How long to set..Hide glue ??

Timbuck

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I'm thinking of using "Hide glue" on one or two of my Soprano's.....Up till now I've used "Titebond Dark" it looks just like "Hide glue" when it dries, and I can remove the clamps after about 45 min's after application.
So how long can I leave Hide glue to set before I remove clamps?..I remember from my "school woodwork class" we used to leave it for 24 hours.:(
 
If it's been some time since you've used HHG then I'd take it in small steps. You don't need to build the entire instrument with it. Though I found that once I got on to how easy it was to use, there is only a a few jobs that I find another type of glue to be more appropriate, or the only one that will work in that application.

First thing I switched to was braces.

Small joints that were easy to position and get the go-bars on. Depends on the gram strength of the glue you are using on how fast all this happens, as well as your ambient temperature and RH. But for instance I now use 315 gram strength for most things, though I do have 192 high clarity on hand for some jobs like very whit / blonde tops that I want to join. As long as you close the joint within say 10-15 seconds then you've got plenty of time to apply clamping pressure. For braces I usually plan my work so that they will be clamped overnight, but in all reality they could have the clamps / go-bars off in an hour easy. I've even shaped braces within a couple of hours. Very carefully mind you.

Bookmatched plates could also easily have clamps off in 1 hour, but I wouldn't be doing anything with them until they dried overnight.

Bridges I've done both rubbed and clamped joints. None have failed but I wouldn't put strings on until 24 hours had passed.

High humidity will slow down drying, as will large areas such as fret boards or tail blocks. Density of wood will also affect the time it takes.
 
I'd say a couple of hours is fine for joints which aren't under any strain. Bridges, for example, wait overnight before strings go on.
 
Well i tried it out on some spruce braces...And ? ? ? it's great !:D
a bit messy:( ... but I soon cleaned it up with a toothbrush and hot water..The smell takes me back a few years as well...I'm now waiting for my bottle warmer to arrive and I'm in business.
 
Today ..Bottle warmer arrived..so I mixed up some HHG and tested it on a Heel and Tail block on a Soprano....The main problem it I had was getting the blocks to stay in place..they started sliding about as i Tightened up the clamps:mad:..I don't have this problem using Titebond...I'm I overlooking something:confused:
 
Patience Grasshopper. That should be a Rubbed Joint if you're using Hide glue so rub the block up and down until the glue grabs. After it grabs hold it in place while singing Mary has a Little Lamb 3 times and give the glue time to set up. Stand on your left foot for...nah,, just joking. But really...try a rubbed joint with it. You may get brave enough to forget the clamps. With that much surface area the glue will pull it tight as it dries.
 
boiling water

Well i tried it out on some spruce ,I'm now waiting for my bottle warmer to arrive and I'm in business.

You don't need a warmer ,the way I have been doing it for years is a glass baby jar ,I stick it in a pot of boiling water,wait till it boils then stir,you can use a turkey temp meter ,you want it around 140 degree,
 
Tim, maybe your glue is too thick. Thinner glue will tack faster.
I've never heard of putting sand in glue, but I haven't heard of everything.
I like my glue to get to 140 deg. F. (you folks who believe in aliens can convert to C) and the water bath is 150F. I like the glue slightly thicker than "watery" but thinner than honey.
Let it be clamped several minutes before trimming or wiping up the squeeze out. I like a wood chisel too.
Let it dry several hours before unclamping, and stressed joints don't get worked till the next day.
 
It was way back in may 2011 when I started this thread..since then I've gone back to Titebond original..I found HHG too much bother:( especially in cold weather... when I was trying to glue a fretboard to the neck the hot glue turned into Jelly in seconds before I had chance to fit the fretboard.
 
Ken, gluing fingerboards to necks with HHG or a modern water borne glue is a big "NO" in my book because it puts too much water into the largest glue joint area of any spot in a uke. Epoxy is the way to go...in my opinion. I've seen too many back bowed necks in my day due to that moisture addition. It also multiplies the issue of ebony shrinkage after construction...leading to sharp fret ends...yes, even on ukes.
 
Do not add sand as it will interfere with the bond by holding the surfaces apart. Rubbed joints or using small alignement brads are good options.
Tim
 
Ken, gluing fingerboards to necks with HHG or a modern water borne glue is a big "NO" in my book because it puts too much water into the largest glue joint area of any spot in a uke. Epoxy is the way to go...in my opinion. I've seen too many back bowed necks in my day due to that moisture addition. It also multiplies the issue of ebony shrinkage after construction...leading to sharp fret ends...yes, even on ukes.

The "good old way" to prevent warping when you glue a large surface with HHG is to coat the other side with HHG as well and then remove the glue afterwards.
 
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