Wood Glue Manufacturer Admits Product Is Just Very Expensive Elmer's

A former quality assurance technician at Franklin International, makers of the Titebond line of wood glues, has filed a whistleblower complaint alleging that Titebond III, the company's premium waterproof wood adhesive, is chemically identical to Elmer's School Glue with the addition of 'a small amount of yellow dye and a much larger amount of marketing.' The complaint, filed with the Federal Trade Commission, includes internal memos, chemical analyses, and a PowerPoint presentation from a 2018 executive retreat titled 'Operation: Same Glue, Better Bottle.' 'The polyvinyl acetate formulation is the same,' said the whistleblower, identified only as 'PVA-1' in court documents. 'Both are PVA-based emulsions. The only differences are viscosity — which we adjust with water — color, and the fact that one costs $24 a bottle while the other is $3 at Walmart.' Franklin International has denied the allegations, releasing a statement that reads in part: 'Titebond III is a proprietary cross-linking PVA formulation engineered for structural wood bonding applications. It is absolutely not school glue in a fancier bottle. The bottle is also different.' The woodworking community has responded with the kind of schism normally reserved for the hand tool versus power tool debate. A faction of woodworkers has begun ostentatiously using Elmer's on their projects, while traditionalists insist that even if the chemistry is identical, 'there's an energy difference.' 'I've been using Titebond III for twenty years and my joints have never failed,' said forum commenter WoodChuck_42. 'I refuse to believe that's because PVA glue is PVA glue regardless of the label. There has to be more to it. There has to be.' Elmer's, for its part, has quietly added 'Also Suitable for Fine Woodworking' to its school glue labels.