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What is the best way to remove polyurethane glue that has foamed over on a project I am making. I may have used too much glue. Especially where two corners meet. (A drawer compartment). Not sure I can get it all with sandpaper.
Thanks!
With a *sharp* chisel.
Note: if the chisel won't shave hairs off the back of your hand, it isn't sharp.
| What is the best way to remove polyurethane glue that has foamed | over on a project I am making. I may have used too much glue. | Especially where two corners meet. (A drawer compartment). Not sure | I can get it all with sandpaper.
I use acetone and paper towel. Comes off quickly and cleanly. After it's set, a scraper will do a good first-pass cleanup.
Practice using "just enough" PU glue - and consider switching to a glue that doesn't expand all over your work (I'm partial to Titebond, but there are other good similar glues.)
-- Morris Dovey DeSoto Solar DeSoto, Iowa USA
Other have told you how (chisel and chemical methods) but I'll just add a slight modification.
I think one of the most overlooked tools in the shop and one of the handiest is the simple, single-edge razor blade. I use it for scrapping, removing glue, as a scribe and as a small chisel. I keep a small block of wood with some 600 grit wet/dry paper attached to it and use that to freshen the edge once in awhile.
Don't let its small size fool you. I have scrapped curved furniture legs with wild grain with a razor blade that would have been difficult with a regular scrapper.
You can get a box of a hundred blades for just a few bucks (try your dollar store) and put any kind of edge on them you want for cutting, and scrapping in just a few seconds time.
Give it a try.
Bob S.
Of course, if you tend to overdo it, it does help to tape both sides of the joint beforehand, especially on interior corners.
That being said, I second the sharp chisel.
I did that to a small table a couple years ago; last time I used polyurethane glue in woodworking. I tried to remove it with a chisel and presumably my chisel wasn't sharp enough, because it was doing more harm than good. I was going to toss it and make a new one, but put it in place temporarily. Everyone was telling me how nice it was... In use you can't see the excess glue, so it doesn't much matter. YMMV
Morris Dovey replied:
Agreed - I use the same method.
Dave
stryped wrote: > x-no-archive:yes >
Mechanically.
Lew
Acetone (nail polish remover) will also remove foaming poly "Great Stuff" from your hair if you happened to bump into a duct you just foamed in your basement.
Not me of course, I know a guy...
Hi stryped:
Others have addressed the solution to your immediate problem, and I agree with them. I would like to make one comment on the use of poly glue over the PVA type glues if you plan to use a stain on the wood.
Any residual PVA glue squeezout will not absorb stain very well, which forces you to resort to drastic measures to remove all traces of the glue from the surface. Sometimes, this is not practical or even possible. The nice thing about poly is that the foam can be scraped off, leaving only a tiny amount left within the wood pores. In my experience, this won't be markedly different from the surrounding wood in terms of stain absorbtion (pigment stain, anyway. I've not tried this with dyes).
Of course, as others have said, using the correct amount of glue in the first place is the best solution.
Regards, John.
On 6/7/2006 8:18 AM stryped mumbled something about the following:
Archived so we won't forget that you already asked this when you ask it again in a few weeks.
On 6/8/2006 8:20 AM stryped mumbled something about the following:
Archived again just so we won't have to answer this question again.
The correct amount of glue is just enough to make it hold tightly, but not enough to make it squeeze out all over the place.
stryped,
Here's a small exercise for you to do so you will know what the correct amount of yellow glue is. Take some scrap like pine (1x3x12 long) and true the edges for gluing together. Use a squeeze bottle like the kind that mustard comes in so you can lay down a thin bead of glue the length of one of the boards. Place the other board edge-to-edge and slide the pieces back and forth (length-wise) to spread the glue. No take two clamps and clamp the two boards together.
Without breaking your wrist just snug up both clamps - evenly. You do not want to overtighten the clamps and starve the joint of glue. What you do want to see is a fine, even bead of glue squeeze out which stands proud of the joint - and stays that way. When it's almost dry (rubbery) you can take a chisel and scrape it off. Since there was not enough glue to flow onto the wood and sink into the grain - you will have a joint that will take stain, not be starved for glue and after you've done this a few times, you will have a better feel for how much glue is just right.
For poly glue it's slightly different since one part has to be moistened with water. Most poly glue bottles have a small tip to use to get the glue to the wood but... poly should be spread all along the dry edge. I use a small stick and try to spread it evenly as possible but don't fret over it either. Again, slide the pieces together slightly and then clamp as before. You should have enough poly on the edge so that when the pieces are clamped together, you get next to nothing for squeeze-out - maybe a trace. As the poly cures, it will foam out creating a bit of a ridge the length of the glue joint. Scrape it off after the poly has fully cured (24hrs) and not before or you will make a mess. The cure time will be in the directions but I usually wait a full 24 hrs just to be sure.
So that you have confidence in the fact that you are using enough glue, try to break the joints after they have cured/dried. Put the scrap in your vise with the glue joint horizontal to the jaw and just above and whack it with a hammer. The wood should not split along the joint if it's properly glued together.
Bob S.
Bob,
Thank you. I"ve done a bit of gluing and never understood the real concept. My approach had been to overdo the glue a bit, backing off with each application. That way I knew I had enough but as most of you could figure out, I had too much.
That method sounds incredibly simple and almost foolproof once the "feel" for the bead is acheived.
Tanus
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