The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hello all!

I have a Victrola VV-210 with a leg that was broke and as the title suggests “fixed” with gorilla glue. I’m terrified at the thought of it breaking loose and falling and ultimately destroying the whole machine, hence why I’m asking for advice. How can I break the leg loose and repair it properly? Thank you all so much in advance.

Gorilla Glue when uncured can be thinned with mineral spirits or acetone, Unfortunately once cured, thew process is irreversible: nothing will dissolve it as far as I know.

The only way to remove it is to carfully scrape it and break it. It looks like it was very poorly attached so breaking it off should work.

I have been woodworking for many years. I abhor using Gorilla Glue on anything! On very old furniture, I have used animal glue on antique furniture in a glue pot or white carpenter's glue on more modern furniture or as in this instance, where more strength is required.

It seems to me the best solution may be to cut a slice away and fit a piece of the same wood as a filler. Then dowel, glue, clamp, conform the shape of the filler to the leg, and then refinish the area to hide the filler. If the Gorilla Glue had not been applied, the leg repair would have been much simpler eg the carpenter glue and proper clamping and refinishing.

Please never ever use Gorilla Glue on old furniture or even bring the stuff anywhere near an old phonograph!

The suggestions on the web seem to only be for removing uncured glue or glue that has dried on a surface. I don't think you're going to be able to remove it from a joint.

IMHO, it's very unlikely that the glued joint will give out. You may want to consider just sanding it to get rid of the shine and just live with it. The 210 is a very common machine, so unless it's a family heirloom, I personally wouldn't spend a lot of time on it.

I have no issues with Gorilla Wood Glue, but the "regular" glue is something I will never use again. It swells up in gaps and as you are finding out, it's very hard to remove.

I would try to get the excess off the outside with a razor blade or something similar and leave it. You're likely to end up damaging it further trying to separate it.

I'm not a fan of "gorilla" anything, or for that matter anything marketed as a one-time solution to the crowd with a maintenance-free mindset. I always use hide glue on cabinets or any other piece of antique furniture.

If you are worried about the gorilla glue joint failing, perhaps you could drill a hole from the lower portion of the leg up through the glued break, and insert a hardwood dowel (½-inch diameter?).

The joint is probably stronger than the wood, so if the glue can’t be broken down chemically, there is probably no going back. You could remove any glue on the surface and blend the repair using a file and abrasives, followed by matching the finish. The alternative is to leave it alone if it is only noticeable when you look for it.

Acetone might break down the urethane glue. You might also try methylene chloride based paint stripper. I’m assuming you want to remove the glue so you can repair properly.

Too many ignorant people think gorilla glue will work without serious clamping/fixturing. If it was clamped poorly, it’s entirely possible that the foamy nature of the cured glue (when not constrained in a properly fitted and clamped joint) will allow for easier penetration of solvent to break down the joint,

Use methylene chloride only in a place with forced air ventilation, beware of fume buildup if using acetone... fire hazard.

If you don’t want the machine to fall, shove a block of wood under there to support the machine in case the leg fails.

Governor Flyball wrote: Thu May 19, 2022 7:58 pm …I have used animal glue on antique furniture in a glue pot or white carpenter's glue on more modern furniture or as in this instance, where more strength is required.
…
Please never ever use Gorilla Glue on old furniture or even bring the stuff anywhere near an old phonograph!

Folks, in your experience, does hide glue expire in the bottle?
I notice it has an expiration date on the bottle?!

If you're talking about liquid hide glue, yes, it does go bad. I'd toss anything that has gone more than a year.

Martin