# Will woodglue go bad?



## fiddlebanshee (May 3, 2010)

Hi all, I am redoing my shop and came across some bottles of woodglue (titebond II and III) that had been left in the garage during last winter when temps dropped to the teens for an extended time and the heating had stopped working. So I am assuming everything froze. Is this glue still good to use?

Anybody know if I should throw it out? The bottle says store at room temp 

TIA!
Jo


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

Probably no good, you can easily tell if it "chalks" when it dries.


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

Their site says it's freeze/thaw stable.

http://titebond.com/product/glues/2ef3e95d-48d2-43bc-8e1b-217a38930fa2 (bottom of the page)

Probably safer to toss it though. It's cheap insurance. You sure don't want to have a project fall apart.


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## LittleShaver (Sep 14, 2016)

When in doubt, throw it out.


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

> When in doubt, throw it out.
> 
> - LittleShaver


ditto,not worth the chance.


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

There's a date code on there as well.

Excellent advice above, throw it out.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

The last time i read Fanklin's freeze warning, they suggested it was safe through 5 freeze/thaw cycles. Your may ave been through more than that. I'd probably toss it, but you could test it and see what happens.


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## lumbering_on (Jan 21, 2017)

Glue up some test wood and see what happens. If nothing else, you'll get to take some frustration out by bashing some wood around.


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## DrDirt (Feb 26, 2008)

not worth messing with. Rather spend an additional 8 bucks for a 16 ounces of glue, than have a joint fail.


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

Take your glue into the house when freezing is eminent. A good way is to store glue in a styrofoam box and keep it up off the ground.


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## 000 (Dec 9, 2015)

If it doesn't seem too thick, use it.
Test may be in order, but I think it's fine if it hasn't thickened.
Give it a good stir first.

If your building a heirloom, throw it out.


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## woodbutcherbynight (Oct 21, 2011)

> If your building a heirloom, throw it out.
> 
> - jbay


+1 better safe than full of regret. Just saying. LOL


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## Bonka (Apr 13, 2012)

I can't find the out date codes.


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## PCDub (Sep 24, 2017)

A friend who bought a new house last year found a nearly full bottle of TB II in the garage this spring. It was very thick; I thinned it with water and stirred it thoroughly-there was something we HAD to glue, so we did… worked fine!
Not sure I'd use it on an heirloom, as others have said, but it does work!


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

Titebond's new website doesn't have the date code explanation any more.

Technical Support Team at 1-800-347-4583, Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. EST.










The A means it was made in America and I'm not sure how to decipher the number part of the date code
on the TB III bottle.


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

4 is the last digit of the year so 2014 (I think they used a different code back in 2004)
06 is month
23 is day.

Personally, I don't buy Titebond glue anymore, i have had had 3 bottles now go bad with code dates under 2 years old. One bottle had only been used once but the last time I tried to use it, it had started to solidify in the sealed bottle. Only time I've ever had a glue joint fail was with TB3 with a code date less than a year old. On the other hand I have a gallon jug of Elmer's carpenter glue that is still half full that I bought in 2014 that stills works just fine, though I am starting to think it might be time to throw it out.


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

> Personally, I don't buy Titebond glue anymore
> 
> - Lazyman


But, who else makes fluorescent glue? I use it on every project to prevent problems when I apply finish.

http://lumberjocks.com/RichTaylor/blog/119665


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

Thanks Lazyman!


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## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

I use the mantra "when in doubt throw it out" for finishes as well as glue. Saving a couple bucks is just not worth the risk of messing up a project.


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## GR8HUNTER (Jun 13, 2016)

> If it doesn t seem too thick, use it.
> Test may be in order, but I think it s fine if it hasn t thickened.
> Give it a good stir first.
> 
> ...


+1 *DITTO ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ * :<))


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

I was thinking about the suggestion about adding water to the glue if it has started to thicken. While it might make it usable I wonder if that is really a good idea. If it is thickening because water has evaporated then it has started to set and I doubt you'll be reversing anything. If the bottle was sealed for all but the few minutes it was open to apply it a few times as mine did then water loss is unlikely and there may be some sort of chemical reaction happening which is probably why it has a code date. Just a thought.


