How to fix yellow wood glue on snow bases

[AndrewBeasley]

I've been basing some figures using Woodland Scenics snow flock as follows:

Paint metal bases and magic bases with GW or other white acrylic
Add watered down wood glue
Sprinkle on WS snow flock
Add a little white kids glitter
Seal with matt varnish or WS scenic cement

Over time the wood glue has yellowed under the flock and things now look messy to say the least so I need to rebase these figures.  I am confident its the glue and not paint / flock as its only the latter ones affected - the early ones using PVA are still fine.

The main question - should I scrape it all off (down to the bare metal / mag sheet) or just repaint / re-glue and flock again?  My concern is the yellow will work its way through again and I'm back to square one...

The second question is the best way to remove the mix as I am not sure how I'll get the paint off the magnetic sheet - they have a sticky backing and I really do not want to break the figures off the magnets due to the size (these are 15mm figs) and time it will take.

[robh]

A soak in water will soften and remove wood glue. I suggest you stand the figures in a tray of water just covering the top of the base and leave it a day or so. Then pick off the loose stuff with a cocktail stick.

[Billchuck]

Paint it with white gesso then rebase over top of it.  The gesso should give a thick enough layer to prevent the yellow from showing through.

Soaking in water will depend on the glue you used.  Some are waterproof.  Also, make sure you have the water just barely above the metal of the base.  I've tried this method and had the water wick up into the paint on the feet of the minis and loosen that as well.

[AndrewBeasley]

Thanks for those tips both of you - I'm sure the glue was waterproof  so gesso looks the way forward

[robh]

Yellow Wood glue is not water proof, it is water resistant.

[Billchuck]

Yellow Wood glue is not water proof, it is water resistant.

Some are water resistant. Others are waterproof.

http://www.titebond.com/titebond_wood_glues/Ultimate_Wood_Glue.aspx

[Major_Gilbear]

Stand the figures in a shallow tray of hot water, just covering the tops of the bases.

Even if the glue is waterproof, this should soften it enough to enable you to pick off as much as you can (the hot water should soften the glue a bit at least).

Then, allow to thoroughly dry, and paint over the base with a couple of good coats of model acrylic paint.

Finally, re-glue and flock, but this time use a non-yellowing glue! You can get non-yellowing PVA glue, but it's normally sold in DIY stores and can be a bit more expensive.

You can also add some white paint to the glue, which will help to prevent it from yellowing as obviously over time.

[Silent Invader]

I'm a big fan of this (in the blue bottle, never tried the green), which dries clear:

Evo-Stik Wood Adhesive Weatherproof is a one part water-resistant synthetic resin emulsion adhesive for general bonding of wood assemblies for non-structural applications. It has suitable properties for internal use and for protected external use.

http://www.bostik.co.uk/construction/product/evo-stik/Wood-Adhesive/333

[AndrewBeasley]

I'm a big fan of this (in the blue bottle, never tried the green), which dries clear:

http://www.bostik.co.uk/construction/product/evo-stik/Wood-Adhesive/333

Do not use the green - some of these bases where done in that and have gone yellow as quick as some others.

[Silent Invader]

That's interesting and sorry to hear that Andrew. FWIW I've never had a problem with the blue.