Glue Brushes

[Paul Chapman]

I generally use one of three methods for spreading glue. My finger; or old credit/debit cards which can be cut into appropriate shapes; or a stainless steel spreader which I found in a cake decorating shop of all places. It's rather like a spreader which you would use for spreading tile cement and is useful for large areas.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Graham Orm]

These work for me http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-3-5-10-15-2 ... 3cd27a75f6

Anything bigger and I use a scrap.

 

[mailee]

As I mainly use PVA glue I have an old cheap glue brush that I leave in a pot of water. Take it out dry it on a cloth and apply the glue either from a pot or a squeezy bottle. Back into the pot of water when finished. had the brush for two years now and it's almost ready for replacing. cheap skate or what! :lol:

 

[Mar_mite]

As I mainly use PVA glue I have an old cheap glue brush that I leave in a pot of water. Take it out dry it on a cloth and apply the glue either from a pot or a squeezy bottle. Back into the pot of water when finished. had the brush for two years now and it's almost ready for replacing. cheap skate or what! :lol:

Me too. And I use the frog of a brick to hold the glue instead of a pot. Not sure why, when I was an apprentice, the joiner who taught me always did. Funny the things you pick up.

 

[rafezetter]

As I mainly use PVA glue I have an old cheap glue brush that I leave in a pot of water. Take it out dry it on a cloth and apply the glue either from a pot or a squeezy bottle. Back into the pot of water when finished. had the brush for two years now and it's almost ready for replacing. cheap skate or what! :lol:

same sort of thing - but I buy a pack(s) of 5 brushes from pound shop, and trim the bristles down by half so they are stiffer for larger areas. I also have a silver fish knife that I got from a charity shop years and years ago which I use for filling, mixing, glue spreading, allsorts. I bought 100 lollypop sticks and made a bunch of foam brushes from found foam bits (another Niki idea) with them and use the rest for small glue spreading.

I tried the finger technique a few times but she kept tutting and walking off at the most inopportune moments...

 

[Grahamshed]

I tried the finger technique a few times but she kept tutting and walking off at the most inopportune moments...

They have no sense of occasion do they.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I use a finger for small jobs and if mortises...brushes that I buy from the bin ends at wood working shows. Last batch I picked up at the Kent woodworking show last spring. Recall it was a wacking great bundle for a quid. same for thin gloves.....5 pairs for a pound Personally I've never got on with using wooden sticks.

I also really can't bear cleaning them...life's way too short. If I'm doing a painted finish I leave the brush in a ziplok bag sealed overnight/week etc and that's fine for the next coat of the same colour as the paint remains wet.

 

[marcros]

As I mainly use PVA glue I have an old cheap glue brush that I leave in a pot of water. Take it out dry it on a cloth and apply the glue either from a pot or a squeezy bottle. Back into the pot of water when finished. had the brush for two years now and it's almost ready for replacing. cheap skate or what! :lol:

i wondered about preserving brushes in pva- never thought of a pot of water, but done exactly that with gloss paint brushes many a time!

 

[Jacob]

So I'm the only person to use a palette knife? I admit it did take me some years to come up with this as the best option but now I would recommend it to anybody. Easy to apply, easiest to clean (can be cleaned even when the glue has set hard), easiest for scraping up spills and drops, lasts forever, available in a wide range of shape and sizes, not that you need more than two or three.
NB I put the glue in a screw top jam jar so you can scoop it out easily and also wipe off the palette knife on the edge.

 

[Graham Orm]

So I'm the only person to use a palette knife? I admit it did take me some years to come up with this as the best option but now I would recommend it to anybody. Easy to apply, easiest to clean (can be cleaned even when the glue has set hard), easiest for scraping up spills and drops, lasts forever, available in a wide range of shape and sizes, not that you need more than two or three.
NB I put the glue in a screw top jam jar so you can scoop it out easily and also wipe off the palette knife on the edge.

Good tip Jacob, I use airtight kitchen containers, easy to dip a brush into or pour from.

For cleaning set glue from your pallet knife or rock hard tile adhesive from a float or the black soot that forms on the inside of your wood burner glass door, or anything!! these are superb. Must be the best value for money tool in my box. http://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/stanley-window-scraper

 

[Graham Orm]

As I mainly use PVA glue I have an old cheap glue brush that I leave in a pot of water. Take it out dry it on a cloth and apply the glue either from a pot or a squeezy bottle. Back into the pot of water when finished. had the brush for two years now and it's almost ready for replacing. cheap skate or what! :lol:

i wondered about preserving brushes in pva- never thought of a pot of water, but done exactly that with gloss paint brushes many a time!

They wash out easily enough if you can be bothered.

 

[Graham Orm]

As I mainly use PVA glue I have an old cheap glue brush that I leave in a pot of water. Take it out dry it on a cloth and apply the glue either from a pot or a squeezy bottle. Back into the pot of water when finished. had the brush for two years now and it's almost ready for replacing. cheap skate or what! :lol:

Me too. And I use the frog of a brick to hold the glue instead of a pot. Not sure why, when I was an apprentice, the joiner who taught me always did. Funny the things you pick up.

Pervert

 

[MMUK]

Or a cheaper version Graham.

Wrap a bit of insulation tape around the top of a Stanley knife blade

 

[Graham Orm]

Or a cheaper version Graham.

Wrap a bit of insulation tape around the top of a Stanley knife blade

Hard to get cheaper! :lol: The handle gives great leverage and cleans off trowels etc. like new.

 

[PAC1]

Thank you all for the information I am not sure I am any the wiser but at least I can make an informed decision. I think it will be disposable brushes and I might get some plastic pallet knives on eBay.
My view is I prefer brushes as they spread the glue better than a flat surface but if you have to clean them they are a pain. Leaving them in water, they do need a clean from time to time. I also find the odd brush on my bench at 5 pm or the next morning by which time the brush is solid. I hate the idea of "disposable" but equally I am not paying £5 or £10 for a glue brush. I like the idea of pallet knives so will give them a try.

 

[RobinBHM]

I buy a pack of 100 brushes from majors brushes -they are small brushes perfect for getting into mortices.

For PU glue spreaders cut from laminate offcuts or timber strips work better than brushes as the glue starts to foam up with a brush.

 

[siggy_7]

For gluing flat accessible areas I find an old flexible kitchen spatula works very well, and really easy to clean. When getting inside joints etc small scraps work best for me.

 

[McGill]

I use a silicone pastry brush, works a treat and is dead easy to clean. Just leave it to dry and the dried glue breaks off in your hand. OK, every now and then you'll lose a bristle or two in the process, but mine is still going strong after 18 months of sporadic use.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silicone-Bastin ... B005EXJ0F4

I only use it for PVA though, so cannot vouch for other types of glue. :wink:

 

[Fishandchips]

I use my finger, takes me back to been a kid peeling it off when it's dried.