7 Tips for Making Wood Glue Dry Faster

Wood glue is used specifically to bond 2 pieces of wood together. There are several different types of wood glue that include urea formaldehyde resin adhesives, resorcinol formaldehyde resin glue, phenol formaldehyde resin, animal glues, polyvinyl acetate, polyurethane glue, epoxy, cyanoacrylate, contact cement and more.

1. Use New Glue

In order to make your wood glue dry faster there are several things you can do. The first is to make sure that the glue has not expired or is close to expiring. When glue gets too old it will not work properly and this might affect the performance of your glue. Using a fresh bottle will ensure that your glue dries faster.

2. Do Not Dilute

Never water down your glue in order to make it dry faster. This does not work in the way that you think. This glue can saturate the media you are trying to glue together which in turn will make everything hard. The glue then does not actually serve its purpose of holding 2 pieces together.

3. The Right Glue

Make sure you are using the proper type of glue as wood glue should only be used on wood. If it is used on something else then it may never dry. Also make sure the glued piece is in a well ventilated space as air flow can help dry the piece. You do not want the air directly on the glued piece but the less humid the air the faster it will dry.

4. Thin Application

If you need really fast drying wood glue then you do not want to apply it using thick layers as this will take much longer to dry. Additionally a warm environment will help dry the glue faster as warm air can absorb more water from its surroundings. If you need it to dry really fast then think about using a hair dryer on a low setting.

5. Glue Plus Resin

If your wood glue is being used in conjunction with a resin like epoxy then you can add a bit more hardener to the mixture as this accelerates the drying time. However you have to glue things quickly as the glue will begin to harden immediately. You could also mix up your own fast drying wood glue. All you need is quick drying glue and some sawdust from the wood. Mix these two together and let the glue dry.

6. Polyurethane Wood Glue

Polyurethane glue is popular for wood and it is also waterproof.  This wood glue does not dry in the traditional sense but will absorb the water from the glued objects which causes the glue to expand and fill the space. Therefore to get the glue to dry faster you can mist water onto what you are gluing. You can easily sand this into a thin coating and it also will accept wood stains.  Though this glue takes longer to dry than others, this drying period makes it possible to correct any errors if necessary. Realize that this particular glue does not come off easily and you may have to cut it or sand it off.

7. Clamps

To make sure your wood glue sets properly and that the pieces are in the right spot you should clamp everything together.  Holding the pieces exactly in the right spot for hours is just not feasible.