I don’t know about you, but I’ve used super glue for years, and no matter how hard I try, I always end up getting my super glue onto the wooden surface, even though I’ve put down protective sheets. I’ve no idea how I do it. I also get covered in it myself.
Straight off the bat, if you need to know how to get super glue off of skin, if it’s still wet, which is how I usually end up, I just apply some acetone into a makeup pad (do not tell my wife!) and gently wipe it off. Small patches on my fingers, I tend to pick it off over time. But if you get a large spot on you, that’s dried, apply a warm compress and consult a doctor immediately.
If you need to remove super glue from glass, I hate to tell you this, but it’s not going to quick, and it’s not going to be easy. Thankfully super glue has a much harder time binding to a smooth surface such as glass or plastic, so with enough time and effort, you’ll get rid of it. Just keep applying acetone and gently wiping it away, once again, my wife cotton makeup pads come in handy here.
Now, what about removing super glue from a surface that it really likes to stick to, such as wood? Super glue is alright at sticking wood together, though it’s not as good as a solid wood glue. Because of this, it can be challenging to remove it. The methods below are all fantastic super glue remover methods. If you follow the advice below, you will know how to remove super glue from wood.
5 Tips for Removing Super Glue from Wood
Use Acetone
If you have this available, perhaps your wife has some nail polish remover in the cupboard? Then this should be the first option that you consider. Acetone is a commercial glue remover that can deal with the majority of weaker glues and can be rather handy with removing super glue from wood. Acetone will damage paint, so you need to tape off any areas that are painted to prevent acetone from leaking into the wood or getting onto your paint.
Take a rag, cotton swab, cotton ball, or cotton makeup pad, then add some acetone to it and then apply it to the super glue. Let it sit for a minute or two, you may want to agitate the glue by gently wiping the affected area with the cotton swab, rag, or pad.
I’m sorry to tell you this, but as you’ll find in this method and the others mentioned below, one dosage alone probably isn’t going to be enough to get the job done. Give how strong super glue is, the chances are you are going to have to repeat this process multiple times. It’s going to take time and patience, but it can be done.
You need to get your head into a place of “I’m in this for the long haul” because when you use acetone, it’s going to take time, and you need to take care.
Use White Vinegar
Perhaps you don’t have any acetone in your house, and you need an alternative to acetone, which also is much less of a risk to your paint and wood. Then you should consider white vinegar.
Again you are going to need to take your time when you are applying white vinegar, as applying too much too quickly will most likely cause the same problems you were trying to avoid by not using acetone.
It all depends on the size of the area, but you’ll need to apply around 120 ml of white vinegar to the super glued area, so soak those makeup pads, press firmly against the super glued patch, wait at least 15 minutes, then check the progress before you consider applying any more.
Like the acetone method, just keep at it until the super glue has been removed.
Mayonnaise and Orange Peels
Ok, you may be looking at me with a raised eyebrow, I get it! But it works! If you want an all-natural solution, then you should consider mayonnaise and orange peels to help you remove super glue from wood. I know this may sound odd to use these two to remove super glue from wood, but remember than mayonnaise has natural oils that are useful in breaking down adhesives.
Also, citrus that is contained with the orange peels is known to be good at breaking down adhesives, and the peels themselves are handy for soaking up any glue spots that haven’t dried yet.
You can use mayonnaise and orange peels (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P76WMMr9SSI) together, or you can use them separately. If you are just using orange peels, then you’ll want to leave them to sit on the super glued surface for at least 10 minutes, then remove them, swab the area with a cleaning agent, such as the ones mentioned above. And again, this will most likely take multiple applications.
Utilizing Heat
While super glue is strong. Like superman, it has a weakness, in this case, heat! Heat is one of the great super glue killers. While you can use super glue in hot temperatures, it does have it’s limited, and if it’s subjected to prolonged exposure to heat, the joint can fail. This is why this is one of the biggest obstacles to working with superglue on outdoor projects.
Thankfully, this means that with a bit of heat, you can melt super glue and remove it from a wooden surface. Many tools on the market can generate heat, though you are working with a wooden surface, so take care not to accidentally scorch the surface itself, causing damage to the finish. A hairdryer I’ve found to be sufficient.
When it comes to applying heat to remove super glue, the more direct the heat, the better.
Sanding Things Down
Finally, we come to the move aggressive approach. If you are wanting to remove super glue from wood and don’t mind smoothing out the surface a bit, then sandpaper is an option. You want to use sandpaper that’s at least 600-grit, which is incredibly high but means that your finish shouldn’t take too much of a beating.
Firmly press and rub the sandpaper over the super glued area, making sure not to press so hard as to cause damage to the surface or your finish.
Wrap Up
I’ve done, no doubt you will too, accidentally super gluing surfaces together is incredibly frustrating. But with the methods shown above, you will be able to undo your super glue accident, ideally the quicker you get to the overspill the better, or lay down plenty of protection so you don’t get your super glue onto wood in the first place, one day I’ll manage to not be so messy myself, then knowing how to remove super glue from wood won’t be as important as it currently is.
Any questions or comments, or perhaps a story to share about this, please leave me a comment below.
