What will cut/dissolve yellow wood glue

[superman]

I'm trying to find out what to use to dissolve elmers"yellow" wood glue,I have a bass thats had some seam repairs that need redoing,, someone had told me a vinager solution would work,, any ideas??? thanks Kent

[Jake deVilliers]

White vinegar works fairly well, straight up. Soak a rag in it and apply to the affected area. Repeat as necessary.

[Doug D]

I've always just used warm/hot water and a little soak time, but I'll have to give the vinegar a try too...

do you just rinse it with water to keep it from smelling like pickles? or just let it evaporate?

[robobass]

Some white glues dissolve with denatured alcohol. One thing about vinegar is that the grocery store stuff is only 5%. I use a 30% concentration (used in pickling) that's probably faster. Cleaning the area with warm water afterwards is recommended!

[Andrew McGregor]

You can probably get neat acetic acid from a chemist/drug store... that would probably be even quicker.

I'm going to have to try this, it would be useful in model aircraft work too...

[robobass]

Originally Posted by Andrew McGregor

You can probably get neat acetic acid from a chemist/drug store... that would probably be even quicker.

Wear rubber gloves and open the windows though. That stuff's really fierce! I used to use it to weld plastics when methylene chloride wasn't stong enough!

[arnoldschnitzer]

De-Glue Goo is a gelled vinegar solution that's really thick and gets rid of all kinds of water-soluble glue. And it's non-toxic.

[fdeck]

One word of caution from a non-luthier who learned this the hard way: The same stuff that will soften the seam will also soften whatever is sticking the veneers of the plate together.

[Turnaround]

When it's stubborn, I use some ammonia solution - the clear stuff, not the green or yellow that has added detergents. Stinks a bit, but was the staple in the antique furniture business I was involved in for years...

[Jazzdogg]

Vinegar works well. Several years ago I bought a garment steamer, which works very well when it's necessary to help a student whose glue-up needs to be reversed, to help soften wood for bending, and to help remove dents.

If the project allows it, I will use hand screws to slowly and gently ease the joint apart while directing the tip of the steamer's hose at the glue line to soften the glue. I use distilled water to avoid the possibility of discoloring woods, like oak, with a high tanic acid content. Keep your body out of the line of fire - burns from hot water vapor can be painful.