Glue sqeeze out detection

I can usually see it when I wipe down with mineral spirits before finishing.

Same as Sergio – little mineral spirits – - – laquer thinner evaporates too fast

-- "_If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astonish ourselves_." Edison

I also wipe the project down with mineral spirits. Remember to use a raking light (bright light shining across the project at an angle) at the same time to see defects when you do this.

-- Jack T, John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life."

One thing you can do is mask your glue area and stain first. Or, you just don’t have the problem with hide glue.

-- Paul M ..............If God wanted us to have fiberglass boats he would have given us fiberglass trees. http://prmdesigns.com/

Mineral spirits take sooo long to dry, use ACETONE. It also removes glue.
It also is great for checking leftover glues.

-- shdesign3.com

CR is right… let it dry and then clean it off with a good sharp chisel and or cabinet scraper. But I would like to add an interesting comment. I use a popular market glue and reading the instructions on the back, it tells me to use a wet or damp rag to wipe off the excess glue before it dries. Do not follow their instructions… DO NOT WIPE EXCESS GLUE WITH A DAM RAG! What that does is very bad. This dilutes the glue and allows it to penetrate deeper into the wood. There is nothing wrong using mineral spirits, but I prefer to use water. Whatever you use, be sure to put a light on it and look at with using an angle so you can detect the glue in the shine. My preference for water is that it shows me all the blemishes like mineral spirit, but it also pops out my dents. Don’t drown your work, simply dampen it. Done correctly, you can apply your finish within 20 minutes.

-- Bernie: It never gets hot or cold in New Hampshire, just seasonal!

You can use a black light with some glues. I’ve never tried it.

With furniture I pre-finish.

I’m also very neat with glue. Let it get soft-hard then wick it off
with a pointed stick or a drinking straw cut at a steep angle. The
excess you can scrape off with a razor blade. I do this on guitar
bracing.

Don’t use too much. Don’t try to clean it up with water. Bad.

A pair of angle chisels is very useful for glue squeeze out. Angle
dog-leg chisels are even better.

Dry assemble, tape along all joints, cut tape between pieces and glue up. Peel off tape and all squeeze out. I do this with all glue joints even though I don’t use stains, just clear finishes.

-- Carpenter assembles with hands, Designer builds with brains, Artist creates with heart!

Thanks for all the great tip and tricks! This is what is so great about this site. Not only can I learn from asking a question..we all benefit from it! Thanks again!

-- Measure twice and cut once.....

I second the use of acetone. When I’m having problems getting to the glue with a chisel, I’ll put a little acetone a qtip and rub it over the glue. That usually does the trick. Thought I’ve always been a little concerned about getting acetone into the joint itself and weakening it.

-- David

FaTToaD

You do not want to be soaking acetone on the wood or else it will remove the joint glue. Wipe off Acetone immediately after you remove the glue.

-- shdesign3.com