Liked Megan Fitzpatrick’s latest column on cleaning up. Her wish for a self cleaning top rang in my mind. For years I have used the steps below to minimize the hassle of keeping glue bottles from you know who ready to go when needed.
1. Never throw away a glue top when a bottle is used up.
2. Before starting a glue up, have a small cup of water ready. I recycle sour cream containers.
3. When your glue is done, put the top of the bottle in the water cup.
4. Put a cleaned glue top on the bottle.
Repeat steps 3 and 4 if you have longe interrupted glue up.
5. When you get time, take the water cup and used glue top to the sink. Flush it clean, Since the glue has not had any time to dry – it’s easy.
6. Dry the top and add it to the supply of tops you’ve hoarded over the years. Ready to go for some future glue up.
Mick C.
San Diego, CA
Replies
I bookbind, and I've come up with this: it's a jar with a silicone stopper and a silicone spreader stuck (with silicone) to the bottom of it.
It keeps perfectly and there's no clean up. ☺️
So this keeps the glue from drying out, right? Very intelligent. Is the glue similar or exactly like Titebond?
Yeah! It's PVA, this is even woodworking pva so it's really similar. These jars have been like this for several months and haven't dried out at all.
Shoot me an email... we need to get this in the Workshop Tips section of the mag!
[email protected]
Oh. Gosh. Really? 😳 Okayy...
And if you use French's Mustard . . .
There is no way that works. Is that... is that REAALLLLL!!!???!!
Bottles usually have one of a few standard threads. :) I think there's even an ISO for them.
That must be true. Any soda bottle cap will fit any competitor. You'd think they'd be different between competitors, yet none are proprietary, though every bottle shape is different.
If I was big soda... I'd use metric.
Geedubb, don't you have one from a relish bottle that will fit the color scheme better?
@BillieRuben, may I ask where you got the jar and spreader from please?
I think that is an awesome idea, and very very handy!
I'll copy what I sent to Ben! ☺️☺️
The little spatulas are sold for resin art or mixing beauty products (I got these on AliExpress for less than a dollar each), they are sold attached to sticks but the spatula bit slides right off.
I know there is similar made specifically for woodwork too (you're probably already aware of this I'm sure!).
Similar could also be done with a larger jar and a silicone kitchen spatula for big glue ups. They even make mini food spatulas (for cake decorating) that would be a good "in between" size.
The silicone stoppers I got on AliExpress too, they're sold as chemistry lab wear. I'm not sure if they make silicone plugs (for sinks) but perhaps that might be easier to find locally!
Because it's silicone, it's got to be glued to and with silicone. I put a bit of silicone caulk into a syringe (sans needle) to give me a bit more control when gluing these.
I really like it because there's no clean up or wasted glue. And the spatula gives a really even coating, like my finger would, but without getting a gluey finger. ☺️
Originally I tried jars with a synthetic-haired brush tip expoxied to the inside of the lid, but they rusted and, within a couple of months, the epoxy joint failed. But the silicone is holding up splendidly!
Ok that's all a can think of to say about them. ☺️
Many thanks for a very detailed reply and good leads & information :)
You're so very welcome! ❤️