Friends,
Last night, I went to glue up a drawer, and one of my Bessey K clamps wouldn’t open up very far. Upon checking, I saw glue drips on the sides of the bar as well as on the grooves. It really got stuck there. I tried to take it off with my thumb nail. No luck. I scraped with a knife, and it did not come off easy. I use Titebond III glue.
Today, I called the Bessey customer service number and talked to a person who told me that that is the question that he gets most often. He said that the solution is to keep the glue from drying hard. Get it off soon. He recommends waxing the metal rod also.
I asked him about removing the hardened glue that is already on there. He said that people use wire brushes on a drill, and other method, but he really stressed the part on keeping it off.
In the future, I will be quite careful.
Meanwhile, have any of you figured out how to get hardened glue off your Bessey K clamps?
I heard from someone who uses Titebond I and says that it peels right off.
Any other suggestions?
I wish that there had been a notice about this on the clamps when I bought them.
Thanks,
Mel
Measure your output in smiles per board foot.
Replies
Use a heat gun to warm it up. Should come right off.
In the future, keep a coat of paste wax on the clamps. Also, "tent" a strip of waxed paper over the clamp bars or get some shower rod plastic covers at a big box and cut them in six inch lengths. Put them over the bars and slide them to where the gluelines will be.
Will freezing the clamp in your freezer make the glue brittle enough to chip it off? Assumes that the clamp will fit in your freezer.
kenshep
Four of the clamps are about 50 inches, so a freezer is out of the question. I will try heat. There was a suggestion to use a heat gun. I don't have one so I'll try my wife's hair dryer first. If that doesn't work, then I'll see about borrowing a real heat gun.
Thanks,
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Hair dryer probably won't get hot enough. Steam will help, if you have a teakettle. Judicious use of a propane torch might do the trick as well, tho' I've never tried it on TBIII -- it may just cook the stuff on harder.
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
Hi Mel.
That Titebond III is proving to be tenacious stuff, isn't it ? So far, I've been very impressed with it.
Yeh. Try heat
Paul
I let a glob of Titebond II sit in a stainless steel utility sink until it dired. That was over a year ago; it's still there. That stuff really is waterproof.
Woodcraft sells some glue dissolver; I haven't tried it. If you use a wirebrush, a brass one is less likely to damage the steel.
Hey, Mel,
Two ideas: call Franklin International to talk to their tech folks regarding a solvent. I also liked the idea of freezing the spot. Get a can of liquid air--the type used to dust off computer keyboards and the like. Put the applicator straw in the nozzle, and then turn the can upside down and spray the glue spot. Instead of 'air' coming out, the liquid coming out will rapidly freeze the glue spot as the liquid evaporates. Then maybe a judicious whack with a drift punch made from hardwood. I would guess that if you put enough liquid on the spot and metal, that the differing coefficients of expansion would help to sever the tight bond.
I'm sure it goes without saying to protect you eyes, so I won't suggest anything so obvious. (Aaargh matey, ah turned 'n gave 'im an icy glare wit me one gud glazs eye fur bin too obvus, then I stomped 'im wit me wudn ball 'n claw foot.)
Edited 7/29/2007 1:39 am ET by BobMc
Bob,
Thank you. I am sure that your method will work. It is quite creative. But I have solved the problem. Someone mentioned that Woodcraft sells a bottle of stuff that softens up water-based glue. I bought a bottle, put it on the dried glue for a few hours, and the stuff got soft, and I just scraped it off. It also got left a "black spot" where the liquid was, but that mostly came off when I rubbed it lightly with 0000 steel wool. I then coated the metal on my Besseys with the stuff in a spray can that you put on saw tops to keep them from rusting. It made them nice and slick. I will also do some overkill and put a coat of paste wax on them. And in the future, when I use them, I will put wax paper between the glue and my Besseys.I thank you and everyone else who gave me advice on this problem. I was really amazed when I went to use the clamps last week and the sliding jaws got stuck and couldn't get past some glue drips. I came close to freaking out when I couldn't remove the glue easily with a knife. This gives me a great respect for Titebond III glue. That stuff is not only water proof but it adheres to metal very well.Knots is a great place for getting help when you need it, and for hanging out with great folks.
