Low volume (small bead) glues dispenser suggestions?

[Old Greenhorn]

I recently find myself looking for a way to lay out smaller beads of glue. I use the titebond glue bottles and most times they are fine, but in some recent applications, I would like to squeeze out a lot less glue and have a lot less to clean off after the joint squeezes most of it out. It's not that I mind throwing a lot of glue away (although I do, a little) but it's all the clean up work of wiping and scraping, then sanding later.
Can anybody offer suggestions for a glue dispenser that puts out about a 1/8" or less bead of glue? Perhaps a method you use for getting small beads? Tips, tricks, and suggestions are what I need here as I try to hone my crude skills.
Thanks folks.

[trimguy]

A restaurant type ketchup bottle.

[Old Greenhorn]

Wouldn't that be about the same as a glue bottle Arnold?

[trimguy]

My tite bond bottles have about 3/8 slot the glue comes out of. I've seen the red ketchup bottles some where ( been a while) round with a tip that comes to a point with a round snap on cap. I read your other post, are you looking for something to put it in cracks ?

[Old Greenhorn]

OH, OK, yeah, I don't see those pointed bottle much, but we do get mustard in them. Maybe I'll  try that. Well I wasn't thinking about cracks, just small beads. For cracks I would like to have a hypodermic with a 16 gage needle, but I used mine up a couple of years back, so I just wing it. I still have to massage it in with a tooth pick anyway.

[Tom King]

This is not an unusual need.  Google "woodworking syringe" and there are many choices as well as sources.

For larger ones, Google  "fiberglass syringe". 

[Larry]

Glu Bot

Over priced plastic but sometimes worth it.  The small one is a Babe Bot and will put out a really small bead. 

[Old Greenhorn]

Man I must have been really tired last night. First, Arnold, when I woke up this morning I finally realized what type of ketchup bottle you were talking about and yeah, that should work if I can find one. By the time I do find one I might forget why I was searching for it. :D But they use those for all sort of condiments in sandwich shops, so a restaurant supply should have them.

 I also forgot about the syringes I already have in the shop. I'll have to check and see how small the hole is in those. The ones I have should be about the perfect size too, if the hole is small enough.

 So too did I forget about the glu-bots! Tom's clue sent me on a search and I found a supplier I didn't know about with a reasonable price on these things. They get about 10 bucks for the largest one and a bit over 7 bucks for the baby version. Plus they carry a lot of hard to find specialty stuff and are just down in Brooklyn. Here is a LINK. It will take a lot to make me drive to Brooklyn, but it looks like the kind of shop I could get carried away in. Maybe if I am passing through some time. ;D

 Thank you all for getting my brain going again. 3 different responders with 3 solid workable suggestions! Perfect score! :D ;D 8)

[trimguy]

You could check the dollar stores if you have any of them around.

[DMcCoy]

Rockler sells a cut to size glue bottle, similar to a catsup bottle.
I'm thinking about a hoof oil bottle with brush.  Seems no matter what size of blob or bead I start with I end up using a stick to spread it out.

[Machinebuilder]

Tom, I'm pretty sure thats the place i bought a couple holdfasts from.

They are pretty nice forged peices and work better than I would imagine

[bluthum]

I got some dog meds from the vet in 2 oz little squeeze bottles with a cut to suit tip. Complete with contents they were very expensive but you could likely get a couple empty ones for about nothing from a friendly vet.

[beenthere]

For less glue stream, I just move faster along the surface. Leaves a finer stream which I think is what you want to accomplish in the end.  

[Tom King]

TFWW is a great woodworking supplier.  I've been dealing with them for years online.  I'd be in big trouble if I walked into one of their stores.

[Old Greenhorn]

Well, of course, I do that, but then I get a glob or an air bubble once in a while and I really want to have something more accurate and better controlled as well as consistent.

