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I find myself having an on-off love affair with Gorilla Glue but can't quite commit to it. It's the mess due to the foaming behaviour during cure. I try to glue small things together with it and then clean off the glue during the foaming phase. These items are a few inches across.

I got a Dremel (type) tool for Christmas. I'm wondering if I could use it to surgically remove the cured foam. I think that it's a polyurethane glue. Is there an appropriate attachment for this?

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It is polyurethane. Much easier to slice than to grind, as it tends to get a bit gummy, and the things that you glue (e.g. wood) tend to be softer than the glue itself, meaning that you are risking damaging the workpiece.

If you had to, I'd use a vibrating oscilating mini-saw on a nultifunction tool but I generally just use a razor.

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  • If you don't clean up polyurethane before it starts to cure, mechanical removal is the only option. Othen removal of a layer of whatever it was stuck to. Which is one reason I don't use the stuff except as expanding foam, and I won;t touch that without safety goggles, clothes I wouldn't mind ruining, and preferably gloves.
    – keshlam
    Jan 6, 2016 at 1:14
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I don't think there's any one magic attachment specifically for gorilla glue. I'd just go with whatever grinder/sander attachment fits the piece you are trying to remove glue from.

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    I usually put blue painters tape along the joints both sides. Once dry a sharp razor knife score at the joint and it comes off! It stuck to the tape not the project.
    – Ed Beal
    Jan 5, 2016 at 22:43
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Gorilla Glue is primarily used for bonding wood together although I'm sure the company has expanded the glue for different functions. To remove excess that has expanded from the seam while it is still uncured wipe with a damp rag. If it has hardened slice off as much as possible with a razor. There will be some residual glue on the surface. Depending on the material that was bonded a fine grit sanding drum chucked in your Dremel should work.

If the glue film that can't be scraped-off with a razor needs to be removed from a wood surface use a 150-180 grit sanding attachment and apply light pressure. You want to remove the glue only.

If the material is a type of metal attach a wire wheel or cup brush to the multi-tool and gently remove the dried glue haze.

If the material has detail or coloring that may get erased or damaged by using the previous two suggestions you will need to meticulously and patiently use a dental pick and a magnifier to scrape the adhesive coating away.

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  • Just to be clear then, sand not grind?
    – Paul Uszak
    Jan 5, 2016 at 23:02
  • what is the material you are sanding?
    – ojait
    Jan 5, 2016 at 23:58
  • The cured Gorilla Glue?
    – Paul Uszak
    Jan 6, 2016 at 1:09
  • Is there a difference between sanding and grinding? It's both rubbing a surface with abrasive - not sure of the distinction you're trying to make.
    – JPhi1618
    Jan 6, 2016 at 14:32
  • @JPhi1618 Good point but you must be wrong somehow. There is a distinction but I can't express it concisely. You never use an angle grinder to remove paint from wooden windows, and removing slag from butt welds is difficult with 120 grit sand paper. Also, Dremel know there's some difference as they sell both types of attachments and they look substantially different.
    – Paul Uszak
    Jan 6, 2016 at 22:16

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