Glue Bottle Woes!

Tommy P

MGF, Master Grumble Framer
Joined
Nov 16, 2003
Posts
870
Loc
Mid North Indiana
You would think I could have figured this out a long time ago but I have'nt.
I get so tired of cleaning out the tip on my glue bottles! I forget from time to time (actually almost always) to replace the cap. And then I can have a problem. I have tried a mustard container (twist tip type) to no avail.
What do the rest of you do for your "gluing" technique. There has to be a better idea.......
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That's funny Ron.....I knew someone would suggest that....and I figured it would be you.....
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If only it was that simple....
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Okay, thanks Dermot...I will give your contraption a try. You know, if you just go to "search" there is probably nothing that has'nt already been brought up sometime before on the G! Just try ......
 
Dermot - that is a BRILLIANT idea!!! Gotta make me one of those! I have been sitting my glue bottles (I've been using little 2oz. sample bottles and refilling them every week)upsidedown in candle holders - so the glue is always ready to go.

I find, that I am still cleaning clogs, however. At one time I was sticking aluminum nails into the bottles, but if I went too long without using them, the nail would be glued into the tip! Maybe I should get some stainless nails!

Maybe someday someone will invent a glue bottle made from a really slippery form of plastic (like teflon?) and then also invent an ATTACHED cap! I have lost dozens of those eensy little red caps!!! They just vanish into thin air!

Maybe someone will find a cache of glue bottle tips in Sedona! (with the socks)

I bought a bunch of those little accordian squeeze bottles from Micromark - the ones with the metal needle tips. The metal they made the tube-tips out of was stainless steel, but the part that fit into the bottle was aluminum and the aluminum reacted badly with the wood glues I was using them for! Those bottles would have been a GREAT idea with all stainless parts!

They can put a man on the moon and we can't figure out solutions to glue!!!
 
Wow; I'm glad to be able to add something so soon after joining. I use a "Solo Glue Riter" It is a metal attachment for the top of the glue bottle, and a stand that it goes in, inverted. It has like a little ball in the end to dispense the glue. It works great! I haven't used ATG since I got it. Tip never dries out. I like that I can move double mats slightly before they stick. Also works for dust covers. It was pricey but worth it! See it at www.gluefast.com.
 
Ditto that Charles (and Ron)

I use a picnic-style mustard bottle I got at our 5 & 10 (I think it is one of the last in the country!). Has the cap attached to a built-in "leash", can't misplace it. Best $1.49 I spent!
 
Sarah,

Thanks for the link...only problem is I wanted to go out and invent something that worked, retire and become a moderator...Oh well, back to the drawing board!

I gotta get me one of those...

Dave Makielski
 
I just sent for more info on the Solo Glue Riter. Sounds like a fun toy, er, tool!

I must admit - I am addicted to peeling glue off of stuff - it's kinda therapeutic..... When I worked for Kramer, since he glued EVERYTHING (including needleworks) with white glue, we bought it by the 5 gallon pails and I loved peeling glue offa the outside of those puppies!
 
A five gallon bucket of glue!
Holy S***!!!!!
Did ya just dunk the end of the moulding in or hold it like a cider jug and do the one arm swig?!
 
I would not like to give the impression that I came up with the idea for the Glue Bottle holder………my mind is not that good…..I just recognise good ideas when I see them…….and I like to pass them on……

The inventor/designer is John McAfee who run’s the Irish/UK Grumble http://estlite.scenes.biz/phpBB2/index.php?sid=238407f39dcdbbcd2a25a359ed70fd29

John is also a framer and the brains behind the ESTLite Pricing Software program for picture framing http://estlite.scenes.biz/phpBB2/index.php?c=2&sid=dad38de9c7761d5c5492afff2b126868


Dermot
 
Clogged glue bottle tips are one of my supreme pet peeves as well. Like Framar, I've been waiting for someone to make a Teflon spout to retrofit to the Cornerweld bottles. I will buy stock in the company that does.
:cool: Rick
 
For a quick cleanout of a plugged tip run a #6 coarse thread drywall screw into the tip and pull out the plug. Takes about 10 seconds tops.

