toller wrote:

....
...is there is clever way to stop them from
getting cruddy? ...

Wait until the glue isn't so sticky is the surest way. Sounds to me
like you're scraping too soon (and cutting down the amount of glue so
you don't have excessive squeeze out might be another thing to
watch--there's really no need for much at all--all that ends up on the
surface is just wasted material and extra effort).