I started using hot hide glue!

Beau Hannam Ukuleles

Beau Hannam Ukuleles

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No comment on the usual glue shenanigans so all ill say for now is that its nice using hot glue when it is 20F outside and that I got a nice picture of it the first day :)

I got the LMI 192 gram strength which seems to work well. (I mixed 40 grams glue to about 75 grams water) It gels pretty quick (ie short clamp time) but it can still be cleaned up for quite a while around braces etc. For some reason (not sure why) I was under the impression that it hardened quickly but it can be cleaned with a damp rag/straw for enough time to do any luthiery clean up (says I who have about 40 mins experience with it...)

Ill be using it for top braces mostly but, at least for now, ill still be LMI or titebonding for linings, bindings etc due to longer open time. Epoxy for fingerboards.

Thanks be to Rick Turner and Allen

photo (4).jpg
 
I use HHG for most joints. Buy a cheap hair drier to extend working time. For example, gluing backs became easy once I realised I could clamp it down, then warm the back to allow minor repositioning and clamp tightening.
 
Moore Bettah Ukuleles said:
Anything to keep warm huh? ;)
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haha- oh the lengths we go to to stay warm!

ProfChris said:
I use HHG for most joints. Buy a cheap hair drier to extend working time. For example, gluing backs became easy once I realised I could clamp it down, then warm the back to allow minor repositioning and clamp tightening.
Click to expand...

I got a Goodwill $3 hair drier :)- Shame I don't have much hair! I've watched a few youtube vids on clamping backs/tops with HHG and it seems very doable as long as you have everything you need right there. Eventually Ill do that after i get some practice in.
 
If you want to get more adventurous with it Beau, you can brush glue on both parts and then you're sure to have ample glue in the joint. On backs, tops, bindings for instance. Position parts and if the glue has gelled on you, then a bit of heat does the trick. You should see how a mate that builds double bases does this. Very inspiring. He uses a steam wand to get both heat and a bit more moisture back into the glue.
 
I refuse to follow another thread on Hide Glue or any other type glue :uhoh: until something revolutionary comes out..... So i'm off into hibernation until warmer weather comes back.:eek:ld:
 
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Timbuck said:
I refuse to follow another thread on Hide Glue or any other type glue :uhoh: until something revolutionary comes out..... So i'm off into hibernation until warmer weather comes back.:eek:ld:
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Hahhah- nor I.

I was literally warming my hands on the glue pot yesterday- they come in handy Timbuck!
 
Will you be offering a vegetarian option on your builds?



And, for once, this is actually a serious question :)
 
My friend Roger Skipper has a video on his website (Skipperstrings.com) showing his use of steam and hide glue. He puts HHG on violin ribs and on the plates, lets it dry, then clamps it all up and steams the joints. I forget the name of the man he learned the technique from. He just rebuilt his website, and I hope the video is still there. Roger does really nice work, including a few ukes. Check it out. The demo is in the middle of an interview, so it doesn't come up right away.
 
Moore Bettah Ukuleles said:
I actually know a couple of builders who won't use HHG for that very reason!
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It didn't occur to me to check before I bought my Kanile'a, but I can't find any evidence that they use HHG. I certainly wouldn't buy a Uke in future that does use it. Or bone/ivory either, for that matter.
 
The Big Kahuna said:
Will you be offering a vegetarian option on your builds?
And, for once, this is actually a serious question :)
Click to expand...

Yes of course Big Kahuna- I was a vegetarian for about 10 years so am sensitive to such sentiments.

I'm not a slave to any material and I will never be a mad HHG advocate beating their chest about it.

In short, I really don't care what glue I use for the majority of a build, be it Titebond original, or LMI or Hide Glue unless it or any aren't wanted for ethical reasons.

Aloha!
 
It's not like anyone is killing animals to get the HHG! On the other hand, we are certainly killing the trees to get the wood we use. I am an HHG devotee for nearly twenty years, and a vegetarian for much of that time. It is hard to find work, or do just about anything, that is not ethically questionable. Definitely we don't want to think about cars or electronics recycling. HHG is the best glue I've used for lutherie from every perspective, IMO.
 
Bruce Sexauer said:
It's not like anyone is killing animals to get the HHG
Click to expand...

But animals did die, and not of natural causes or accidentally ( if anyone brings out a range of glues and nuts/saddles sourced from roadkill, I might rethink my stance ;) ). My ethical stance is just that...my stance. Nobody else's. I'm not trying to convert people to my way of thinking, and I realise there are times when it's just not possible to avoid some connection with animal products. You do what you can, and hope it's enough.

Anyway, I've derailed this thread enough. Sorry Beau, back to sticking bits of wood together :)
 
Depending on how strict one is on the subject, It is possible to built a totally ethical instrument- downed and or salvaged trees (brazilian stumps, sinker redwood, ancient Kauri, dropped coconuts etc), Tusq (a synthetic) saddles and nuts.
 
Well, I've seen lots of threads about glue get contentious but this a new direction:)

I guess the bottom line for me is that anyone who is concerned with ethics and approaches it in a thoughtful, reasonable, and intellectually consistent way is all right according to my particular ethics.

But to get back to the subject, why did you start using hide glue, Beau? For what it's worth, I use it for braces and some repairs and that's about it.
 
Hi Kent-
I mainly started for the same reasons you did- Braces and the rare repair. I can see myself using it only for top braces and maybe arm bevels/scoop veneering but we shall see.

I have been meaning to at least try it for years for a few reasons:

1- Through Rick Turner talking it up constantly and everyone else who uses it saying it is nice to work with.
2- An historical perspective- having a handle on what has come before me with the ability to work on old instruments.
3- Another marketing angle and option for customers who want that link to the past & think it is better for.....(Well, we all know that story).
 
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