I also get a dozen or so 2 oz. bottles from my vetrenarian and fill them with the three varieties of glue we normally use. I also make a "leash" for the cap with a bit of monofillament (perhaps another possible application for clear film straps). Punch a hole in the end of the tip and feed the mono through with a surgeons knot on the end. Tie other end to neck of bottle.

I once used a system similar to the one Dermot pictured. Its only drawback was that the glue woould start flowing immediately when the bottle was removed from its port. OK for woodworking where you are going to be finishing the project after assembly, but a bit messy for prefinished framing stock.

Enough, its Thanksgiving and I'm goin' fishin'. No glue bottles today.
 
In regards to the Solo Glue Riter - I have seen a demo of it and I have ordered one! It is a really brilliant idea on the dispensing of adhesive - there is a little ball and a spring inside the tip that keeps the glue flowing only when you press down on it. And the whole thing is stainless steel. The "Mathesive" is pretty good glue (I tried it with lineco backing paper) - dries real fast and smooth! Glues mats together really well!

My ONLY concern is that the ball bearing and the spring are unattached inside the nozzle and I am afraid my shop's inevitable vortex will suck them into oblivion. So I have ordered EXTRA bearings and springs!

I'll let y'all know how I like it once I receive it and start REALLY playing with it! Er, I mean, WORKING with it!!! It seems to be a quantum leap beyond the regular glue bottle!

Hey - Sarah Winchester - how frequently do you have to clean the tip assembly??? I have recurring visions of Rapidographs dancing in my head! LOL!
 
When that little red glue cap can no longer be found, I use a nail or small screw to stick in the top of the bottle. Not only does it stop up the hole for the most part, but the clog sticks to the nail and pulls away from the bottle.
 
I have my Solo Glue Riter and I want to tell you I LOVE IT!!! No clogs so far!!! I have used it to join matting and also to apply glue for backing paper. The glue that comes with it is a very "dry" glue so it works very nicely with the Lineco backing paper. Dries fast and flat.

Drawbacks - not very practical for frames narrower than, say, 3/4" due to the wide stripe of glue it deposits. Also a potential drawback is the WIDE-MOUTH refill gallon container - I would imagine a sticky situation trying to refill the squeeze bottle. I may just use a funnel and more appropriate gallon jug.

The Glue Riter sits upsidedown in a nice weighted aluminum (?) base - so it is always ready to use - no uncapping!

I am basically very pleased with this investment (plus I ordered extra bearings and springs, thus insuring that I will NEVER lose the originals!)
 
UPDATE on the Solo Glue Riter: I left it in its stand on December 24, returned to the shop on January 4th and the glue was fresh and flowed freely with NO PROBLEMS!!!

Today I tried it on thin cotton sateen and it worked like a charm. Then I rolled it (with a 3" roller dipped into the the wide-mouth gallon) onto a piece of 2-ply rag and glued a really flimsy piece of Uruhu (sp) hand made paper onto it with NO BLEED THRU!!!

This was for a photo album I was making as a (late) Christmas present - when it is finished I'll post a photo.

So - I LOVE the GLUE and the BOTTLE!!!!! (and no, I don't work for them!)
 
My Glue Riter "sgabs" over after I leave it for just a day!! I then have to peel off from the tip to get going again. Maybe something is clogging up the ball and spring....I'll take it apart and clean....other than that it is a neat tool!!!

If something can be screwed up I'm your man...
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Tom - I made the unfortunate discovery today that my Riter cap/stand was full of glue and the tip was leaking! So I cleaned the whole thing thoroughly, and after re-assembly - it was STILL leaking!!!

After several more cleaning attempts and a study of the "extra" bottle and tip I had purchased - I discovered the answer! The spring had compressed and caused the bearing to be loose in the tip. So I "stretched" the spring a teensy bit and solved the leak!!!

I am going to contact them and suggest a bit heavier gauge spring for the assembly!
 
Thanks...I'll check out mine for the same problem.

Let us know what they say after you contact them.....
 
we have that glue writer and its awesome. the only thing is that the bottle is tiny so you have to fill it up all the time, then when you do fill it up, naturally, the huge 5 gal bottle has no sort of pouring tip and you have to use a FUNNEL. I told this to the guy at the show in sept. and he told me I DON'T CARE, IVE BEEN POURING THIS GLUE FOR 30 YEARS AND YOULL GET GOOD AT IT I DON'T CARE IF YOU POUR IT ALL OVER YOUR STORE CAUSE IM NOT CHANGING THE BOTTLE.
 
