# How to separate hot glue joints



## Albert

I am getting into turning and have several times seen instructions on temporarily attaching turnings by use of hot glue.
The problem is the instructions never cover how to separate the pieces after turning and clean up the residue. There are sometimes other glue joints in the vicinity so I am hesitant to use heat to remove it.
Any ideas? How do you-all temporarily attach turnings, (for example to a faceplate?


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## Grandpa

When in school we would do this. In those days I never saw a chuck for a lathe so we used a flat faceplate with wood screwed to it. We used heavy paper glued to that wood then our stock to be turned on the other side of the paper. We clamped it and let it dry for a day. We cut it round on a band saw then turned it true. When we were finished we would slide a chisel between the bowl and the pine block splitting the paper. We never lost one and turned dozens of bowls. This was back when I was in high school. we were invincible at that age. LOL


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## woodbutcherbynight

Take a lighter, or a small butane torch if you have one, and heat a dull butter knife then slip it through the joint. Hot knife through butter idea.

I am NOT responsible for you getting beaten with a frying pan because you stole a knife from the wife's kitchen. (Laughing)


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## kdc68

*+1 Grampa*....although I'd like to add "light" clamping pressure…otherwise the glue will (for lack of a better description) bleed through the paper and permanetly glue the two together…that was my learning experience


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## Grandpa

Use heavy paper. You have to select the right paper. We never had that problem. We were using white Elmers glue in those days.


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## kdc68

*Grandpa *...probably what I needed was heavier paper when I tried the technique for the first time…thanks for the clarification


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## RetiredCoastie

Paul for now if you can identify where the wood face-plate ends and the piece your turning begins you can part it off.

Heavy Plain printer paper is a good paper for face-plate turning. When your done turning with the face-plate you can separate the piece from the face-plate with a chisel. If you need some help call me. I'll pm you my number.


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## Tim457

Assuming they are referring to hot hide glue, that's kind of a standard old time thing, reversing hot hide glue. That's probably why they assumed you knew how, since everyone used to. Like Michael said, heat basically does it, since you melt the glue in the first place. Various methods such as hot water, a hair dryer or heat gun or a heated putty knife or other blade work. Same methods for cleanup. The required temperature is something like 180, so not exactly boiling, but hotter than tap water.

For temporary turning attachment, we used also used white elmers glue on standard school paper and it worked pretty much every time I saw it in my shop class. I'm sure thicker paper and more careful application of a thin layer of glue would give more reliable results though.


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## shipwright

I'm not assuming you were referring to hot hide glue, but if you were, it takes BOTH heat and moisture to reverse it. Heat alone will get you nowhere. Cold water won't do it either. If I were using HHG to do this, I'd definitely use paper in between. HHG is reversible but it's not particularly easy.


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## TheDane

I don't trust hot glue (from a hot glue gun), and would never use it to fix a bowl blank to sacrificial block or face plate.

I do, however, glue (using Titebond II or CA) blanks to sacrificial blocks. Some use paper of one sort or another, but I prefer just gluing the blank to the sacrificial bowl, then use a parting tool to set it free.

My waste blocks are almost always re-used … I just re-face them and set them aside for the next project.

I make my waste blocks as recommended by Captain Eddie Castelin … see:
http://eberhardt.bz/shop_notes/turning/info/glueblock.pdf .


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## Dusty56

Good question and good answers. Thanks for future reference : )


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## Tim457

Paul, I'd assumed you needed both heat and moisture, but I've seen many people claim to separate hot hide glue joints with just heated putty knives. Should've mentioned I had not tried it that way.


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## foneman

I make my waste blocks as recommended by Capt Eddie in the link TheDane posted above. They work well for my segmented bowls and I use my hot glue gun to fasten them to the waste blocks. The first time I tried the hot glue and finished turning, I tried to hit the waste block with a mallet to release it and broke a small piece off the bottom of the bowl. Fortunately the bottom was thick enough that I was able to fix it. After that, I continue to use the hot glue and part-off the waste block. I was reluctant to use the hot glue initially, but not any more.

john


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## Tsmutz

I've used hot glue to stick down wide cupped boards to a sled I ran through the planer ( jointer being too narrow).

Denatured alcohol takes it right off (the glue I used anyway).


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## Albert

Thanks everyone, this gives me a bit more confidence to try a few things on my own.

Paul


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## HorizontalMike

WOW! I have been wasting my hardwood tote stock by not knowing about this trick. Cool! I was getting only two 2in knobs out of a 6in piece and can now get three. THAT is a 50% increase and less waste. Thanks for such a great tip!


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## ldl

I have had good luck just prying the turning apart with a small thin pry bar. I have only used small blocks and small blanks with hot glue though.


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## Albert

Thanks Idl, I will give it a go with the hot glue, I'm working on a rather large segmented turning and am a bit nervous about separating it later.

Pual


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## LeeBarker

My trusty glue gun of many years failed a couple weeks ago so I borrowed my wife's-a Stanley GR100.
I immediately ordered one for myself. Then came the learning: Included are three varieties of glue sticks, including one specifically for wood. The yellowish ones in this image.

Now it could just have color added, of course, but I wondered, reading these posts, if there is hot melt glue and then hot melt glue.

The other varieties in the kit were a low temp for jewelry and a dual temp for "general purpose."

Can you shed some light that would help us become better informed buyers of hot melt glue?

Thanks kindly,

Lee


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## TheDane

Lee-Maybe the reason I have been so leery of hit glue is that I have been using the wrong glue sticks? Every one I have ever seen had the white sticks … I have never seen yellow.

Over coffee this morning at our local turning club this morning, we had sort of an informal discussion about the best glue to use with waste blocks. It turns out that a couple of the guys favor WeldBond ( http://www.weldbond.com/ ), which I am told is available at Ace Hardware stores and Home Depot.


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## Chipncut

*I use craft grocery bags for this type of work, it never fails!*


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## LeeBarker

More info, Gerry, on types of hot melt.

I had no idea there were as many varieties as there are potato chips.

Kindly,

Lee


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## TheDane

Good grief! Who woulda thunk …


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## LeeBarker

I ordered some of the 3000 variety. I slightly wish I would have known about their industrial guns before I bought the Stanley GR100. But life will go on and other fish will get fried.

BTW, I found this outfit while looking for graphite canvas for the platen of the Grizzly wide belt sander. How that stuff is sold varies; sometimes by the foot, sometimes by the yard.

Kindly,

Lee


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