getting glue off of clamps

[michael craigdallie]

i have bessey k kody clamps and the glue is titebond 3. so aside from wiping off the clamps when the glue is still wet is there any good tricks to getting off dried titebond 3? (it gets in the little grooves on the bar and affects the sliding action of the head.)

thanks all,
michael

[Craig Michael]

burn it off some with a propane torch to get it soft then use a wire brush to clean if off completely. Don't go crazy with the torch, just do what is necessary.

[Peter Quinn]

Smash um!


I usually just run the clamp head fore and aft hard untill it breaks off the glue bits. I also think about how to glue up to minimize glue on the k bodys, as they are no fun to clean, and try to exercise restraint with my glue bottle to minimize squeeze out in general.

[Don Alexander]

i have always found the easiest way to get glue off my clamps is to keep it off them in the first place :eek:

wax paper between the clamps and the glueup is quite useful there are other methods as well i am sure

failing the preferred situtation of no glue to clean off , its easier to clean off glue before it cures than it is afterwards

[Jim McFarland]

Soaking in white vinegar will soften the TB-3 so you can remove but it does discolor the metal bar in my experience.

[Chip Lindley]

+1 on Keeping glue away from clamps in the first place. I use Pony 3/4" pipe clamps since they are bought and paid for. Wax paper has served me well to keep wood glue and iron pipe from leaving black stains on oak. Now that wax paper is harder to find, some clear 6 mil poly sheet between the bars and the wood works for me.

[Jon Grider]

i have always found the easiest way to get glue off my clamps is to keep it off them in the first place :eek:

wax paper between the clamps and the glueup is quite useful there are other methods as well i am sure

failing the preferred situtation of no glue to clean off , its easier to clean off glue before it cures than it is afterwards

Good advice...I keep a roll of painters tape handy when doing glue ups and tape the areas of the bar where squeeze out may occur. Remember to pull the tape off after you remove the clamps or it may come off in small pieces when left on for a few days.

[Charles Lent]

I wax the shafts of my clamps with Johnson's Paste Wax , and using a small brush, I scrub it into the threads of the Bessey clamps. It doesn't keep the glue off, but it makes it easy to get the it off after it's dry.

Charley

[Gary Herrmann]

A dental pick will get the glue out of the grooves. But it is better to prevent the situation in the first place.

[Mark Woodmark]

I found the best way to keep glue off the clamps is to not use glue at all. I use double sided masking tape, but Im having problems with the joints coming apart. Cleaning the joints prior to taping with naptha makes this problem worse. So then I went to not using the clamps at all which leaves the clamps clean, but the glue joint is only slightly stronger than the tape. So now I am looking for a snap together hardwood source. Any suggestions?



HA!!!!!!

[Michael Drew]

Now that was funny! :D

[Josh Hulbert]

I found a product called De-Glue Goo - works great! I did a little video on it here http://modernclassicscustom.com/2014/01/03/parallel-clamps-a-sticky-situation/

[Tony Joyce]

A little different approach than most, but I use a TFE Dry Coating Lubricant and Release Agent. Specifically Sprayway SP295. I only have to renew it periodically. I also use it on anything that comes in contact with glue that I don't want glue stuck to. It does not affect finishes. Only down side seems to be the white film it leaves. Dri-Cote or Top-Cote will work as well , but is more expensive.

Tony

[Jerry Miner]

I found the best way to keep glue off the clamps is to not use glue at all. I use double sided masking tape, but Im having problems with the joints coming apart. Cleaning the joints prior to taping with naptha makes this problem worse. So then I went to not using the clamps at all which leaves the clamps clean, but the glue joint is only slightly stronger than the tape. So now I am looking for a snap together hardwood source. Any suggestions?

There is this guy, who builds furniture held togther with magnets:

http://http://www.benjaminvermeulen.com.

[Edward Oleen]

If you've got a Dremel Moto-tool, chuck up a brass wire wheel and go to town. It'll get in to the crannies and crevices and won't tear up the bar or the screw threads the way a steel brush might.

[Chris Fournier]

I use a paint scraper to get the glue off the sides of the Besseys and the screw/racking action takes care of any on the edges. Every year(ish) or so I give Besseys a waxing.

Clamps are used for gluing among other things, they will get glue on them, they are tools, they are not investments that appreciate in value. Take care of them as needed so that they operate properly for you when you need them. There are plenty of other tool/equipment maintenance jobs in a woodworking shop!

[Howard Acheson]

>>>> A dental pick will get the glue out of the grooves.

I suppose that will work but it sounds like it would be very slow. I have used a wire brush wheel on my gringer. Does pretty well.

[Yonak Hawkins]

i have always found the easiest way to get glue off my clamps is to keep it off them in the first place :eek:
wax paper between the clamps and the glueup is quite useful there are other methods as well i am sure
failing the preferred situtation of no glue to clean off , its easier to clean off glue before it cures than it is afterwards


Good advice...I keep a roll of painters tape handy when doing glue ups and tape the areas of the bar where squeeze out may occur. Remember to pull the tape off after you remove the clamps or it may come off in small pieces when left on for a few days.

Gee, that sounds like a lot of bother to me. Whenever I tried the wax paper method, it always seems to get out of place before I was done, sometimes even getting in between the laminations somehow. ..And with the tape, how far do you tape ? When you tighten the clamps it will get under the head and tail stops or bunch up.

I just scrape the clamps off with a putty knife at the end of the job before I put the clamps up. ..Seems to work OK for me but I realize there are lots of kinds of clamps.

[Ellen Benkin]

I can't believe he applied a new product on the bar directly over his workbench and didn't cover it (the workbench) with something (even newspaper!) before he scraped it off. Brave guy! My solution is to cover the bar of the clamp with clear packing tape so I don't get glue on it to start with.

[Myk Rian]

So now I am looking for a snap together hardwood source. Any suggestions?
Tinker toys.

[glenn bradley]

I lay paper, plastic or 'whatever' on the surface I am clamping on and use painter's tape where the glue may ooze. It is easy to see where these spot may be when you do your dry run prior to glue-up ;-) When I miss, I use a pick or awl to flick the glue out of the grooves. If I do get glue on the bars and don't notice for a few days, heat, vinegar, Glue-gone or whatever will soften it for removal.

279466

[Mike Henderson]

I use Bessey clamps. The glue is just not that much of a problem for me. If I get too much on the bar, I can always just ram the clamp head down the bar and it knocks it off. If I want to take it off some other way, an old chisel works well.

Never had a problem with the clamp not grabbing the bar properly.

Mike

[Josh Hulbert]

Gee, that sounds like a lot of bother to me. Whenever I tried the wax paper method, it always seems to get out of place before I was done, sometimes even getting in between the laminations somehow. ..And with the tape, how far do you tape ? When you tighten the clamps it will get under the head and tail stops or bunch up.

I just scrape the clamps off with a putty knife at the end of the job before I put the clamps up. ..Seems to work OK for me but I realize there are lots of kinds of clamps.

I've had similar experiences trying to cover the bars, and it doesn't seem to take much extra tape to bunch up when the clamp is tightened.

[Joe Mioux]

I just move the head back and forth a couple times and that generally takes care of the problem areas. I have also tried wax paper, but the paper keeps moving around during clamping.

Judicious use of glue also helps.