Cleaning a glu-bot??

[BukitCase]

I have a couple of these
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001N1FR08/?tag=atomicindus08-20

they work great, but I went to use one after leaving it about half-full (tite-bond wood glue)for a couple years - there was a heavy skin over the glue, both in the spout end AND the main reservoir. I got those out using a combo of small long screw drivers, hydraulic pressure (squeeze the bottle with the nozzle removed), long needle nose pliers, etc -

The rest of the glue is about the consistency of mollasses in january, and I'm thinking to dilute it so it'll come out WITHOUT having to painstakingly go thru 12 boxes of Q tips (and enough time wasted that I shoulda just ordered a couple MORE )

I do NOT wanna COMPOUND my mistake by using something that'll only make it WORSE, and vaguely remember this glue is water soluble (sorta) -

Looking for suggestions from "been there's" rather than "internet experts", since it's obvious there's a lot of "BTDT" guys here - it's OK if you call me a dumb **** (used to it :=) but ONLY if you have a reasonable suggestion to go with it... Steve

 

[The Cobbler]

hot water let it sit ,squeeze out as much as you can. repeat . shake it up too.
I have several glue bottles that get hard and frozen etc. had good success this way

 

[rlitman]

Vinegar helps dissolve the glue.

Hot water is good, but the Glu Bot is made from polyethylene. The FastCap website's tech specs say to not heat it past 80C, so boiling water (which would otherwise be great) and heating it in the microwave is out. But the hottest water you can get from the sink should help.

 

[BukitCase]

Dang, 2 minute response??!? If I ever have a heart attack I should be so lucky - thanks Cobbler, I woulda tried that first (if my balls were as big as my project list ) but it's good to go with firsthand experience... Steve

 

[PelicanPines]

FWIW... don't dilute the glue... I've tried it in the past... it works for the glue you will use right freaking now but long term... it ain't gonna help.

I have two of those bots too... I keep them full... one with water proof glue... the other ... plain elmers. The elmer one constantly gets globbed up... requiring deglobbing.

Soaking is your friend... for water soluble glue.

 

[rlitman]

FWIW... don't dilute the glue... I've tried it in the past... it works for the glue you will use right freaking now but long term... it ain't gonna help...

You're talking about storing and using diluted glue. Yeah, glue isn't something you want to thin. Also, once glue starts to thicken, you should toss it.

I think the OP is asking about what to use to wash all the glue out and start over, since he still wants to keep the bottle.

 

[BukitCase]

Right on ALL counts - started with the garden hose (sitting in the sun, 'bout the same temp as our water heater. Flushed til it ran clear, then 'bout half full and shake hard, repeat a couple more times - still skin stuck in several places (some not easily accessible) - 175 psi air (bottle OPEN, of course :=) - most of the skin came loose and out, couple places along the sides of the bottle still stubborn - long flat blade screwdriver, fast/gentle back and forth, air again - looks dang near brand new, def. usable.

Thanks again for all the nearly instantaneous AND useful help; me AND my infinite project list are most grateful... Steve

 

[The Cobbler]

great!

 

[Cue]

I had one in the same shape and I had no luck cleaning it with hot water, letting it sit, etc. I let it soak for a couple days and it didnt do much of anything, and it was regular titebond. I read on another forum that they used a toilet cleaner called "the works" which has a acid in it and it dissolved the glue. I bought some but have not tried it in my glue bottle yet.

Here is the thread.
http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/8394

 

[PelicanPines]

You're talking about storing and using diluted glue. Yeah, glue isn't something you want to thin. Also, once glue starts to thicken, you should toss it.

I think the OP is asking about what to use to wash all the glue out and start over, since he still wants to keep the bottle.

Tried to cover both possibilities... for those that wonder.

 

[BukitCase]

OK, now that the glu-bot's clean I hate to mess it up so soon so I just used the small size titebond right outa the bottle...
This is a plasma template (one of two different sizes for louvers and shutter fans in 4 containers) - the pic shows the lines I scribed that get cut away, then the template gets "smushed" against the inside of the container with a cargo bar, and the torch cuts around the template. Template is 1" smaller than hole size, so the torch orifice ends up right on the line for 16-1/2" square and 24-1/2" square cutouts. Goal is to survive working inside two of the containers and NOT COOK some of the stored stuff in the other two

Stubbornness can be a plus when the shop's 95 degrees or more (as long as it doesn't KILL ya

The smaller template needs about half its corner cut away, so I made up some glue blocks for the half that'll remain - I measured the spacing of the corrugations; 2 containers are one "brand", 2 are another but spacing's identical so I'll only need one of each size template.

A few pics... Steve (and thanks again; my project list is now almost infinity minus ONE )