# sticky subject



## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

Anybody now how to remove hot melt glue painlessly?

My adjustable router thicknesser is working well, but I have to glue the small pieces to the board as they are too thin for clamps.
I can use a scraper to get them off the board afterwards, but then its a pain having to pick dozens of bits off the finished piece.


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

Bob,

A heat gun might soften it up, but still a lot of scraping.

You could put glue on the edge of the board, and then cut or joint of sand it off?

Or you could get rid of the glue all together and use a cam or wedge system to hold the wood in place. I brad nail down blocks of wood for clamps, but the wedge system reduces the risk of hitting a steel nail with the cutter.

http://www.routerforums.com/general-routing/17248-two-cam-board-issues.html#post140704

>>>>>I can't remember who's wedge setup this is<<<<<<


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## phillip.c (Aug 9, 2012)

Experiment by placing news print over the area and ironing it.

Try this first in an inconspicuous area or on a piece of scrap.


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

Doug, wedges wont work. I'm cutting boards down to 5mm thick (about 5/16ths") Also the router sled has to move over the entire workpiece.
I'm laying the pieces flat, and gluing the edges of the pieces to the base board for routing. It works really well. But when I remove the piece, its only 5mm thick, but all the edges have glue on them.
Its a nuisance picking it all off with my fingernails, rather than a serious issue, I just wondered if anybody had found an easy way.

Phillip, the edges are just too thin for ironing. Dont want to use any heat as that will spread the glue to the flat surfaces.


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## tomp913 (Mar 7, 2014)

Have you considered dabs of glue on the face of the part? - then you would have to just pry the part off the base once you've finished routing.

As far as the wedge clamps, the straight pieces next to the wood that you're planning could be a little thinner than the finished parts and the wedges could be thicker, unless the concern is that the part lifts up while you're routing. Or, would it be too much hassle to clamp one side, rout half way, stop and move the clamps and then finish the second half?


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

Bob...

try a card scrapper.. Super-Hard Curved Scraper Sets - Lee Valley Tools

if you don't have access to something like those, try burnishing a razor blade. I've found them to work very
well, especially in very tight places.


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

tomp913 said:


> Have you considered dabs of glue on the face of the part? - then you would have to just pry the part off the base once you've finished routing.
> 
> As far as the wedge clamps, the straight pieces next to the wood that you're planning could be a little thinner than the finished parts and the wedges could be thicker, unless the concern is that the part lifts up while you're routing. Or, would it be too much hassle to clamp one side, rout half way, stop and move the clamps and then finish the second half?


no good, the piece is laid flat to the table. Glue underneath would make the surface uneven.

The router will lift a piece and chew it up it isnt glued almost all the way around the edges.


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

Bill, interesting, I shall have to try a reverse scraper. Because the glue is on the edge of the piece, I cant make a forward push with the scraper because it just cuts its way into the grain. maybe a reverse will work. I'll try tomorrow, its already 8pm here, I'm done for the day.


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## tomp913 (Mar 7, 2014)

sunnybob said:


> no good, the piece is laid flat to the table. Glue underneath would make the surface uneven.
> 
> The router will lift a piece and chew it up it isnt glued almost all the way around the edges.


I went back and looked at the photos in your original posting after I answered, and can see the glue around the parts now - and that you really pack the pieces in there to maximize production. I wonder if there's a way to come up with some kind of spring-loaded device hanging under the sled to keep downward pressure on the parts while you're routing?


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

What about using a shop vac to hold it down? You would have to have some holes with nothing over them so some air goes through to keep from overheating the vac. Gluing some 80 grit sandpaper to the table would help keep from sliding sideways then the vacuum would only have to hold it down.


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

Tom, that amount of pieces at one time wouldnt be usual. I just wanted to test the idea thoroughly. And one of them lifted into the router bit because it was only glued on 3 sides.

It absolutely has to be glued at least twice on each side, or the piece gets chewed up. Spring loading would have the opposite effect of lifting the pieces

The vacuum table is going a little overboard here I think. Nice theory, but the cost of materials and time involved way out strips the uses this sled will be put to.

The sled itself is at the final prototype level. The only improvement worth making is an easier adjustment of the legs. having to reach underneath at each corner, and then keep checking the table isnt tilted is time consuming. Not that I'm desperate for time, this is only a retirement hobby for me. Its just that I'm lazy and always looking for a machine to do the work for me.

So far, the simple scraper idea seems worth pursuing tomorrow.


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## tomp913 (Mar 7, 2014)

I found this video, not sure how practical it would be for you. Easily Remove Dried Hot Glue (aka Hot Melt) - All


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

Tom, there are some great links at the end of that video, I hadnt thought of what you can do with hot glue, I'm going to need a bigger gun!
But the isopropyl trick wont work for me, after using it, the guy still has to pick it off, which is what I'm doing now.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

sunnybob said:


> Anybody now how to remove hot melt glue painlessly?
> 
> My adjustable router thicknesser is working well, but I have to glue the small pieces to the board as they are too thin for clamps.
> I can use a scraper to get them off the board afterwards, but then its a pain having to pick dozens of bits off the finished piece.


use solvent based contact cement...


