How To Soften Dried Gorilla Glue | 4 methods
I pretty much hate anything individual serving! Take, for example, the iconic soy sauce fish! One little serving of sauce all that plastic packaging going into landfill! It makes much more sense to buy an entire bottle, right? But are there things that should be bought in individual serving?
Take glue for example.
Not your typical white elementary school glue – somehow I never seem to have enough of that type so it does not have time to harden, but those stronger household glues like Crazy Glue or Gorilla Glue. You know, the kinds that are designed to miraculously stick broken pieces together and repair just about anything! We buy this when something breaks or needs repair – I even used it to give our used moving boxes a little extra strength – but then we throw it in a drawer and forget we have it.
Well, until something else breaks again a year later – but by then the glue is usually hard as a rock. That is why I wanted to share options for how to soften dried Gorilla Glue to help you save some money and lessen your aggravation!
We learned through our research that Gorilla Glue is made from a moisture activated polyurethane adhesive which makes it extremely sensitive to moisture. This is why it gets hard when not used for a while.
Below are a couple of options for how to soften dried Gorilla glue. All of these ideas are from actual frustrated customers who tried each of these options – even me, who went with the hole poke option!
None of these options are guaranteed to work – but things you can try. Results can vary based on how long the glue has been sitting, elevation levels etc.
Related Articles: How to get Gorilla Glue out of clothes and How to Remove Gorilla Glue From Hair
1. The Old Hole Poke
It all starts with not being able to get any glue out after a single use!
The small opening at the top was completely blocked by hard glue. Maybe a testament of how good they are at patching holes?
Anyway, the inside did not seem 100% hardened, so I resorted to a sharp pin and it worked like precision surgery! I was proud! I managed to get the super-powerful glue out of the bottle by squeezing it through the new ‘surgical’ hole I made in the side.
But as you can see below — what happens later is not very pretty. After using it and putting it away – I went back a few weeks later and found this! The glue had come out of the new ‘surgical hole’ I was so proud of – which also left the bottle stuck to my cupboard.
So while – my pin prick worked – there were consequences and not pretty ones!
2. Immerse In Hot Water
Another option to get the glue to work if it is in fact hard is to immerse the bottle in very hot water.
Not boiling – but very hot which may loosen the glue just enough for you to actually be able to use it.
3. Paint Thinner
If you have tried the method above, immersing it in hot water and maybe it softened, but not enough there is another option for you to try!
Add a few drops of paint thinner – just 3 or so drops have been said to work for a few people in our research.
4. Microwave
One other option for softening hard Gorilla Glue is to pop it in the microwave for a few seconds. Many reported this working just long enough to get some glue for what they need. If you do this, remember to watch it carefully and to only do it for a few seconds as having this explode in your microwave would NOT be a good thing!
So, now you have some ideas for how to soften dried Gorilla Glue, but know let’s look at some ways to try and prevent it from getting hard in the first place.
Keep Your Gorilla Glue From Drying Out
Unfortunately, there is no guaranteed way to keep your glue from hardening. The reason it hardens is due to the loss of moisture and the moisture usually seeps out from the cap not being 100% tightened.
To try and prevent this – once you use the glue, make sure you put the cap back on very tightly then place it in a sealable bag or container. This may help alleviate the loss of too much moisture.
Some other things you can try include:
- Before storing be sure to squeeze out any air in the bottle
- Cover the hole with tape or stick something in the top to prevent air from entering the bottle
- Place the bottle in the plastic bag or container as mentioned above
- Please that bag or container in the freeze or a cool, dry place
We hope something from this article was able to help you! As a family that cares about waste, we really try hard to not throwaway items that still have use life if at all possible!
If only Gorilla glue can see this and figure out a way to make an eco-friendly single pack version of their awesome product.
If you have had any experience and have other tips or recommendations please let us know!
Buying Options
If you are going to only do a small project here and there then buying a large bottle of Gorilla Glue really makes no sense because of the known hardening issues.
Below is the best option if you only use it once in a while. At just a couple of dollars it won’t hurt as much if it hardens and you cannot bring it back to life!
Yup. Works for me. But this thing drys up pretty slow though. whenever I leave my projects, then I come back, often it shifts though. HUH. 🙁