CASCAPUR – a polyurethane fast cure wood glue, a multi application gap filling product where high strength and water resistance is important. Cascapur has also been successfully tested for bonding Accoya wood.

• CASCAMATE – a fast cure mitre bond kit for use with a wide range of materials, delivering super quick bond integrity in 30 seconds.

Older Cascamite users will recognise and appreciate the return to ‘the good old days’ of the original formula. Ureka often receives comments from users such as: ‘I can remembermixing it when I was an apprentice and it’s just the same’ aswell as: ‘My first job of the day was to mix the Cascamite; it was brilliant then and just as good now’.

The main challenge for the new custodians is to create awareness of the new Cascamite product while embracing its history and educating new generations of carpenters and joiners.

Cascamite’s current adhesive competitors are those liquid-based equivalents that are applied straight from the container. While this may seem like the easiest route, if bond confidence and joint longevity are important, then it’s advisable to ‘DON’T RISK IT – MIX IT!’

To mark the original Cascamite formula’s return, Ureka is launching a rebrand at the upcoming Materials & Finishes Show 2024, with updated packaging and supporting marketing collateral. Look out for news, product announcements and user stories and Learn more about the ‘Cascamite you know and trust’ by visiting www.thenamethatsticks.com.