Oh! Also about the glue writer... if it gets clogged up, mash in the ball until you get some glue out, peel that bit over the ball off. use the glue some so that it wets the "scab," then peel it off. its much easier to peel once its glue-y.
 
If you don't put the cap back on.. like I don't (cause you know we all have other things on our minds) how about adding a little bit of water to the glue, when it gets thick?

When I do think of putting a cap on the bottle, and can't find it, I use a piece of tape.
 
Originally posted by xenniferx:
we have that glue writer and its awesome. the only thing is that the bottle is tiny so you have to fill it up all the time, then when you do fill it up, naturally, the huge 5 gal bottle has no sort of pouring tip and you have to use a FUNNEL. I told this to the guy at the show in sept. and he told me I DON'T CARE, IVE BEEN POURING THIS GLUE FOR 30 YEARS AND YOULL GET GOOD AT IT I DON'T CARE IF YOU POUR IT ALL OVER YOUR STORE CAUSE IM NOT CHANGING THE BOTTLE.
Did you have a bad experience at the Trade Show? You seem to be a little angry at a lot of the vendors you met!

BTW this thread is from January! Glad you found it, but jeez,... you're using our old news to back up your new gripes!
 
Haha I was actually thinking the same thing.

I never use a funnel to pour glue, I have just gotten good at pouring it from the big jugs to the little bottles. Pouring it into a funnel just wastes it.
 
The biggest problem with the Glue-riter refill bottle is that it has a 3" mouth - now that is one tricky devil to pour from! Anyone can pour glue from a 1" mouthed bottle - my solution? I emptied the Glue-riter glue into an empty regular gallon jug - I think it was a windshield washer fluid jug.

I have also found that if the tip scabs over simply moisten it and in a minute or so the old glue will peel off (or as they have it in their literature - "it will peal off.") I haven't heard any bells! LOL!
 
I wondered why there was so much activity on this forum all of a sudden, then I realized that Xenniferx was revisiting old discussions and updating them. Nothing wrong with that.
Welcome, Xenniferx.

:cool: Rick

P.S. The Gluewriter seems like a complicated solution to a simple problem. Why can't someone just make refillable plastic bottles with tips made out of some kind of superslick plastic resin that nothing sticks to, or out of metal coated insde and out with teflon?
 
Originally posted by Framar:

Maybe someday someone will invent a glue bottle made from a really slippery form of plastic (like teflon?) and then also invent an ATTACHED cap! I have lost dozens of those eensy little red caps!!! They just vanish into thin air!

I have found cheap condiment bottles (with cap attached!) at dollar stores and grocers. The tip is usually too skinny for glue to come out, but a quick snip takes care of that! If they eventually get gunked up they're cheap and easy to replace. I think the key here is not a costly and time consuming alternative to preventing the gunk-up (since they rarely work), but a cost efficient "disposable", er- RECYCLABLE bottle.
I have also found a little trick that works ok for me: I let a little glob dry up on the tip- when I need to use my bottle again I just wiggle my glue "cap" off and discard. The glue flows freely again. The trick is that some amount of glue needs to be on the outside of the tip;that creates a seal from the outside air and allows only the exposed glue to dry. If it's inside the tip, it'll dry up in there and you'll need an awl or something to pry it out (which is the problem we're having, right?)
 
Glue Bottle

I'm new this problem is old, but it never goes away. I got color applicators from the beauty supple store (Sally's) and I use it as is for a while and then cut the top town a bit. I cover it with electrical caps. There is a little spring in them you have to remove. Every once in a while I use a awl to pull out the dried glue from the cap. I will try the Glue glide though because it sounds like it will last longer in the long run.
 
Sandi - I really like your idea of using electrical caps to cover glue bottle tips - and on Ask This Old House they mentioned that since electrical caps are threaded you can use them to seal caulking tubes in caulking guns!!!

I wish someone would sell plain old pointy tip bottles with EXTRA pointy tips! That would be the ideal. I bought some cool little accordian style squeeze bottles from MicroMark and they have long slender stainless steel tips - which are absolutely lovely but the stainless needle tip is set into aluminum and all glues stick to aluminum. Arrrggghhh! (I have the same complaint with those great sports water bottles with the snap-up cap and the cool insulating jackets - the cap always breaks and the whole thing is useless!)

