Rockler first came out with their silicone glue brushes back in 2012, and you can now find something similar under Bench Dog branding. Bench Dog offers a bunch of Rockler products, but with their orange color scheme instead of blue.
Each spreader measures 7-inch long, and is double ended. On one side, there’s a hard plastic paddle, and on the other, you have a silicone brush.
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These spreaders, the brushes in particular, work really well with most wood glues. There are many other lower cost brushes and improvised means of spreading glue, and so it’s almost easy to dismiss these as frivolous accessories – until you actually use one.
The spreaders do a great job of depositing glue exactly where you want it, and nowhere that you don’t. They fit into nooks and crannies, and are easy to clean.
I’ve got one of these in Rockler blue, but will probably pick up a pair of the Bench Dog ones. I could always use an extra or two, and feel that the orange color of these will stand out better in my drawers and on my workbench.
Need a push block? We really like this Bench Dog one, reviewed here!
These glue spreaders are sold in a 2-pack, for under $9 ($8.31 at the time of this posting), with free Prime shipping, or free shipping for $35+ orders if you’re not a Prime subscriber. You can still buy single brushes for $5 each, plus shipping, at Rockler.
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Buy Now(1-piece via Rockler)
Rockler also offers a mini glue brush pack, for $5 plus shipping.
Buy Also(Mini brushes via Amazon)
Need something different? Rockler expanded their glue-spreading offerings last year, with a roller, bottle, and some other stuff.
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Nathan says
reuseable, with a spudger/mixing paddle on the end.
sold – I’ve not seen or use the rockler ones – so read the review. great idea.
fred says
For years I used to use my index finger or a cheap acid flux brush that we bought commercially for about $10 for a gross – or about 7 cents each. The only downside of the brushes was that they sometimes left a bristle behind. I still use my finger for many jobs – but I bought a Rockler set about 3 years ago – and do find them handy for some glue-ups.
SawdustTX says
I have a set of these and one of the Rockler blue ones. The Rockler is actually a little better quality. These are good, but the brush heads come off the orange stick even with light use. A drop of superglue, and they are fantastic!
I found I use the paddle end for glue squeeze-out cleanup more than glue spreading. If you wait ’til the squeeze out starts to dry, you can run the paddle down the blue line like a scraper and it lifts the squeeze-out off quickly and cleanly.
Love these things!
Stuart says
Maybe you got a bad batch? I’m pretty sure that Rockler makes these for Bench Dog, as with their other shared products.
SawdustTX says
I don’t know. but either way, easy fix and they are so much better than acid brushes for spreading blue.
Benjamen says
I’ve had decent luck with the silicone grill brushes from the dollar store. You just need to cut the bristles down to a reasonable size.
Like fred above I would buy cheap acid brushes in bulk and have to pick out bristles. I would extend their life by rinsing them out if I remembered.
I’m trying to switch away from the acid brushes because they don’t hold as much glue as a silicone brush and I don’t like throwing away brushes.
Porphyre says
I’ve got a couple Rockler brushes and like them. Somewhat cheap, durable. I was expecting to tear off one of the silicone bristles, but they’re all 100% intact, even after a few years use.
Pros – Dunno what the plastic is, but wood glues (Titebond, Gorilla) won’t bond to it. Easy cleanup once its dry.
After waiting 24 hrs for the glue in the bristles to dry, it comes out in a neat honeycomb pattern.
Cons – The brush end traps A LOT of glue…. until it’s full. So the first half of the glue up, it seems like you’re running out of glue on the board (because it’s going into the brush) then the second half, the brush is full, so it really starts moving the glue around.
Based on a couple years experience, I use the spudger end more for glue spreading, but the brush end is excellent for getting an even coat of glue all the way to the edge of a board.
Mike says
I’ve got a couple blue ones. I really like them for glue-ups. I ended up buying the glue-up kit from Rockler that has a big silicon toothed spreader for face gluing that works really well too.
JeffD says
My finger is free, while acid brushes are uber cheap (5 cents) when purchased in bulk.
Tom says
Check garage sales, or even your kitchen store.
I got a silicone kitchen brush from a garage sale for 50 cents, cut the bristles down from and it works great. Also a silicon baking sheet works well for glue ups and small silicone dish for a glue pot. Dried glue and epoxy just peels off.