I got lucky today!

[Brad Cambell]

I received an email from Fed Ex that my glue was being delivered today. The only problem was that it was below freezing and I was worried that it would freeze and be compromised. I ordered 1 gallon each of Titebond and Titebond II.

So, as I'm coming home, I'm going through in my mind what to do with frozen glue. I read on the internet that the glue can go through several freeze and thaw cycles and still be ok. However, Titebond's web site said to not let the glue freeze.

Well, as I was nearing my house I saw the Fed Ex truck backing out of my drive!!! So all my worrying was for nothing!!!

Now my question is, was all my worrying for nothing? Can glue freeze and still be viable?

[Roger Rayburn]

Yes. To both questions. I like to bring mine into the house when it's cold simply because the glue flows better when it's warm. Glue can easily handle several freeze-thaw cycles, and if it does freeze, stick the bottle in a bucket of hot water until it thaws and flows to your satisfaction. If it gets super thick ("emulsifies"), stir it up real good before you use it. I had a gallon of Elmer's white that I bought for 5 bucks when a hardware store went out of business. That jug must have been frozen a dozen times over the years. When it would get too thick to pour into my glue bottle I just chucked a piece of welding rod with a crook in the bottom into a drill and stirred it until it quit fighting me. Never had glue joint failure from that jug. I don't recommend thinning it simply because if you do thin it you have to keep track of how many times you thinned it and there is a limit to doing that.

[Harry Hagan]

Your question reminded me of a comment one of my salesmen made back in the 80s. He’d just finished reading an article in the local paper about a department store in the new mall delaying their opening due to a “vomit like” smell throughout the store. My salesman said, “It’s the floor tile adhesive. It smells like vomit when it freezes and thaws.” Knowing the delayed opening was costing them a lot of money; we contacted the store’s general manager.

He dismissed our advice as “ridiculous” without even asking how we came to that conclusion.

I forgot about it until three months later when the subject came up while having lunch with the mall’s developer. He said the store had still not opened and adjacent stores were complaining about the smell wafting into the common areas. A week later the store opened with new floor tiles and a new manager.

[Mel Fulks]

Funny story ,Harry.As for thinning glue that has frozen ,good to know it will work.But after thinning I would not use it for any thing that must remain real flat. I'm not so sure the glue has any water at all as packaged. I've been told that polyurethane glue has no liquid ingredients.

[Paul Symchych]

99% of the things we worry about never happen.

[Brad Cambell]

I'm glad to hear that wood glue would survive being frozen. That information might come in handy someday.