Update: still fighting with Glue-Riter. I do not have enough patience for it.
 
You know the caps of ink pens that never get put back on the pens? They're bigger than the teensy red ones that last about one day and easier to find on the floor. We tried using those too. For about a day. I think they must go to the same place the red ones do, but I don't know where that is..

If you keep the glue bottle squeezed when you set it back down, and then let-it-go-real-fast, sometimes it sucks the blob of glue back down and it won't plug up. The fuller the bottle is, the better that works. Sometimes.

Some day, a hundred years from now, when an archeological team is digging up our building, they will find all those teeny red and blue caps and wonder....wha??:confused:
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Hi Tommy


Ya bite it off and spit it on the floor. Works for me. Usually though, I bite right before I spread and Im soo engrossed in getting that join sooo smooth sooooo perfecto in the vice that spitting becomes secondary and it sticks to my teeth. I end up having to pry off a hard mushey mess. Sometimes it gets half swallowed half stuck. Oh Well, All in the line of duty. All for the sweetest join. My advice, If your gonna bite, spit before you spread. wink!!!

P.S. Don't tell anyone what I just said. hehe

P.S.S. Im new here Kids, nice to meet chu all!!
 
I remember eating paste!
 
Mar, Val,
I get the little 1,2,&4 oz. liquid medical bottles from my vet. They have them by the brazilain and I figure they are disposable. I used to use the really cool skweeze plastic catsup (ketchup) and mustard bottles that had the little color matched cap thingy attached to the nozzle, but I can't find those any more. To keep from losing the little red caps, run a needle through them with some heavy monofilament nylon line and tie a knot on the inside (like the gizmo at the end of the pull cord on venetian blinds) of the cap. Tie the other end around the neck of the bottle.
Getting the dried glue out of the end of the nozzle. Teeth.
 
A paste eater I am not... How did our little ryme go: "His name was Wally, he is so jolly. He likes to eat paste..."
 
I spent most of last night, today and tonight glueing frames. And thought about Mosser's idea the entire time. (Welcome to the Grumble, BTW, Mosser, I think you'll fit right in!) I have to say, it kept me from going bonkers, chuckling. I even tried the bite-it-off-and-spit-it-out thing a couple of times, but ick. Sorry Mosser. Corner Weld doesn't spit so well.

I think I might try Wally's idea and go see the Brazilian Vet about those little bottles. I remember those from when I was a vet tech. Used to use them for just about everything. They made great little squirt guns. We'd fill them with Mountain Dew and psych each other out, pretending it was...uh, never mind. You don't wanna know what goes on behind the doors at your vet's office! Sick people, I tell ya. Like framers, but worse, because they have access to stray body fluids and parts.

Now, about those glue bottles!
 
Hey Wally, I tried the needle/fishing line-through-the-cap-and-tied-to-the-bottle trick. Pretty slick!! I haven't had to chew off a wad of glue in a couple of days! And haven't lost the tinyredcap once!

Haven't made it to the vets office yet though, I'm not due for vaccinations for another month.

And Denny, I just received all 3 Lee Valley catalogues last week (hardware, tools and gardening). My new favorite reading material in the whole wide world! I love that stuff!! I already have a mess of pages dog-eared for Christmas present hints. I had to leave them home so I could get some work done here!
 
Restaurant supply houses offer a variety of options. I found a 6 pack of condiment dispensers (clear) that have an extra wide opening (easy to fill, no spills) and an inner channel where the top threads to the bottom that prevents glue building up on them. Easier to open and quicker to pour large amounts of glue from a gallon jug. Cost about $7 US for the 6 pack. :thumbsup:
 
Wow, Tim, those gluebots and babybots look really good - and they have replacement parts!!! Which size do you use?

I have about had it with my Solo Glue Riter - unless I wipe the nozzle after each use it takes five minutes to free up the ball bearing when I need it.
 
We use the larger size, no reason why except that you don't have to fill it as often
 
FYI
Red ketchup & yellow mustard dispensers u can still find at the Dollar store.
at those prices you can afford to by a six pack LOL
 
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