removing "Gorilla" or urethane glue

M

macchips4

Well-known member
I have a small, childs chest of drawers (1810-1830)  that was repaired, (before I obtained it) using what looks like "Gorilla Glue". I looked it up on Wikipedia and it says that the cured glue must be removed mechanically. Has anyone come across the problem of removing parts, attached with this type of glue so they can be reatached properly?. The foaming was removed from the show ide of the feet but the foam was left on the backside. Not seen but annoying. The small bracket feet are not in "plane "with each other and should be made "right". Any one have ideas before I go about "picking" the glue out of the joints? 
 
Whenever a customer brings a piece into the shop that has been repaired with foaming glue I immediately triple the estimate for further repair. The only way I have found to remove it is an optical visor, dental picks and a brass brush.
 
macchips 4,

As more and more things that have had this particular form of "quick and dirty" repair come into my life, I have resolved to do more experimentation as I have time.  One thing I have found that softens and loosens G. G. is heat, making disassembly and mechanical removal somewhat easier.  Because the actual adhesive behaves like contact cement, I am thinking of using some nasty solvents the next time I encounter it in a situation that will allow me to use them without damaging the piece of furniture.  PSP




























 
I've been poking and picking at this stuff for a while. I'll put this on the back burner and work on it a little at a time......This crap should be outlawed!
Joe
 
As Peter said heat will soften it. I have used heated pallet knives and heated putty knives to open joints glued with it. I have also used a rotary tool with a brass brush to remove it on harder woods, the rotating brush heats it up and then takes it off. You need to be careful with the rotary tool or you can damage the piece.
 
Well, Gorilla Glue is not the worst situation I have encountered.  Number one on my list (so far) was a piece of Chinese export furniture that had been glued together with epoxy mixed with sand.

So, let's hear your glue horror stories.

PSP
 
I have had success using Methylene Chloride stripper. It's Polyurethane glue and that is the type of stripper used for Polyurethane. Just remember that the stripper has paraffin wax in it to slow the  evaporation and that can be removed with Lacquer thinner.  This has worked quite well for me if the joint is already part.  Good Luck!
 
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