Best Glue(s) For Repairing Old Furniture Joints
jimmiem
| Posted in General Discussion on
I have an old piece of furniture that has several joints that have failed. What are the best glue(s) to use for regluing?
Thank You.
Replies
Hide glue.
Hide glue.
Hide glue.
I'm with John on this one.
old brown hide glue
Is Titebond Liquid Hide Glue the same?
Not quite. Titebond flows straight from the bottle, you have to warm OBG up a bit before it flows. People say Titebond has a longer open time, but I truly stink at glue up, and have never found OBG to have an issue there (it's 30 minutes). It also depends on how much you warmed it up. OBG is much clearer. Titebond probably has stuff in it that you don't need or want, but it's also documented to be as strong as Titebond III.
OBG is made by an actual, very nice, person, and when it's shipped, it's been made that week. As hide glues have a shortish shelf-life, and you (by which I mean me without my glasses) can't find the manufacturing date on Titebond bottles that's an issue - to me at least.
I received a bottle of Titebond Hide Glue yesterday and it does have a date code.
Are we talking 200 year old antique, or 80's Ikea?
80 to 100 years old.
Can you post photos of the furniture and the failures? What kind of joints are they?
I'll take some photos...stay tuned.
Photos or not it's still hide glue.
Guesswork, not advice with zero info. 80 years ago is right about when particle board was invented because of wartime lumber shortages... 1943. A failed dowel joint originally made with PVA and wracked to death will not be helped with a squirt of hide glue for what the OP termed "regluing".
It might turn out to be hide glue, but IMO we should wait for the pics.
Here are some pictures of the joints that need to be repaired.
One more.
Use some hot water and a toothbrush to see if you can clean off the old glue. If you can it's hide glue.
Will do. FWIW the wood is Maple.
I have a slightly off topic question. I've been using Titebond "liquid hide glue" for several years. I recently visited my local Rockler store to get a new bottle and found it labeled Titebond "genuine hide glue". Is it the same glue with a different name?
I've been trying to find the answer online but so far have had no luck. I emailed Titebond customer service but haven't heard back yet.
Thanks for any insight.
I just called Titebond tech support. Formula is unchanged. Label change is a marketing thing.
I orderes some online...website photo was the old label, product arrived with the new one. I did not give it a second thought..just assumed it was the same. NOW, thanks to you I won't be able to sleep.
Sorry MJ, but now I'll sleep just fine!
Thanks for checking jimmiem.
Whew!!
Removed old glue with warm water and heat. Glued everything back together with the hide glue. Now, time for the refinishing. I'll be using an oil based stain and an oil polyurethane (low or semi gloss).
Any advice on removing the existing finish? Is sanding the only option? I'm wondering if it's possible to just degloss the existing sheen and just apply new stain. Is this feasible? Trial and error?
Thank You.
Very helpful thread, thanks all.
jimmiem, since you're now changing the topic/question, this is an opportunity to follow Ben's recent suggestion on post titles. Why not consider posting the new finishing question separately under a new title. That way, when someone searches for an answer to a similar refinishing question 3 years from now, the answers won't be buried in a "glue" thread.
Excellent suggestion. I'll do it right now.
Thank You