Store it in the house where it is cooler.

 

I can see it now.
Me: "Honey can I move my woodworking bench and reloading bench into the spare bedroom? My glue and gunpowder need better temperature control, and price of gunpowder is going up even higher next year."
Wife: "No. Just bring the glue and gunpowder inside."

 

My shop is actually warmer now that I got a new heat pump three years ago. It's never below 60 degrees. I can now keep the vent open in the shop which is on the lower level.

 

Presumably you've got the reversible heat pump that lets you keep the shop cool during the summer.

 

Funny, my challenge (South Dakota) is keeping the shop warm enough that the Titebond III doesn't freeze. Turns to milky cottage cheese if I let it freeze. Microwaving it helps a little, but it's never the same. That stuff is very sensitive to temperature extremes. I've gotten into the habit of keeping the glue in our kitchen pantry, to my wife's amusement.

 

Thats nonsense advice. I have similar temps to Florida, and even now i can see over 75f at midday in december.
I use titebond 3, and yes it does change from runny to blobby, but in the last 6 years I've used it I I have never had a glue failure.

 

I use titebond 3, and yes it does change from runny to blobby, but in the last 6 years I've used it I I have never had a glue failure.

I've not had a glue failure either but I've only been using it less than a year. Except for the darker dried color as compared to TiteBond II, I love this stuff because of the longer open time. I don't feel rushed.

I just noticed unlike before TiteBond III was great to spread around using a small roller, now I have to spread it around with spatula or a Mark I finger. So I tried using some TiteBond II and saw that it still had the same consistency as when I first got it. That's what lead me to looking at storage instructions and found the notes about temperature.

 

I keep mine in a refrigerator year around (shop refrigerator).

 

That's an interesting idea. At what temperature do you keep said refrigerator?

 

Mine is also used to keep the soft drinks and bottled water cold, so it's right around 38°. I should mention, I keep the gallon bottles in the frig, and the smaller using containers set out. It would be OK to keep the smaller containers in the frig as well, but you'd need to allow them to warm up before use.

 

Well this is an interesting discussion. When my shop dips below 50 - and I have a thermometer on the wall just for that purpose - I collect all the Titebond and bring it in the house so it doesn't turn into tapioca pudding. I can't tell you how much glue I've thrown away if I let it drop to the 30's.

 

Unless it might freeze the bottle for several days like being in the truck, I don’t worry about it..

 

TB3 has the tendency to have some of the solids settle out at most any temperature, makes the glue runnier.

I use some hex shank drill paint mixers that fit through the bottle neck to give it a good stir-up every so often.

I'll bring in all my glues if the shop temp might reach freezing, and I'll store them inside durign the summer if/when the temp gets into the 80's

 

Off topic: On the side topic of refrigerators, I read or saw somewhere that there is a guy who uses an old broken fridge as a kiln to dry his wood. As I recall he simply has a 30 watt light bulb inside and cut some holes as some kind of natural convection for venting/air circulation.

 

The freezing thing comes up everyonce in a while, but the truth is that Titebond is not ruined by freezing. Here's what the Franklin wensite says: "Do not use when temperature, glue or materials are below 50°F. Freezing may not affect the function of the product but may cause it to thicken. Agitation should restore product to original form.". They had a product dadt sheet that specifically said Titebomd could take 5 freeze/thaw cycles before it goes bad but I couldn't locate it right at the moment. If you e mail them that will be their answer. Storing it in a refirdgerator does seem to lengthen it's shelf life some. I've had some that was 3 years old and still good. Cooler temps slow down the chemical reactions that make it go bad.

 

If it freezes and the thaws chunky it’s not useable. When I installed and it hardened on a Friday and tried to thaw glue on Monday it sometimes had a crystal look on it like I’ve cream thats been in the freezer too long.

 

I found the Titebond reference, it's called the Titebond Product Brochure. Here's the section on freezing:

Here's the URL for that if anyone wants it, it's a pdf and I'm not sure I can link it:

http://www.titebond.com/App_Static/literature/glues/FF1040_Wood_Glues_Brochure.pdf

How about that, it is linked.

 

I found the Titebond reference, it's called the Titebond Product Brochure. Here's the section on freezing:
View attachment 3885502

Here's the URL for that if anyone wants it, it's a pdf and I'm not sure I can link it:

http://www.titebond.com/App_Static/literature/glues/FF1040_Wood_Glues_Brochure.pdf

It doesn’t always thaw nicely. Sometimes it thaws in globs..

 

I don't typically use TB3(maybe once I bought a small bottle). I use the Original TB and TB2 in my detached garage/shop. I have a shop heater and air conditioner, but generally don't run them 24/7, so temperatures in there can swing from slightly below freezing in winter snaps to... past the triple digits in the summer.

I have sometimes added a bit of water when the glue is on the last 1/4 bottle of usage because it gets kinda thick, but haven't had any issues otherwise. I'm a hobbyist and buy them in gallons so it lasts a long time.

 

TB3 is the only glue I have used where the glue joint failed under stress. It has happened twice. I have also had it thicken beyond use before the 2 year life expectancy expired. The 75° storage requirement probably explains the early expiration. I only buy it in the smallest bottle they sell and only use it for something that gets repeated water exposure. Even then, for things like segmented wood bowls, I usually use TB2 because it seems more reliable to me.

 

I found that TiteBond III says this:


No wonder the consistency of the glue changed since the time I got it back in spring. I thought that I was being very careful keeping things air tight. It wasn't the air. It was my garage temperatures during summer. These Southern Virginia temperatures are killing my glue.

I guess it's back to Titebond II for me. I'll just need to work faster.

If you want to know the real low-down, call Bob Bhenke at Titebond. He's leads the technical support group there (call Tech support and ask for him), and is very open and knows exactly why they have certain recommendations and is transparent. Sometimes the label recommendations are more conservative than what is required, and Bob has always been very transparent with me when it comes to such things and has a wealth of knowledge.