The first step in repairing old furniture is disassembling it. Use vinegar or heat to separate glued joints.
Restoration of antique furniture often involves repair, because wood becomes brittle as it ages and can easily crack or break. It's much easier to make antique furniture repairs if you can separate the joints, but furniture joints are often glued together so tightly that trying to force them apart can damage the wood. Softening the glue makes the joints easier to separate, but you need a reliable softening agent and a way to get the agent into the glued joints. To find a softening agent, you need look no further than your kitchen cupboard.
Instructions
1. Drill two or three holes around the perimeter of a glued joint that you want to separate. Use a 1/8-inch bit or a smaller bit, and drill the holes parallel to the wood inserted into the joint and about 1 inch deep. The holes should penetrate the glue joint so that you can apply a liquid into them to contact the glue and dissolve it.
2. Fill a syringe with vinegar and squirt some into each hole. Wipe off the excess that drips out of the hole with a rag to prevent it from damaging the finish on the wood.
3. Let the vinegar work for 10 minutes to an hour, then try separating the joint by twisting and pulling. If the glue has softened enough for you to move the wood but you can't pull it out, tap lightly with a smooth-faced hammer to loosen the glue bond. Squirt in more vinegar if the glue hasn't softened enough for you to move the wood.
4. Apply heat to the joint with a heat gun as an alternative method of softening the glue. Hold the gun about an inch from the joint and keep it moving around the perimeter to avoid scorching the wood. If the wood you're trying to separate is small enough, you can heat it in a microwave oven.
5. Wrap a damp rag around the joint as a third alternative. Leave the rag overnight, moistening it periodically if it begins to dry out. In the morning, remove the rag and tap the joint loose with a hammer.
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