- Q.We use a yellow
carpenter’s glue for wood-to-wood gluing
chores. Every winter, I invariably leave the container
in my truck overnight, and the glue freezes. Can this
glue be thawed and used after it has frozen?
A.Carl Hagstrom
responds: "Carpenter’s" glue
generally comes in two flavors: polyvinyl acetate
(better known as white glue) and aliphatic resin
(yellow glue).
When I spoke to Mark Roberts at Franklin
International, manufacturers of Titebond wood glue,
he said that their white and yellow glues can
undergo five freeze/thaw cycles before they should
be discarded. Frozen glue often thaws to a thicker
consistency, and Roberts mentioned that up to 5%
water can be added (by volume or weight) to thin
their glues.
Jeff Pitcher of Custom-Pak Adhesives notes that
not all glues are freeze/thaw stable, but those
that are should be allowed to thaw
completely and stirred thoroughly before
use.
If you’re uncertain about the number of
freeze/thaw cycles a glue has undergone, Eugene
Wengert, an extension specialist in the Department
of Forestry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison,
offers this advice: If the glue appears to be the
same in color and consistency after thawing,
chances are it can be used. But keep things in
perspective. By using questionable glue, are you
risking costly callbacks in an effort to save a few
dollars? If the glue is lumpy or differs in
consistency, then toss it.
Carl Hagstrom is an Associate Editor at
the Journal of Light Construction.