# Glue squeeze out in parallel bar clamps?



## Jeremymcon (Jul 16, 2016)

I just bought a couple bora portamate parallel bar clamps when they were on sale st Woodcraft. I have never owned any before, always using either pipe clamps or those aluminum bar clamps.

I liked them a lot until I took them off my cutting board glue up, and found my squeeze out dried on the little serrated section of the clamp! It faces up on these clamps, and a little glue on that surface makes it impossible to move the clamping head past! In pipe clamps the head would just chip the glue off and it was no big deal.

Anyone have a good suggestion for removing the glue and/or preventing this from happening?


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## Mike_in_STL (Dec 8, 2016)

Jim of Stumpy Nubs just did a video on this.

Parallel Clamp Tune Up


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## wildwoodbybrianjohns (Aug 22, 2019)

Preventing, I use either blue painters tape, or packing tape on the clamps.


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## therealSteveN (Oct 29, 2016)

A coat of paste wax before, allows dried glue to really easily chip, crumble off. Reapply as needed

But any cover over the bars are a step in eliminating a future headache.

For removing what is there already I've always used a heat gun. PVA glues start to soften at 160 degrees, All of them start getting drippy at 200. Yep hot enough to burn your hands if you grab them, but way below any level that will affect the metal bars, now the plastic heads are a different story, wire brush close to them. They may not burn up, but they could warp. I stay 6" away from them.


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## Jeremymcon (Jul 16, 2016)

Ah! Heat gun sounds doable. And paste wax. Are they worth extra effort vs pipe clamps that don't mind a little squeeze out? I'll have to keep using them and decide if I'll want any more.


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

+1 on waxing them, though I would wax the pipe clamps too to make the glue pop off of them more easily. I've never had a problem chipping the glue off just using my fingernail.

Are they better than pipe clamps? Only you can decide that based upon the type of projects you do.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

> A coat of paste wax before, allows dried glue to really easily chip, crumble off. Reapply as needed
> 
> But any cover over the bars are a step in eliminating a future headache.
> 
> ...


Right there is what I've done in the past and it works well.


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## therealSteveN (Oct 29, 2016)

I know one thing for sure. If this happens on those small clicks on a Bessey clamp, you will only forget to wax, or cover them one time. Unless you enjoy heating and brushing wax off clamp bars, hateful work.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

Yeah that happened to me the first time I used parallel bar clamps then I got smart and applied paste wax to them right out of the box. It is a good idea to use on your F clamps as well.


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## JackDuren (Oct 10, 2015)

I've never cleaned the glue off mine and they work fine…


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## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

Most often for me the action of sliding the jaw down will bust loose any dried glue, but waxing/tape is a much better option.

For the jaw faces, I skim off any glue with a razor blade. Don't dig into the plastic, just angle enough to catch the edge of the blob and it'll pop right off.


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## BlueRidgeDog (Jan 2, 2019)

Mine have not seen a glob of glue that they did not bust through easily. I have never waxed them, but may after reading the recommendation.


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