This is a pseudo-scientific poll!
I assume all of you “experienced and knowledgeable” woodworkers have long since realized that the best way to spread glue (excepting hide glue) is with your fingers.
The issue open to debate is where – or how – do you clean the excess glue from your finger(s)?
I prefer to wipe my finger off under one section of the leading edge of my workbench. The problem has arisen as this area is now getting pretty ‘thick’. How and where do YOU remove excess glue from your finger(s) – and how do you clean this area every few years?
I am in search of Truth in Woodworking!
Frosty
“I sometimes think we consider the good fortune of the early bird and overlook the bad fortune of the early worm.” FDR – 1922
Replies
I too use the undersid of the work bench. I thought I was being crafty, guess not. Never thought about it building up. Second choice is the paper towel that I have handy to clean up squeeze out. Third choice of course is pant leg.
Tony
I use a damp cloth of some sort out of the clean rag bucket.
I also buy cheap soldering flux brushes, use them and toss.
Got the last lot of them from Harbor Freight, as I recall.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=41338
Frosty ,
Funny thing you talk about all that dried glue under the edge of my main workbench. Yup I do tend to deposit the bits of glue from fingers as well as when I use a chisel to remove any squeeze out .
Really you can learn to use the tip on the glue bottle better by making the hole in the tip just right .
One old pal of mine was amazed each time he came to my shop and felt all the dried glue under the edge of the bench .When I replaced the top like every I do every 10 years or so I saved a corner of the underside and gave it to him .
A damp cloth or rag works wonders.
regards dusty
Hey young fella,
I'm sitting hear rolling on the floor laughing about you guys who wipe yer glue on the underside of yer bench. I'm seeing visions of Little Johnny wiping his uh, well you know, on the underside of his desk in study hall.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 4/19/2009 9:54 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
You must have goon to a public school. We didn’t dare do that in parochial school, if one got caught one would be cleaning the bottoms of all the desks in class.
That is simple: why do you think those shop aprons have pockets? This is so you can hide the glue in there.
Actually, if you use a lot of white glue (PVA type) you will soon have fingers like those of a leper, and learn to use sticks, rollers , brushes or best of all a glue bottle with a suitable nozzle and cap.
Philip Marcou
I forgot to mention that I don't wipe ALL of the glue on the underside of my bench. I get a small 'high' from peeling the hardened glue from my finger.Doesn't everyone?Frosty"I sometimes think we consider the good fortune of the early bird and overlook the bad fortune of the early worm." FDR - 1922
I keep a small bowl of water handy with a sponge in it. It never fails that I have glue squeeze out and use the sponge to get it all off. It takes care of the fingers as well.
If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it.
And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
Jfrostjr,
I was told by an old pro years ago that your shop apron was the proper place for glue on fingers. It made sense to me cause that is where the old surgeons always wiped the blood and pus during surgery and the filth of your apron was an indication of your skill level.
Although my grandfather reportedly used his fingers to spread glue, I'm an evolved woodworker, and use glue-spreading tools. The favorite tools include acid brushes (purchased in bulk) and Popsicle sticks. Honest, I do. ;-)
(Returns to workshop to thump his chest at the other tools, so they know who is boss.)
I hope the glue was off your fingers when you "thumped your chest".Frosty"I sometimes think we consider the good fortune of the early bird and overlook the bad fortune of the early worm." FDR - 1922
My 5th grade shop teacher said the NEVER use your finger to spread glue. If he saw you doing it you might get a "slap up side yere head". His claim was that glue on fingers was the number one cause of glue on surfaces that later would be finished.
In the shop I was involved in later in life, we had the same rule. If the finisher found a finger print on a surface that were about to finish, the culprit was docked $20 bucks.
Use a brush, tongue depressor or roller.
Simple solution: I always wipe the excess glue on my fingers on my socks. They get washed regularly and I have yet to have a hard spot on my socks. When you don't have a moist cloth, socks are great. It works for me.
dan
How to get glue off my fingers??? I LICK it off. And yes, hide glue does taste a bit funky. Fish glue tastes MUCH better.
OK, now for a serious answer. I keep a roll of really cheap toilet paper at my bench. I use it to wipe glue off my fingers or glue brush, pick up spilled coffee, wipe up excess oil after maintainimg my machinery and even to blow my nose. Actually, I use it to remove most of the glue from my glue brush and then rinse it in a cup of water that I empty and clean as needed.
SawdustSteve Long Island, NY (E of NYC)
"... Lick it off..." Groan.I wipe off what I can on the top edge of my ugly, painted workbench, then chip it off with a chisel. Then, when the glue dries on my fingers, I rub it off.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com and now http://www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
>roll of toilet paperI have one of those in the shop also. Very handy. Can use it as a blotter if you tend to write with a fountain pen or do art/water color painting that starts to get out of control. If you have a major spill that is going across the floor you can set the whole roll in the spreading puddle and it will suck it up etc.People are thinking why not paper towels and I just realized I have both. Hadn't thought about it until now. I suppose it is from when I did allot of drawing with pen and ink and then blotted.rocGive me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )
Inside my pants pockets.
I rub my fingers together. When it dries I peal off the dry glue. Do need to be carefull about smearing it on surfaces to be finished.
Frosty,
I am in search of Truth in Woodworking!
HAH!
So if that's what yer searchin fur what the hey was that wad of chewin gum ye left under the frog of that Millers Falls plane doin there?! And the teef marks?