Thank you again,
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Hey Mel,
what exactly is the woodcraft product called? I don't remember seeing it, unless it's the pink stuff labeled "pitch remover"
Thanks,
Lee
Lee,
The product is called "De-Glue Goo". Under that is says "Dissolves water-based glues". The Woodcraft number on it is : 129720. It is 8 oz. and sells for $10.99. It comes in a plastic squeeze bottle which is whitish-greyish-plasticish and has Blue lettering on it. It says "non toxic - all natural". There is a sign on the bottom of the back that says
http://www.de-gluegoo.com but I have not tried that website yet.Hope that helps.
Have fun.
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Mel,
Thanks a million!
Lee
Dear friend,I never had an experience like you but you should try this: wrap two towel soaked with water on both side of the glued portion as closely as possible,light up a butane torch and just melt away the glue,thats it!
I know that most wood glues can be removed with acetone (found in lacquer thinner. I do not however know if Titebond III is an exception. Be cautious though - lacquer thinner can dissolve some plastics.
Chris @ flairwoodworks
Has anyone tried "Goof-Off" or brush cleaner?
My 'job forman' has sucessfully used Goof Off for a long list of her handyman's goofs...
Dane,
I didn't try Goof Off, but I have some. Since the Woodcraft product worked, I stopped looking for ways of solving the problem. Thanks for the suggestion. I'll let some Titebond III dry on some metal and see how Goof Off works on it.
Thank you very much.
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
The advantage to De-glue Goo is its low toxicity and safety if it gets dripped on various materials. Goof Off is great stuff, but it's potent fume-wise and not always gentle.
Now you have something in your arsenal for squeeze-out that gets into pores, repairs, and even fabric removal should you get into that. forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
FG,
Thanks for the response. I did read, with great interest, the low toxicity aspect of the Woodcraft product. It is described on the label. When I wrote this message, I was pretty bummed out about the glue on my Besseys. Then I got a lot of responses, and I learned some very practical stuff, very quickly. Knots is a great place. I am amazed at how how many people were interested in the "glue on my Bessey's" problem. Have fun.
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Mel,
That's why you should always put skirts on your Besseys!
Just make them out of waxed paper. If you have problems with this just ask Ray and he can make some for you!
Oh yeah, and if you crumple them up, after the glue dries, they make nice wipes for protecting your shiny metal surfaces in your woodshop.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Bob,
Thanks for the suggestion, but I am way ahead of your. There are a lot of silly useless products that find their way into the woodworking stores, and important ones are not being developed. To get around this, I have formed my own company. Our first two products will be "Bessey skirts" and the new glue that I have developed for use with the Festool Domino. I call it "Domino Sugar." I am going to try to get Lataxe to do a CD for me on both products. I think he will be the next "Rob Cosman". I have come up with an advertising scheme. Have you seen those ads in the newspaper that have a photo of a sad looking guy and a really hot looking woman, and the headline says "Sex for Life". Well, I am going to do a takeoff on those. My ad will feature a guy holding a nice piece of furniture that he just build, and a beautiful woman who is looking longingly at him. The headline will be "Woodworking for Life." I am going to sell pills called "Wood-agra", to former woodworkers who are losing their interest in woodworking. There will be a statement saying: "if after taking Wood-agra, you find yourself in a furniture building episode that lasts longer than four hours, please consult your physician!"Now when woodworkers lose their interest in actually using tools, they become tool collectors. In the future, with "Wood-Agra", more woodworkers will be able to continue woodworking much longer.What do you think, Bob?
I will make untold millions on this.
If you want in on it, just sell all your belongings, and send me the money NOW, in small unmarked bills in a plain wrapper. I will make millions for you too. But you'll have to hurry. Time is running out.MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Mel,
I'll call you and raise you 2.
I'll commit 20% of the profits from Kidderville Granite Glakes. That should net you -$20.
Now, I've got 2 old hayburners that you could convert into glue and thus avoid your problems with you Besseys if you make the glue in such a way as it's easily removed.
Now, I'm off to medical school so I can reap the rewards of what most assuredly will be a successful career treating woodworkers that will OD on Wood-Agra!
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Wire wheel brush attached to my drill press worked GREAT for me.
I had similar problems. I bought a length of 1.25" thick wall pvc pipe and glued a cap on one end. I then filled it with vinegar (but not to the top). I removed the sliding head from the clamp and dropped the bar into the pipe - which is why I didn't fill the pipe to the top with vinegar. A couple hours later, all of the glue was gone. I used the same vinegar solution to remove the glue on 10 clamps and have set it aside for the next time it may happen. Easy, non-toxic and no mess.
Genius. This works great! Low cost and effective.
One other idea is to use packing tape it will stay put and don't slide around like wax paper
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