Removing wood glue mistakes?

I've got a rocket on the VAD (vehicle assembly desk) with some good fillets, but one is just terrible. Dried wood glue all over the fin, cardboard tube, etc. I tried sanding away the excess glue, but it doesn't seem to be doing anything. Is there a method to get if off without doing much damage to the tube or it's wax covering?

What can make wood glue soft besides water...

vinegar

Not sure of a good suggestion to fix other than sanding. But for future fillets be sure to tape off tube and fin first, apply glue then remove tape ... perfect smoothed fillets every time. There should be some pics of this technique here somewhere

SacEsq said:

Not sure of a good suggestion to fix other than sanding. But for future fillets be sure to tape off tube and fin first, apply glue then remove tape ... perfect smoothed fillets every time. There should be some pics of this technique here somewhere

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that's an awesome idea, thanks for sharing.

3boydad said:

that's an awesome idea, thanks for sharing.

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Thanks ... but I canot take credit for it. I learned it here in TRF.

bradycros said:

What can make wood glue soft besides water...

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Heat, in the form of hot air from a blow drier or heat gun. Use a simple scraping tool to remove the softend glue.

The tube doesn't have wax on it. Wood glue doesn't stick to wax.

If you're and RC guy, a mylar iron might work to help smooth it out. Cardstock guys use them for sealing joints with previously dried glue.

Really explore your relationship with your wife before using her iron. Jus a thought...

Tolppisouth said:

If you're and RC guy, a mylar iron might work to help smooth it out. Cardstock guys use them for sealing joints with previously dried glue.

Really explore your relationship with your wife before using her iron. Jus a thought...

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LOL! way back when we first married (yeah, dinosaurs still roamed the earth..) I bought my blushing bride a 10-4 iron, deluxe with all the bells and whistles an iron could have. Two months later I screwed the pooch when I scorched the hell out of some monocote and ruined it. Still married (with a new iron), tho'....
She made me get my own.

I have a soldering iron, but I don't think that'll work. 700 degrees is far hotter than the flash point of cardboard...

Might a heat gun (for paint stripping and such) work? Or even a hair dryer?

a heat lamp will work, you really only need to warm the glue to around 150-175F to soften it.

For water-based glues (incl a lot of "wood" glues) you can use a hair dryer. A heat gun (as used by house painters) could easily cause damage. One other idea: set it under a 100-watt bulb for a few minutes to soften the glue.

My two cents: You may as well bite the bullet----get out your Xacto and start picking, peeling, and scraping. Maybe use a Dremel on the thick spots. Be prepared to perform repairs on nicks or gouges with stuff like CA (to soak into the basic materials) and filler.

Just curious, though, as to how you got into this mess in the first place....did ya sneeze or something?