A collection of informative resources to answer most questions.
Titebond Liquid Hide Glue is very sensitive to humidity, therefore it is often hard to tell when to take off your clamps. The best way to determine your clamp time is to place a scrap piece of wood with Liquid Hide Glue spread on it next to your newly glued and clamped piece. When the glue on the scrap piece of wood is dry, you can take your clamps off. Be sure to wait at least 24 hours before you stress the joints.
When different wood species are used in a project, it is important that all woods have the same moisture content. Storing all the wood together in the same warm, dry location before beginning the project will help all the wood reach the same moisture content.
It is possible to change the color of any of our water-based Titebond Wood Glues by adding either dyes or pigments. Water-soluble dyes such as food coloring or TransTints can be added directly to the wood glues with good mixing. Powdered dyes or pigments should be mixed with a drop of Dawn dish detergent and a small amount of water to help prevent lumps in the pigment mix. Mix until smooth. Diluting the pigment mixture further to 50% solids will allow for better mixing into the glue. Add no more than 5 percent dye to keep from affecting bond strength of the adhesive. Start by adding a small amount of the dye/pigment mix, as small amounts can significantly alter color. Before making your final color decision, be sure to let a sample of the dyed glue dry. When the mixtures dry, they may look different from the wet state.
Although good joint design minimizes the need for gluing end grain, sometimes end grain joints are unavoidable. The strength of end grain joints can be improved if the "open" end grain is first sized. A sizing mixture may be made by mixing one part to two parts water to one part glue. Place the sizing mixture on the end grain. Let it soak in for no more than two minutes, and then continue with a regular application of glue.
Use a small artist's brush to coat the surface with glue before applying homemade wood filler. Doing this will assure that the surface is wet enough to encourage adhesion. Otherwise the wood filler mix may be too dry to adhere well to the surface to which it is being applied.
To decrease the clamp time in a vacuum press, put a thick piece of wood into the vacuum bag to help absorb the moisture from the glue. This technique is best utilized when laminating many thin veneers together because the water in the glue saturates the veneers.
When working with woods that are high in tannic acid or are considered oily, wiping the joints with acetone before gluing them up ensures a good bond. Acetone clears the contaminants from the wood's pores on the bonding surface and dries quickly without leaving any residue. A good bonding surface can also be achieved by sanding or planing the wood just before gluing the joints.
Stepped joints typically result when pieces of wood of different moisture contents are edge glued together in making a tabletop or cabinet door. It is important to be sure that all the wood for a given project is at the same moisture content before beginning a project. Allowing the wood to acclimate or sit exposed in your shop for a week or two is one way to be sure each piece of wood has a similar moisture content.
Glue joint "squeeze out" may make the area around the joint difficult to stain. Use masking tape to cover the areas that you do not want glue to soak into. The sections that were masked will be free of stain-resisting glue when the masking tape is removed.
Water-based wood glues such as Titebond Original or Titebond II build strength in a joint as they lose moisture into the surrounding wood. This moisture causes the wood on both sides of the bondline to swell slightly. If the project is planed or sanded before this swelling disappears, the high moisture wood near the joint will continue to dry and will shrink slightly compared to the rest of the wood. Allow your project to dry for several days before sanding or planing.