Breaking apart joints with Titebond II

[Kris Koenig]

Anybody had any luck getting freshly glued joints apart that were glued with Titebond II? I have a project that I messed up, and now I need to break it apart to fix it.

Kris

[Chris Jenkins]

Good luck with that! Typically a glue joint is stronger than the fibers of the wood. If you really need to cut the wood apart AT the glue joint I recommend a bandsaw and trying to cut as close to the glue line as possible and then joint the edge true again. You will have material loss any way I can think of it.

[Kris Koenig]

Yeah, I am afraid of what is going to hapen. I barely put any glue on the joints, so I am hoping that I can actually break them apart. Unfortunately, it is also not flat work, so it is going to take a little different approach.

Pictures of the project:

http://public.fotki.com/robbinlynn/woodworking-projects/fauldstool/

I need to break the arms and feet off to take it apart. Whoo Hoo....




Good luck with that! Typically a glue joint is stronger than the fibers of the wood. If you really need to cut the wood apart AT the glue joint I recommend a bandsaw and trying to cut as close to the glue line as possible and then joint the edge true again. You will have material loss any way I can think of it.

[Brad Schmid]

I've never tried it to see how well it works, but Titebond says use heat to weaken the joint. From their site FAQ's:

What is the best way to disassemble a glue joint?
The key to the disassembly of glue joints is weakening the bond. For Titebond Original and Titebond II, raising the glue joint temperature with a heat gun or a blow dryer will reduce the glue's strength. Steam from an iron may also work for Titebond Original. Placing a few drops of water on the edge of a joint made with Titebond Liquid Hide Glue will, after absorbed, cause the joint to weaken.

good luck!

[glenn bradley]

I'll assume its been more than 30 minutes . . . . Heat and gradual pressure v.s. a quick jolt that will tear fibers. The slow pressure will tear material as well but at least you can have a slim element of control. Best of luck.

[Quinn McCarthy]

Kris

Like Brad said use a heat gun. I think after 30 days or so you can't do that anymore.

Quite a few people put veneer down with TBII by putting the glue on both surfaces and letting it dry. Then place them together and use an iron to resoften the glue.

Good luck.

Quinn

[Lee Schierer]

Titebond original and Titebond II are not water proof. B II is water resistant, but will soften if exposed to water. If you can soak the joint in water, you can soften the glue enough to get the joint apart. Note that some water contains minerals that may stain your wood and some grain raising will occur. Let the wood dry throughly and scrape off any exposed glue before you reasemble the joint.

[Kris Koenig]

Titebond original and Titebond II are not water proof. B II is water resistant, but will soften if exposed to water. If you can soak the joint in water, you can soften the glue enough to get the joint apart. Note that some water contains minerals that may stain your wood and some grain raising will occur. Let the wood dry throughly and scrape off any exposed glue before you reasemble the joint.

Thanks for all of the replies. I will try to get some water into the joints and use a heat gun to soften it up. I have been meaning to buy a heat gun and some spreader clamps, anyway. ;)

Kris

[Dave Anderson NH]

I have successfully disassembled one of my screwup-glueups with Titebond using hot water with a small amount of white vinegar added. It came apart just fine. The nasty part is removing the glue residue after it's apart.

[Joe Spear]

I don't know what your project is. but if the unwanted joint is on a flat surface, maybe you could cut along the joint on your tablesaw. You would lose about an eighth-inch of width, but maybe that doesn't matter.

[CPeter James]

I have used a heat gun and clamps pushing to take a dovetail joint apart. It came without any damage. Slow and steady on the pressure and heat just below the burning point.

CPeter

[Rick Whitehead]

I've had pretty good success using straight vinegar to soften joints glued with the original Titebond. I used a hypodermic needle to inject it into the joint. After a while, the glue turned gummy and I was able to force the joint apart.The hard part was cleaning off the old glue, as previously said.
Rick