[21incher]

I use glue bots, syringes, and my favorite for even coats are some silicone bristled glue brushes I got years ago from Woodcraft. I put a little glue in a plastic bathroom cup and dip it in then brush on a thin layer. I also sometimes put drips of glue on parts and spread with the brush. Being silicone just let the glue dry on them and it flexes right off. For tight corners I actually  clamp parts together and put a coat of finish on them then go back and glue them. Excess comes right off with a soft cloth and chisel to push it into sharp corners.  These are my favorite
https://www.woodcraft.com/products/silicone-glue-brush-1
I tried some of the Rockler ones but didn't like them.
Here is a nice kit with a couple of each
https://www.woodcraft.com/products/woodriver-glue-accessory-set-woodriver

[Larry]

Many years ago I had some small oil applicator bottles I bought from Brownells for gunsmithing work.  I tried putting glue in one but the metal nozzle was a bit to small.  Pulled the metal nozzle from the plastic snout and it proved to be the perfect size for precision glue application.  Brownells quit carrying the cheap bottles and replaced it with one too pricey for me so I went to the Glu Bots sometime later.

Just did a search and came up with a bottle similar to the one I bought from Brownells and its really cheap.  Amazon oil applicator  Might work fine but I don't know.

One of the nice things about the Glu Bot is you don't need to hold the bottle upside down to get glue out.  Really a good feature sometimes.

[bluthum]

This is more an essay than an answer. On the first job or two I was ever on back in the 70's someone had repurposed an 8 oz. chalk line chalk bottle for the glue. White glue it still was.  Without a thought that became my go to glue bottle, screw top, trimmable nozzle and useful for many gallons of glue. And you got one free with a purchase of chalk, sometimes even finding a discarded one on a job site.

 When the lid was welded on by drippage you gave it a good squeeze with the channel locks and twist it right off. Tip clogs typically were removing with the teeth and spat out although that could shorten the lids life. Could be just from familiarity of use but I found the size to be ideal, nimble, fast and the flow easy to regulate. When in the shop I'd always try to keep two in service in case one ran low or other catastrophe while in the middle of a glue up. If the job required more volume it was usually dumped from the gallon bottle and spread with a brush.

I've never had a purpose built bottle that didn't seem awkward not to mention overpriced. Syringes and smaller bottles that were experimented with never found long use. I suppose our personalities and experiences have a lot to do with our preferred methods of work.
  

[SwampDonkey]

A bottle similar to Larry's

Dripless Glue Bottles - Lee Valley Tools

3 sizes, 4, 6, 16 oz

[Old Greenhorn]

Yeah, those look like a copy of a glu-bot, but I found the glu-bots at the link above for cheaper. I have yet to get to this 'precision' gluing yet since I asked the question, perhaps tomorrow or Friday I can get on it and I will try the syringes I had in hand. Next time I have some funding available and I buy a bunch of tools I will add this to the list.

[Larry]

I thought about this thread today.  I'm making a few useful table things for the fall season and need to glue a nose into my creation along with a hat.  So...I look in my glue toolbox.  Being extremely lazy I don't want to do any clean up.  For the nose I used CA glue with a micro applicator.  Could have used a toothpick with Titebond.  For the hat I used hot melt.  There is a place for ketchup bottles, Glu-Bots, and syringes.  Pick what works.

[Walnut Beast]

Larry anything you make usually turns out very nice!!

[21incher]

Well that woodcraft glue kit went on sale for $19.99. I went to Woodcraft.Com and put. it in my cartafter logging in. Then went to checkout and it said $11.95 shipping soI just left it in the cart.  A day later I got an email from them to complete checkout with a free shipping code. I just really wanted to try the silicone roller and pan but for the price I bought the whole set. Great deal if you have a store nearby or wait for a shipping coupon.  

[21incher]

 

 
Couldn't post a pic before.  This is the set. I paid 4 bucks each for a couple of the yellow and black brushes about 10 years ago alone. This is a good deal.