Re: Q: Adhesive for Danish Modern Chairs?

OK you got it. lay the loose joint firmly on a padded work surface, and using a padded hammer or rubber mallet, strike the loosening part in a direct blow that will press the part into the pad and apart. Look at the glue inside the glue joint to see what the glue was originally. An amber or brown resin will be old hide glue, which can be rejuvenated with fresh hide glue. Most hardware stores carry the new shelf version of hide glue, as opposed to the hot hide glue which is much more trouble. Scrape out all the loose glue add new hide glue and tap the chair back together with the padded hammer, then clamp it tightly. Check the chair to make sure it sits flat on the floor and that the shape is like the original, measure across the feet to be sure the diagonal distances are the same. Possibly you can check one of the original chairs to be sure the back tilts properly and the legs spread as original, also the diagonal measurement from corner to corner will get you to a square shape. If the glue is the modern glue like tight bond, carpenters, aliphatic resin (sorry) then you will need to remove all the old glue. The best way to do this is with a scarp stout knife, to scrape, while a drill bit can be used to ream out the dowel holes. A narrow pin knife will also work inside here, but it is a big chore. If the old glue isn't off the wood you won't get a solid glue bond, when it comes to any modern glue. If the joint is loose a small swatch of thin cotton cloth over the gluey dowel will help tighten the fit, also a small piece of veneer can help this situation. Don't use epoxy or Gorilla glue, it's permanent glue and won't come apart with out breaking the chair, when it does loosen up as it some day will.