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

> I was thinking about the suggestion about adding water to the glue if it has started to thicken. While it might make it usable I wonder if that is really a good idea. If it is thickening because water has evaporated then it has started to set and I doubt you ll be reversing anything. If the bottle was sealed for all but the few minutes it was open to apply it a few times as mine did then water loss is unlikely and there may be some sort of chemical reaction happening which is probably why it has a code date. Just a thought.
> 
> - Lazyman


i think your right from what ive heard adding water to glue is not a good idea and will weaken the bond.


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

> i think your right from what ive heard adding water to glue is not a good idea and will weaken the bond.
> 
> - pottz


I don't know why this person didn't bother to check the manufacturer's web site before posting incorrect information. Must be too much work.

According to Titebond:

*Can Titebond Wood Glues be thinned?*
Most of our water-based wood glues can be thinned with water up to 5% by weight or by volume. Adding more than 5% water to our glues will decrease the bond strength. Titebond Liquid Hide Glue is thinned by gently heating the bottle in a pan of warm water. Titebond Polyurethane Glue may only be thinned by placing the bottle into a pan of warm water.


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## fiddlebanshee (May 3, 2010)

Wow, thanks for all the replies and the interesting discussion. I think I'm going to throw all the bottles out. I'm headed for woodcraft this afternoon to pick up my sharpened blades and I'm going to pick up a whole new supply.

I did glue the sliding cabinet doors that I recently made with this glue and that'll be the litmus test. If they hold, it probably was still good, but they are also relatively easy to redo so I'm not going to loose sleep over it.









Thanks again!


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## Dwain (Nov 1, 2007)

Funny this topic came up. I actually had a gallon of glue separate on me. It was many, many years old, like, more that five years old. I had never seen this before so I contacted Titebond to ask about it. They said, yes, this can happen, but only after many years, then, providing FANTASTIC customer service, they sent me a few bottles of new glue to replace the gallon that went bad. IT WAS MY FAULT, I FORGOT ABOUT THE GALLON AND TOLD THEM AS MUCH, AND THEY STILL SENT ME NEW GLUE. I am a big fan because of this service. The moral of the story, and for the OP is that glue won't stay forever, keep cycling it in your projects, and oh, keep it indoors when not using it.


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

> i think your right from what ive heard adding water to glue is not a good idea and will weaken the bond.
> 
> - pottz
> 
> ...


The response wasn't about *thinning* the glue. It was in the context, which you deleted BTW, of fixing glue that has started to thicken. If you've found something on the TB website about that, please do share.


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

> The response wasn t about *thinning* the glue. It was in the context, which you deleted BTW, of fixing glue that has started to thicken. If you ve found something on the TB website about that, please do share.
> 
> - Lazyman


He said adding water isn't a good idea and will weaken the bond. I showed on the Titebond site where they said you can add up to 5% water. Call it what you want, but the fact remains that you're adding water.


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## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

From TB website: "Freezing may not affect the function of the product but may cause it to thicken. Agitation should restore product to original form." I didn't see anything about adding water to restore the glue. Freezing likely causes the PVA and water to separate. Agitation re-homogenizes the mixture, that's all.

If I remember my chemistry from when I was a process engineer in the forest products adhesive world, PVA glue thickens due to age because the PVA (polyvinyl acetate) is cross linking (curing) in the bottle due to air exposure and temperature as the chemical that inhibits the cross linking either degrades or is evaporated. Adding water doesn't reverse the cross linking. All the water does at that point is dilute the solids. The cross linked glue in the bottle is still essentially useless to the bonding strength (cross linking) of the glue at that point.


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## Clarkswoodworking (Jan 13, 2018)

I pulled out a glue bottle some time ago and it was thicker then normal 
But I used it anyway and it worked out fine !
Got lucky I guess


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## Chashint (Aug 14, 2016)

> Wow, thanks for all the replies and the interesting discussion. I think I m going to throw all the bottles out. I m headed for woodcraft this afternoon to pick up my sharpened blades and I m going to pick up a whole new supply.
> - fiddlebanshee


It's cheaper at Home Depot


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