Removing Gorilla Glue From My Hands?

[randyjaco]

I use Gorilla Glue frequently for small repairs. I always manage to get some on my hands and of course I end up with black stains on my hands for several days. Yeah, I have a whole box of nitrile gloves, but somehow they never make it on my hands on time 8^(
Has anyone figured out a way to remove Gorilla Glue from skin?

Randy

 

[darkzero]

Acetone & MEK works with most CAs but they can be harsh on the hands & even bad for your health. If & when I do get CA on my hands it's usually just small spots & I just use CA debonder. It works the best for me.

There's various types made by Gorilla Glue so the one I'm referring to is the instant adhesive.

 

[RJSakowski]

I use Gorilla Glue frequently for small repairs. I always manage to get some on my hands and of course I end up with black stains on my hands for several days. Yeah, I have a whole box of nitrile gloves, but somehow they never make it on my hands on time 8^(
Has anyone figured out a way to remove Gorilla Glue from skin?

Randy

LOL Been there done that! I have gone through more than a gallon of the stuff and have had many very close encounters.
Gorilla Glue and other urethane adhesives (and Great Stuff urethane foam) are catalyzed by moisture. Acetone will work if you can get it before it has a chance to set. Once they set, they are virtually impossible to remove by dissolving. What does work is abrasion. My wife has a pumice stone in the shower which has a coarse and fine grit. A bit of vigorous rubbing will remove most of the offending stain. The black is actually dirt and grime picked up while the stuff was curing. If you scrub away that layer, you should be back to your old skin color. Beware, if you do this too often in a short period of time, you can go through to the live tissue.
The pumice stone also works well for managing skin cracks . It thins the dead skin and makes it more flexible and less likely to crack.

 

[brav65]

LOL Been there done that! I have gone through more than a gallon of the stuff and have had many very close encounters.
Gorilla Glue and other urethane adhesives (and Great Stuff urethane foam) are catalyzed by moisture. Acetone will work if you can get it before it has a chance to set. Once they set, they are virtually impossible to remove by dissolving. What does work is abrasion. My wife has a pumice stone in the shower which has a coarse and fine grit. A bit of vigorous rubbing will remove most of the offending stain. The black is actually dirt and grime picked up while the stuff was curing. If you scrub away that layer, you should be back to your old skin color. Beware, if you do this too often in a short period of time, you can go through to the live tissue.
The pumice stone also works well for managing skin cracks . It thins the dead skin and makes it more flexible and less likely to crack.

You nailed it with the abrasion, I have resorted to the 3M sanding pads when I have a particularly tough spot.

 

[Andre]

Gorilla glue goes up on the list of impossible things to remove. Up there with silicone grease, caulk, enamel paint, etc......

Any type of thick oil should soften it, olive oil comes to mind.

 

[Franko]

Memory works best for removing Gorilla glue. Remember how hard it was to get it off your hands and glove up next time. Gloves just peel right off.

I can get most stuff off my hands with hot water, soap and a stiff hand scrub brush. If it is really tough, orange cleaner (Goo Gone) works pretty good on most everything.

I don't care for Gorilla glue. It is sticky but not very strong. It's foam. And, much like super glue, it doesn't live very long after you open it. I made a coffee table with mortise and tenon joinery. I made them kinda loose because I figured I'd use Gorilla glue. Well, in about a month the thing started wobbling and falling apart. I had to take it apart, scrape all the Gorilla foam off it and glue it back together with yellow carpenter's glue. Just my 2¢.

 

[Smithdoor]

rubber gloves works for me

Dave

 

[Andre]

Memory works best for removing Gorilla glue. Remember how hard it was to get it off your hands and glove up next time. Gloves just peel right off.

I can get most stuff off my hands with hot water, soap and a stiff hand scrub brush. If it is really tough, orange cleaner (Goo Gone) works pretty good on most everything.

I don't care for Gorilla glue. It is sticky but not very strong. It's foam. And, much like super glue, it doesn't live very long after you open it. I made a coffee table with mortise and tenon joinery. I made them kinda loose because I figured I'd use Gorilla glue. Well, in about a month the thing started wobbling and falling apart. I had to take it apart, scrape all the Gorilla foam off it and glue it back together with yellow carpenter's glue. Just my 2¢.

Matthias Wandel has several videos testing different glues. Gorilla glue specifically was poor when it came to gap filling.

 

[RJSakowski]

Memory works best for removing Gorilla glue. Remember how hard it was to get it off your hands and glove up next time.

I can get most stuff off my hands with hot water, soap and a stiff hand scrub brush. If it is really tough, orange cleaner (Goo Gone) works pretty good on most everything.

I don't care for Gorilla glue. It is sticky but not very strong. It's foam. And, much like super glue, it doesn't live very long after you open it. I made a coffee table with mortise and tenon joinery. I made them kinda loose because I figured I'd use Gorilla glue. Well, in about a month the thing started wobbling and falling apart. I had to take it apart, scrape all the Gorilla foam off it and glue it back together with yellow carpenter's glue. Just my 2¢.

I used polyurethane glue exclusively in my kitchen rebuild. The cabinet doors and drawer front are made with 3/4" edge glued Black Locust. Before I decided on what glue to use, I set up some tests. I edge glued two 3/4 thick by 2" wide by 6" long pieces together using various types of glue. I then clamped one piece in a vise and used a large Crescent wrench with a digital scale to measure the torque require to break the joints. The urethane glue failed at twice the torque of the Titebond II woodworkers glue. The joints also failed by tearing the wood adjacent to the joint rather than the joint itself. The kitchen has been in service for nine years now and not one of the hundreds of joints has failed.

The secret to using it is to have a tight joint. It does foam as it cures and the foam is not very strong. If you control expansion by use of clamps so it doesn't foam you have a strong joint. One of the reasons is the pressure created during curing forces glue into the wood pores creating tendrils which increase the bonding strength.

It does have a tendency to set up in storage. This occurs because water catalyzes the curing reaction. The same is true for cyanoacrylate (e.g. Super Glue) adhesives. When I store them for other than immediate use, I heat some silica gel desiccant to dry it and put in a large glass jar. I put the glue in the jars and seal it. The desiccant will pick up any moisture and keep the glue fresh.

 

[RJSakowski]

Matthias Wandel has several videos testing different glues. Gorilla glue specifically was poor when it came to gap filling.

Gorilla Glue should never be used for filling gaps. If you have a joint with a gap, use epoxy.