Great glue!

[David Gendron]

Good day creekers,
yesterday, I was puting together a small side table I made and I used liquid hide glue from Old Brown Glue and it's a great glue, long open time so no need to panic if you forgot a clamp or two;)... It clean easely with water and it is reversable... Not easely reversable but duable:)! I never used real hide glue but this one is more user friendly, I think anyway! The glue as to be wormed up first, they suggest to put it in the sun or in hot water(do not put the glue pot in the micro-wave, it could eated up to fast) so I choose the hot water bath. In a few minuts, you have nice warm glue the consistence of maple sirupp... Hummm, maple sirup... but not the same smel and taste:p! I apply it with a small brush. It's almost to ease to use:D
Do any of you have use the real hide glue and liquid hide glue and how they compare??
I would love to ear about it!
David

[george wilson]

I use the liquid hide glue,and warm it in a pot of hot water. Putting it in a microwave might damage the protein in it (I think),so I would not advise that.

Always check the bottle's expriation date.If the glue is too old,it may not dry.

A Fine Woodworking experiment some time ago showed that liquid hide glue is stronger than the hide glue you have to cook yourself. I have also used the cooked glue,and kept the bottle I made sitting in water in the electric glue pot. That way,I could put the bottle into the refrigerator at night to make it last longer.Still,the cooked glue does not last many days before it starts to rot,so it is trouble to use.

[Robert Rozaieski]

I love them both but for different applications. The hot hide glue does not have the open time of the liquid hide glue so I use liquid when I need a longer open time like for gluing dovetailed cases. I like the hot glue when I do joints where I want a quick set like gluing up panels with a rub joint or gluing on glue blocks. I also use the hot for M&T glue-ups and for dovetailing small drawers. You can increase the open time of hot hide by adding urea but I don't bother (wouldn't know where to get it or how much to use anyway). If I need a longer open time I just use the liquid.

[David Keller NC]

I use hot hide glue almost exclusively. I've never had an issue with not enough open time, though - while it will gel on an unheated wood surface, it doesn't set, at least not enough to prevent you from getting the joint together.

Unfortunately, it's best to ignore FWW's tests. They simply cannot seem to get the tests and interpretations correct - the latest fiasco with testing the strength of various joints is a great example. The correct, and scientific, interpretation of the results is that they determined that the strength of cherry was best in a bridle joint. This is because in all but one of their tests, the wood failed before the joint did, leading to inconclusive results. That doesn't sell magazines, though, so they determined that a bridle joint was the best in the compression test, and attributed it to the glue surface. Since the glue surface didn't fail, though, this is an incorrect.

From what I understand and have read about hide glue, the various additives that render it a liquid and extend its open time also weaken the bond -urea and salt are common additives. That said, though, I think it unlikely that in traditional cabinet construction (dovetails, M&T) one would ever run into a situation where glue strength was a factor in a failure - at least in our lifetime.

[Richard Dooling]

Does the Tigtebond version of the liquid hide glue stack up well against the others.

Am I correct in thinking that creep is not such an issue with hide glue?

[David Gendron]

I never tryed Titebond liquid hide glue, so I couldn't say but I read some where that it work good!! As for creep, I don't even know what it is(I don't have all the vocabulary yet... french Canadian:o!!!)
David

[george wilson]

David,I must agree with you about the inconsistent results of FW's teast. On a former chisel test,my Pfiel chisels only rated average. On the last one they were rated next to the best.The good Japanese ones came out best in both tests. I use liquid hide glue because it is much more convenient for me,and has done an excellent job. I don't use glue every day. I am also a metal worker,and spend much of my time at that.So,keeping hot glue handy is not very convenient.

[Robert Rozaieski]

I use the Titebond liquid hide and it works fine. Our friend Stephen Shepherd buys and uses it by the gallon.

[Pete Michelinie]

You can increase the open time of hot hide by adding urea but I don't bother (wouldn't know where to get it or how much to use anyway).

I've been told it's possible to use your own home-made urea to extend open time.... Is there precedence to this, or is it just a myth to get the new guy to piss in his glue? (This would be the same guy looking for the board extending machine.)

[harry strasil]

The old Titebond hide glue had an expiration date, the newer bottles (a slightly different formula I think) don't have expiration dates. and if you put it in a double boiler at a moderate temp, I use a candle or a homegrown alcohol burner, the open time is shortened. I found out about the heating and shorter open time when demoing a long time ago and did it for authenticity for the public.
You can test the liquid hide glue by putting a drop on a finger and then compressing another finger on it and upon pulling it apart it will string or thread.

FWIW

[harry strasil]

My first wife, Bless her heart found this Baby Glue pot in an Antique Mall many years ago and it is my favorite and has a permanent place in my demo tool box. I really don't think it was ever used as the tinning on the inside was in perfect shape. It was an awesome Xmas Present.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/gluepot.jpg

[John Coloccia]

I haven't had much luck with liquid hide glue. My personal experience is that it softens up considerably under moderate heat and lets go (75-85 degrees...i.e. a nice summer day). That was just my experience, but guitar makers have by and large given up on liquid hide glue. We find that it just doesn't stand up to heat that a professional musician subjects his instruments to (trunks, planes, buses etc).

Hot hide glue is an entirely different matter. It won't soften up until you get well above 100 degrees. It seems to dry much harder too, though that could be my imagination.

I haven't tried Old Brown...only Franklin (Titebond now, I guess). Maybe it's a different formula. Generally, HHG is pretty easy to work with once you learn a few tricks, and it does just seem to be a bit more consistent/reliable than LHG. If you're just doing some furniture or cabinetry, and it spends it's life inside a nice cushy house, I'm not sure it really matters which you use.

[Dan O'Sullivan]

David
I have been using hide glue from flakes/grain stuff with water and hot pot for years. I like to use hide because of the great repair characteristics. Its been wonderful. Many yellow glue users shy away from the hide because of the preparation and cost of start up. I don't know.

The Olde Brown glue from Pat Edwards is just great. I have met Pat and seen his work and workmanship. He is top notch and I trust his integrity when making and dating the bottles he sells. Pat puts a year on the bottles and I generally use it up or close before renewing them. I keep yellow glue around and I use it as well. Where the hide in the bottle is best in my opinion is a joint that might need attention/reglue down the road. Any leg joint on a chair that comes loose with hide only needs a little new glue and your back in order. With any other glue its disassembly and clean out of all old glue, a bigger hole and surgery. So.. its a choice I guess.

I have found putting the OBG in a hot water bath makes it easier to work and spread. I work it just like the stuff out of the pot. Many times I have used the OBG for quick rub joints and it has never let me down.

A big kudo for the glue from Pat. Srpead the word.
dan

[Richard Dooling]

So Dan, you seem to feel there really is a difference between brands. I just looked at the web site and Patrick Edwards has a nice little article about hide glue.

http://www.wpatrickedwards.com/gluearticle.htm