next question, how do you clean up excess PU glue

[dirtydeeds]

the last thread on cleaning up epoxy glue was good, vinegar is cheap and easy to get hold of

i use a lot PU glues and would like to know if anybody has a solution to remove it (no pun intended :))

i use all types of PU glue. the thin gorilla glue type, the more thixotropic stuff in tubes and the PU foam, how do you remove the uncured excess and how do you clean your hands.

gun foam cleaner works but not that well and in quantites that i guess are hazardous to health and it damages your pocket as well, so i dont

cleaning it up when it is cured is my real only option to date BUT its a pain, the thixotropic one is the worst it can take 24 hours of more to cure

getting it off your hands ( including the muck and dust it picks up) is a three shower job, so it takes about 2 days to get rid of it off your hands

[dirtydeeds]

dont know how i got the rofl smiley but anyway

[bitingmidge]

Dirty,

The instructions on the brand I used to use say "don't get it on your hands because it won't clean off" so I guess the manufacturer doesn't have a safe answer either!

I've solved the problem by deciding it's all too messy and there's absolutely no reason to use it.

What can it do that can't be done by a cross-linked PVA or epoxy?

Cheers,

P
:D

[Honorary Bloke]

What Midge said about the label, but now and then I use it, especially for repair work, and I wear nitrile gloves. :) As for removing the foam up, I just cleaned some today using a sharp chisel to good effect (it was fully cured).

[rrich]

I don't like to wear latex or nitril gloves during glue ups. However to remove polyurethane glue from my hands after it is dried, I wear nitril gloves. I'll clean the shop or something and work up a good sweat. When I remove the gloves, the polyurethane glue is gone.

[dirtydeeds]

the gloves, after the work, is a good idea

yes a chisel is the easiest method

pu glues are very useful for insitu repair work of which i do quite a bit

when you cant get a clamp in, expanding foam becomes both the glue and the clamp

[niki]

When I prepare the materials for gluing-up, I prepare also one small container of "Nitro Thinner", the cheapest one (for cleaning brushes) and many rags.

While gluing-up, I clean my hands from time to time (the places that I touched the PU) with rag socked with Nitro and at the end of the job my hands remain clean.
Don't use the same rag twice.

If you must clean the squeeze-out from some places (say, to check for flatness), you can do the same but the best will be, as all the others said, after it dries, with chisel

niki

[roverdisc1]

I'll have to agree with an earlier post that PU glues don't really have a place in woodworking.

I have used them in the past and have all but abandoned them. Mostly because of the mess and the cost. If you are gluing two pieces of wood, there are far superior choices.

Gorilla and others only market to woodworkers to try and increase their market share.

[dirtydeeds]

roverdisk1

i agree avoid PU when you can and i do. i use PVA glues for run of the mill work

however a lot of my business is fix and repair carpentry in difficult insitu locations so PU glues and foams are a must

[Black Ned]

Barrier cream (used by women to soften hands )
Apply to both hands before glue up. When finished .. wash hands ... should stop the glue from attaching to skin.