Removing glue squeeze-out???

Al Launier

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Bedford, NH
I recently tried to stain a piece of work that I had glued up. Immediately after clamping the parts together I used a damp cloth to remove the squeeze-out. That worked pretty well except that in some places it smeared the glue, rather than removing it all. At the time I figured that sanding would removed anything I missed. Unfortunately the stain highlighted the excess glue that I missed when sanding. More sanding suggested that the glue had penetrated deeperr than expected. So, not wanting to sand anymore, I bailed & painted instead.

Thinking more about this, I thought it might work better to let the glue cure to a semi-harden, or even hard state & then use something to scrape the glue off, perhaps a chisel. I haven't tried this yet, but would this technique work better to remove all of the squeeze-out? I'm kinda getting "tired" of just painting things & would like to try finishing. Is there a better way?
 
your headed down the right path Al in waiting on glue squezz out,, you wait till its rubbery and peal it off with a chisel or scraper,, dont use a wet cloth as it just thins it out and lets it go deeper into the grain structure as yu found out the hard way:)
 
your headed down the right path Al in waiting on glue squezz out,, you wait till its rubbery and peal it off with a chisel or scraper,, dont use a wet cloth as it just thins it out and lets it go deeper into the grain structure as yu found out the hard way:)

Yeah. What Larry said. I prefer to use a wide - like 1½" ~ 2" - chisel. Easier to gouge the work if you use a narrower chisel. A scraper works well, too, unless the hardened globs are pretty big.
 
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I'm also skip the wet rag. As mentioned, I let the glue get rubbery (30 to 60 minutes) and then chisel off. If you find glue that has cured after the fact, be careful when you are trying to remove the glue. I have a couple-few odd chisels for just this use. A crank-neck and some short crank-necks. These allow paring as opposed to scraping that can cause tearout which increases rather than cures your problem:).

I recently found a couple spots I missed as I was applying the finish. My solution there is to continue on, come back once the finish is dry to touch, do my chisel and/or scraper work as required and refinish that area. Since missed spots are at a joint and usually hard to spot (that's why you miss them) the fix / finish visibility is not an issue.
 
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Painters tape along both sides of the joint help. I let the glue harden overnight then use a scraper.
With all the glue ups I've done I don't remember having a problem using this method.
I can't count how many times I've gotten glue on a finger and left a spot on some part I didn't want glue on though :doh:
 
Never wet rag - that is the worst thing you cab do.

I usually use a paint scraper - in the really rubber state or in the fully cured state.

Gotta be careful in the rubbery state - sometimes the glue is still liquid "inside" and will smear onto the wood.

I have several sizes and shapes of scrapers. I have a small triangle carbide scraper and some medium and larger paint scrapers.

I sharpen my scrapers and carefully "slice" off the excess hardened of almost hardened glue.

I sometimes round the sharp corners of the scrapers.

Be careful with sharpened scrapers - they DO cut wood, and CAN make deep gouges.

Be careful and they help to minimize sanding.
 
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