Removing Glue From Bar Clamps?

[Vaughn McMillan]

I realize the obvious solution is to not get glue on them in the first place, but despite my best efforts (including using wax paper) I still get the occasional globs of Titebond on my Gross Stabil clamps. The glue globs (say that five times fast) make adjusting the clamps a pain, of course. The excess glue is particularly difficult to remove from the serrated 'teeth' on the clamp bar. I've scraped and wire-brushed and tried several other approaches (including using a scary dangerous paint stripper attached to a drill motor) without much luck.

What are your preferred mothods for removing glue from bar clamps?

- Vaughn

[Norman Hitt]

I realize the obvious solution is to not get glue on them in the first place, but despite my best efforts (including using wax paper) I still get the occasional globs of Titebond on my Gross Stabil clamps. The glue globs (say that five times fast) make adjusting the clamps a pain, of course. The excess glue is particularly difficult to remove from the serrated 'teeth' on the clamp bar. I've scraped and wire-brushed and tried several other approaches (including using a scary dangerous paint stripper attached to a drill motor) without much luck.

What are your preferred mothods for removing glue from bar clamps?

- Vaughn

Vaughn, I'll certainly agree that it is a never ending problem, and I think I've used every method you mentioned at one time or another, (with the same results you reported.

I have improved, or at least sped up the process though with how I go about it now though. As soon as I make the glue up and let it sit long enough for the squeeze out to skim over, I scrape off that excess, and then immediately wipe off the clamps with a wet rag and use a wet 3M pad and or small wire brush on the tough spots, followed by another wet/damp rag and then a dry rag. It does appear to work fairly well and easily if you get to it at this stage before the glue has a chance to really harden on the clamps. Of course, there is always a little that you can't get to until you take the clamps off and then it's back to the old hard work on those areas, but the sooner you get to it, the easier it is. If you find a better way, PLEASE let me know.

One thing I know for sure though, is to NOT WAX the clamp bars. DAMHIKT

[Alan Turner]

My method, probably not for all, is to tap the fully dried and cured glue sharply with a steel hammer. The glue generally falls right off.

[Scott Crumpton]

I use carnuba wax or Bates Glue Release (from UC Coatings, the Anchorseal folks) on all at risk surfaces. Let the glue dry in place and then just knock it off by sliding the clamp through it's entire length. Re-apply every other use. The carnuba even works well on my formica assembly surface.

---Scott.

[Michael Perata]

Scott

Thanks for the product glue release recommendation.

I have a paint scraper that I use when glue sticks to my Besseys. Scraping it across the threads get enough glue out to use the clamp the next time. About once a year I take a wire wheel in a drill motor to the clamp. Makes 'em shiny.

[Steve Clardy]

I let it dry, then use a light hit with a hammer or whatevers handy. Sometimes an old chisel works

[Gary Herrmann]

My neighbor is a dentist and he gave me half a dozen picks. They're good for detail glue scraping on the work, and good for getting glue out of the little grooves on the bars of my kbodys.

[Don Baer]

My son would probubly use one of these.



But then I'd have o kill him.

[Dale Rodabaugh]

Had to dig back a ways to find this post.I just glued up a couple panels,using wax paper over my clamps.It worked very good,no glue at all on the clamps.I just laid the wax paper over the clamps before clamping the panels.

[Vaughn McMillan]

Had to dig back a ways to find this post.I just glued up a couple panels,using wax paper over my clamps.It worked very good,no glue at all on the clamps.I just laid the wax paper over the clamps before clamping the panels.

I use wax paper so much I keep a roll of it on the glue-up table, and it handles the majority of the mess. Still, I've had some glue that manages to get on the serrations of the clamp bar, due to my own carelessness. Alan's suggestion about tapping it with a hammer refreshed my memory. Back in high school shop, if you got in trouble with the teacher, you were relegated to knocking the glue off the bar clamps (with a steel hammer) until your attitude (or the teacher's) changed. I've got mine pretty clean now with an old paint scraper and lots of elbow grease, but when the need arises again I think I'll try the hammer method.

Thanks all, for the suggestions -

- Vaughn

[Jim Dunn]

Hey Don, ain't those paint scrapers? Or very sharp screw drivers?

I've gotten Gorilla glue on by Besse's and just lifted off with a little help from a flat screw driver.