Glue applicators


shaneymack

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Oddly enough I was going to do something in the review section about glue applicators. 

 

I use a Fastcap GluBot as my glue bottle for applying glue. I recently bought a Sili-Comb from Peachtree that is fantastic, reminds me of using a notched trowel for tiles. Glue doesn't stick to it, and if it does and dries it comes off nice and easy. There is also a squeegee end for spreading or wiping glue out of corners after your pieces are joined. 

 

 

Comb1_150.jpg

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Oddly enough I was going to do something in the review section about glue applicators.

I use a Fastcap GluBot as my glue bottle for applying glue. I recently bought a Sili-Comb from Peachtree that is fantastic, reminds me of using a notched trowel for tiles. Glue doesn't stick to it, and if it does and dries it comes off nice and easy. There is also a squeegee end for spreading or wiping glue out of corners after your pieces are joined.

Comb1_150.jpg

Are you happy with the glubot? I was looking at ordering one.

The squeegee looks awesome!

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Are you happy with the glubot? I was looking at ordering one.

The squeegee looks awesome!

 

The glubot is cheap enough, no reason everyone shouldn't have one. I found it really helpful when running long consistent beads of glue in grooves when building my cabinet. You can get replacement tips, as well as fine tips, broad tips, etc. There's also a 3/4 edge gluing tip that runs along both faces of your piece and applies the glue to the center of the edge. for 8 bucks, it's well worth it.

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Acid brushes can DIAF. Hate them with a passion.

 

I don't mind the silicone brushes, however I find that they won't last you as long as you expect them to. The bristles break off when you try to pull that gob of dried up glue.

 

Glue bot is good, however I find that I have to keep it full so that it is easier to dispense. Have to really squeeze the ever-loving crap out of it when it gets below about half full.

 

Ink roller for larger surface areas.

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Surprisingly the glue kit from Rockler is decent. Funnel to help w filling, nozzle to glue inside mortices (dominos and biscuits too) silicone brush and several more tools for around $20 I think.

One tool has a pair of guides to help you stay straight when applying glue to edges.

There is a roller that works well too.

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Acid brushes and a roller. I drilled a hole about 1/2" in my work surface. On the under side there is a small jar full of tap water. The lid is screwed to the work surface and the jar hangs from the lid. The water keeps the brush from drying out and then just throw away at the end of the day.

Thats a really good idea.
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I use my finger, acid brushes, an old credit card or an old hair comb.

My brother talked me into buying the Rockler glue brush which I have used a few times and it works OK.

I also store my glue (Titebond) upside down in rack I made with holes of the appropriate size to make sure the glue comes out when I want it to. Just be sure that the cap is closed! :)

 

Rog

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Surprisingly the glue kit from Rockler is decent. Funnel to help w filling, nozzle to glue inside mortices (dominos and biscuits too) silicone brush and several more tools for around $20 I think.

One tool has a pair of guides to help you stay straight when applying glue to edges.

There is a roller that works well too.

Have you used the glubot also? If so, which do you prefer, rockler or glubot?
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Have you used the glubot also? If so, which do you prefer, rockler or glubot?

 

I have both the Rockler kit and the GlueBot.  I prefer the GlueBot hands down.  I hardly ever use the Rockler kit anymore honestly.  I use the bot and a paintbrush and just put the brush in a bottle of water when I'm done gluing up for the day.

 

The thing I dont like about the Rockler kit is that its harder to clean than they advertise.  The glue roller has little ridges in it, that you have to use a scrub brush to get the glue out of.  If you let the glue dry on it, like they say you can, then you have to use a needle or ice pick to track through each and every groove to get the glue out.  

 

With the roller on the bottle, the glue comes out from the bottle in a little spot in the middle.  It takes quite a bit of work to get the glue spread out over a large flat surface.

 

The little brush that you screw onto the top of the bottle gets really messy if you have the bottle inverted.  I've found that I have to squeeze the bottle to get the air out and create negative pressure, then turn upside down and slowly release pressure.  This keeps a small amount of glue coming out and slows down the mess, but I really dont want to have to think about stuff like that when I'm gluing up.

 

I've never used the other accessories that come with the kit.

 

Its just too easy to use the glue bot to lay out the glue, and then a brush, roller, finger or grooved scraper to spread it out.  The glue bot sucks the glue back out of the tip when you are done dispensing, so I rarely have to go and dig out dried glue.

 

Edit:  I've never had an issue dispensing glue from the bot.  Its obviously easier with the bottle full, but I've used it down to a quarter full without any undue squeezing to get the glue out.

 

Second Edit:  I should say that I have the Rockler kit that has a bottle, a roller attachment for the bottle, a small silicone brush attachment for the bottle, a funnel, and a couple other attachments I think.

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Gluebot to store and sqeeze it - finger, toothpick, or ink roller to apply it.  My finger wins most of the time.

 

You can solve the gluebot issues by making sure the lid screwed down airtight.  Any dried glue on the threads may prevent it from sealing and cause the 'hard to squeeze' problem.  Mine has less than 1/4" full and works just as good as when it's filled to the brim.

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I'll try to post pictures tomorrow. I bought a Doucet applicator about 8 years ago. I think it cost $6000. Maybe more? It has saved me 1000's of man hours. Stock goes down on the infeed conveyor and over a roller then eventually stops at a photo eye. Then you grab the pieces and load on the rotary clamp carrier (another $18000) we use the pneumatic flattener and tighten with the hydraulic motor. This is where my hobby got real. I've never once regretted spending the money on this.

Heck once I reluctantly (stupidly so) did a custom glue up for a moulding shop. I agreed to 20c a linear ft to glue two 3 1/2" pre ripped boards (tons of them) together. I didn't know that it would be a home run. I had a knuckle head employee just run boards over the conveyor and load the clamp then unload and stack the glue ups. 3-4 days later and I billed the guy $4000.

I was much more open minded after that. The job would have taken a month with a glue bottle and pipe clamps.

Steve

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I threw my glu-bot in the garbage.  I found it cumbersome.  

 

My wife bought a bunch of these japanese condiment bottles for things like maple syrup, ketchup, etc.  I stole some and use them for glue.  The plastic is soft, easy to squeeze and the nozzle is easy to clean.  I don't like glue bottles because if you accidentally leave them open the nozzles can be impossible to clean.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Squeeze-Bottle-White-12oz/dp/B004PX4SLK/ref=pd_bxgy_hg_img_z

 

100% agree.  Wife found some condiment bottles at a 99 cent store and asked if I wanted any.  I said sure and now use these as glue bottles.  Work great and cheap.   Use a ink brayer to spread glue on large surfaces.  Also works great. 

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I'll try to post pictures tomorrow. I bought a Doucet applicator about 8 years ago. I think it cost $6000. Maybe more? It has saved me 1000's of man hours. Stock goes down on the infeed conveyor and over a roller then eventually stops at a photo eye. Then you grab the pieces and load on the rotary clamp carrier (another $18000) we use the pneumatic flattener and tighten with the hydraulic motor. This is where my hobby got real. I've never once regretted spending the money on this.

Heck once I reluctantly (stupidly so) did a custom glue up for a moulding shop. I agreed to 20c a linear ft to glue two 3 1/2" pre ripped boards (tons of them) together. I didn't know that it would be a home run. I had a knuckle head employee just run boards over the conveyor and load the clamp then unload and stack the glue ups. 3-4 days later and I billed the guy $4000.

I was much more open minded after that. The job would have taken a month with a glue bottle and pipe clamps.

Steve

Now this sounds like a resonable option. Let me run it by the wife.
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