:-)
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Your question brings me back. Surprising how quickly the glue softened skin on your finger wears away in a half dozen dadoes or so. There's that exquisite feeling when a fine hair splinter drives in next to, or under, the fingernail. I like those little ones that go straight in the finger tip and break off so you need to excavate with a utility knife to get enough room for the Vicegrips. How many fingers do you load up before going for the wipe? Funny how you get a killer itch in your nose or ear. Wonder why the bank teller is looking at you strangely. Just about that time you discover that you must have glued your glasses to your hair.
I discovered that the fashion conscious pay big money for tattered jeans. If you wipe on a pair of those, especially with Titebond II or III, they wear out much faster. I sometimes wear a pair of long, tight ladies jeans as a neck tie when gluing up. Another good thing about Titebond II and III is that the layers you have built up on your favorite finger won't reactivate in the rain or stirring your coffee.
Keeping safety in mind, after a few years the build up on your wiping station, it needs to be filled , shellacked and polished. Rough accumulation can result in a bleeding finger cut. When you fix that with the Super glue, a smooth surface allows the lightning quick wipe you need with that stuff. You might want to keep a section with a crisp edge, for those times you drop the plug on the floor, in the shavings, and saw dust.
I put my glue in little cold cream jars. You can dunk your finger all the way to the bottom and get a good load. They only hold a few ounces so a tip over isn't a big deal. Your body heat helps accelerate the glues set up, most folks don't know that. The little jars heat up with the dunking as you go through a complicated glue up. That way the last is setting up at the same time as the first application.
You may want to consider a vertical wiping post rather than using the underside of the bench. You won't get so many drips on your boot laces and you have four corners. You don't have to twist your hand so much, saving time. You can bore a few holes in it that will work just as good as a dog hole for those extra clean wipes.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
I use my finger to spread glue. Then I just put my finger in my ear for a moment. I've saved hundreds of $$ on hearing protection over the years, and my tools and truck run smooth and quiet. I don't get that nasty water in my ears in the shower any more.
Knots has done it again! I have been provided with with some truly creative answers to my question about "finger glue disposal". However, I don't relish the thought of walking around with my hand in my pocket - somewhat like the stories about Napoleon - but let's not go there.The sock-solution has real merit, the finger-in-ear is less desirable, as is licking fish glue. I will continue to ponder the consequences of the other suggestions. Thanks to all for brightening, if not enlightening my day.Frosty"I sometimes think we consider the good fortune of the early bird and overlook the bad fortune of the early worm." FDR - 1922
Frosty,
Don't tell anyone I told you this but, Shamwow!
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
I wear nitrile glues during glue ups, no need to wipe off glue just pull off the gloves.
Wow, what an interesting discussion this has been. I'm fairly new at woodworking and had no idea that "fingers" were the common glue spreading tool of choice. I've been using those little brushes to spread and a damp cloth or paper towel to wipe. The brush goes into a cup of water every so often and the fingers get wiped occasionally.
The socks idea wouldn't work, I don't wear them in the summer. I have several aprons hanging around, mostly gifts, but I never wear them. To wipe the glue on my jeans is a frightful thought, with hairy legs I would probably glue myself into them. I'm not necessirily a tidy person but the bottom edge of the workbench is kept smooth for clamping things to. The most practical idea would be the finger wiping post.
Maybe we could sell this idea to one of those woodworking and hardware outfits. They could call it the "Wipe-It" or the "Sure-Wipe", re-usible finger wiping post, easy to use, just clamp on or near your gluing station and relax. Cleaning kit sold separatly.
"I assume all of you "experienced and knowledgeable" woodworkers have long since realized that the best way to spread glue (excepting hide glue) is with your fingers."
'Fraid not. Cheap artists stiffish white bristle brushes are the preferred method I'm familiar with, especially for slopping PVA glues about, and other water based glues too. When finished you can just dunk the brush into its jar of water, rinse it out, and let it dry. I guess many of us on the Eastern side of the Atlantic do things differently. Slainte.
richardjonesfurniture.com
Have to agree there. Started using bristle brush about 15 years ago. Quick swish and its done. Got tired of those flux brush individual bristles getting stuck in the dovetails.
I was watching the dog carrier maker today and he was spreading Titebond II with his finger. I forgot to look to see where he wipes off his finger. He was working on a chunk of corrugated card board on the floor so I imagine he wiped on the cardboard.rocGive me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )
>glue on fingers<
Now there is an idea. Could be useful for the beginner. Get too close to the blade ? No problem just glue on another finger. What ? Why are yah all looking at me that way? That is the way they used to look at me in high school when I tried to apply natural selection from one class to discussions of widening the canyon highway in another class.
Thin nitrile gloves for Gorilla glue though my enthusiasm for Gorilla has taken a hit this last winter. I use small artists painting trowels because my partner uses them to paint with.
However there is an advantage to the finger cause you can feel if there is a hard chunk of glue from the container that is about to get in there and prevent two critical surfaces from coming together perfectly.
I am leaning toward the finger after much experimentation. I set out rags soaked with water in a container for clean up or when using Gorilla I use rags soaked in alcohol. Then wipe fingers gloved or not.
roc
Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )
This is a pseudo-scientific... REPLY..
I have very old board 'full' of 'Piles of OLD glue' where I wipe my fingers off.
Will,
A couple of weeks ago I used a J Roller (used for rolling veneer). Wrapped the roller in duct tape. Slicker'n bee snot!
Ye really don't wanna use too much glue on small deges though, but ye shouldn't anyway. The little threads in the duct tape give the wheel just enuf traction so it doesn't slide eever.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
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