Pro's Corner

There are two schools of thought when it comes to cleaning up glue squeeze-out:

1. Wipe it up right away with a damp rag
2. Let the glue sit for 30-60 minutes until it is gummy, then scrape it off

If you are like me and prefer to scrape, you may have been using an old chisel which you now call your "glue chisel".  If you are sick of cleaning the glue off your glue chisel so that you can just get more glue on it, then here's another option: a glass scraper. 

It's like a really sharp putty knife because it uses a single edge razor for the blade.  When it gets dull or gummy, you don't have to sharpen or clean it - just put in a new razor blade.  And, unlike a chisel, a glass scraper is small and the blade retracts, so you can just throw it in your tool belt or apron and you won't have to go looking for it when you need it.  If you keep it close at hand, you'll find it useful for more than scraping glue.  Usually you can find these in the paint department of your local hardware store or big-box building supply.

Go ahead and give that old chisel a good cleaning one more time - you may find that it's still good at what it was made for!

Tags: glue, clean-up, scrape, tip

Categories: Tips & Tricks