Screwed up

[gregkthompson]

So I was starting on adding my bulkheads on and went for the first one. Dry fitted it and it was perfect, took it back off and added the wood glue, stuck it on and it bound up and I couldn’t get it done or off without breaking something.  Any thoughts on how I might fix this screw up?

 

[Jack12477]

Did you use a PVA glue like Elmers yellow wood glue?  If so use a qtip soaked in isopropyl alcohol to swab the glue joint. If you used CA glue, then use acetone instead of isopropyl, give it time and repeated swabs till the glue softens. Don't try to rush it. A sharp blade run along the joint helps.

Edited August 13, 2022 by Jack12477

[gregkthompson]

Gorilla wood glue.  I’ll give it a try.  Thanks for the help

[thibaultron]

First, throw away the Gorilla Glue, or at least save it for other non-hobby uses. I don't know of anyway to soften that type of glue. You may have to carefully cut the two sides of the bulkhead free separately, and either remake it, or glue each side back on separately.

[bruce d]

Just an observation: Gorilla as a brand offers several 'wood' glues besides the original urethane bubbling stuff. If the Gorilla Wood glue on your model is PVA based (it will say somewhere on the label) then it can be softened with IPA as described earlier. I have heard the Gorilla range now even includes a seccotine product.

Good luck, hope you keep us up to date with your progress.

[Landlubber Mike]

I use Gorilla brand PVA wood glue all the time.  Never a problem.

[Roger Pellett]

Glues, like paint, are simply chemical compounds.  Despite what the marketers want you to believe there is no magic.  It is helpful to try to get beyond the brand names; read the fine print!

 

Before using it, try to categorize your glue by generic type; PVA, CA, Epoxy, Urethane, etc.  Chances are all brands of a particular generic type will behave pretty much the same.

 

Roger

[Jaager]

It would not surprise me if there was only one or two manufacturers of the basic chemical components - especially PVA - and all of the brand name suppliers just mix,  package and label.

 

But in the case of Gorilla  -  I am having unkind thoughts about the telephone sanitizer sort of mind that makes "Gorilla" so prominent in the nomenclature that the actual chemical nature can be confused among most every sort of chemical bonding agent available to the public. 

[GrandpaPhil]

I’ve done rebuilds and salvaged old wood (and other media) models before.

If you cannot dissolve the glue, cut through it with a pen knife (like an X-Acto knife), or a scalpel.  

Work very slowly and carefully to free the piece.

 

Make very shallow, very short cuts.

 

It will take a while, but it is doable.

[druxey]

I would not recommend Gorilla glue for model-making purposes. But you know that already. PVA (white glue) or aliphatic (yellow) is more than adequate for wood to wood bonding.

[Per Rise]

You could try with a heatgun. the heat will soften the PVA glue, making it possible to slowly remove the parts.

Go easy with the heat.