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

Do you think the wedges won't work because the boards will flex? You can rout right through wood wedges, so routing to the edge shouldn't be a problem


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

making and fitting wedges would take more time than picking off the glue, let alone the wastage on the wood.

As I say, its not a huge problem, just takes me a couple of minutes or so using fingernails to get all the glue off the edges before sanding. In all other respects, the hot glue is very quick and effective.


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## bcfunburst (Jan 14, 2012)

*Sticky*

Would it help to try using two sided carpet tape! I mostly use carpet tape to hold all sorts of wood pieces together when routing. To assure a good grip with the carpet tape, I use a clamp or vise grip to first put some pressure on the tape. After removing that squeeze the tape holds the pieces together very securely. I have had little or no problem removing the double sided tape afterwards. Residue, if any, is easily removed with solvent or thinners. Hope this is a helpful hint.


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

I've seen lots of people use it, but I dont have much success with double sided tape. I think its the heat here. In the long summer and with the doors closed on the workshop temps regularly go above 50c inside. Even outside air temps go above 40c on some days. The tape seems to lose its stickiness while on the shop's shelf.


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## vindaloo (May 30, 2009)

Have you tried using a chisel to par the glue away?


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

The glue is on the edges of the thin boards, using a chisel just gouges into the wood.
I shall just have to keep my fingernails long.


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## vindaloo (May 30, 2009)

Lay the chisel flat on the wood and slide it along, don't use it at an angle.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

High end...
trimming plane...
Veritas® Cabinetmaker's Trimming Plane - Lee Valley Tools

.










low end...
flush plane...
Veritas® Flush Plane - Lee Valley Tools

.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

vindaloo said:


> Lay the chisel flat on the wood and slide it along, don't use it at an angle.


this type???...
Narex® Cranked-Neck Paring Chisels - Lee Valley Tools

.









,


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Bob, consider routing some dovetail slots in your backer board. Toilet flange bolts in these slots and some wood hold downs held in place with a washer and wing nut. Rout the surface, move the hold downs to a different position and rout the areas you could not access before.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

@kp91

BJ used these wedges a lot. one of the Router Workshop methods of securing wood in jigs.


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

well, theres certainly been some inventive answers to my problem.

Most of them just wont work in my circumstances either due to excessive extra work, or having to buy special tools which I cant afford. I just tried the chisel laid flat on the edge, and it did work, for a while. Then the blade got gummed up and I had to spend time picking the blade clean with my fingernails (lol)

I just might move on to making a mark two version, with lots of small holes (like pegboard) for miniature bench dog type wedges, but i think I need an electric planer on the sled as the 1/4" router is running for a long time on these pieces, and I can see it burning out soon.

Invention is my game. simple is my name.


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## vindaloo (May 30, 2009)

sunnybob said:


> ........ I just tried the chisel laid flat on the edge, and it did work, for a while. Then the blade got gummed up .........


Keep a cloth, dampened with methylated spirits, next to you. Every now and then wipe the gum off the tip with it, Meths softened it up.


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## tomp913 (Mar 7, 2014)

I believe that wood turners or pattern makers temporarily glue parts together for turning/machining and then need to separate them afterwards - think half newel posts for example. They do this by gluing the parts with a layer of paper between them and then split on the joint after the work is completed. Maybe talk to someone that does turning and see if they have any ideas - a quick Google search confirms this, maybe a book on turning would provide more details. The one reference on Google specified hide glue as the residue could be removed with warm water. I worked with a gentleman who apprenticed as a patternmaker and worked in the company foundry until it closed, but have lost touch with him since we both retired.

Did a quick check in another direction before posting, "Making Split Wood Turnings". and came up with this making split wood turnings - Bing video


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

Go a tiny bit wider and then rip off the glued edges. sacrifice a little bit of material to save the frustration


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

sunnybob said:


> Anybody now how to remove hot melt glue painlessly?
> 
> My adjustable router thicknesser is working well, but I have to glue the small pieces to the board as they are too thin for clamps.
> I can use a scraper to get them off the board afterwards, but then its a pain having to pick dozens of bits off the finished piece.


time for a vacuum vise????


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

I've found a very simple zero cost solution. An old worn wallpaper scraper. blunt enough to not cut into the wood, sharp enough to get under the lumps.

But I've got to tweek my router thicknesser now, I'm getting annoyed at even 0.25mm height differences from side to side. 3 months ago I was happy with 1 or more mm and just sanding the finished piece square. PROGRESS!!!


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