Hot hide glue -a significant investment of money

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ChuckBarnett

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I believe a good number of builders use HHG and I was given a can with enough left to fiddle with (no pun...). But as I look on the internet, I see dollar signs connected to this process, at least to begin with. One could easily be in this nearly $200 to simply try it out. Anybody have a couple real good reasons why I ought to do that? I built two ukuleles in my life. I welcome the wisdom of your experience.
 
Unless you're building a lot of instruments, it shouldn't cost much to try using Hide Glue. An expensive pot isn't necessary. You can get a small glue pot on Amazon for about $25. I bought one 5 years ago for $18. The glue isn't expensive. I use a household thermometer, to check temperature. The big advantage to using Hide Glue on an instrument is the ability to easily take it apart for repairs. There are very valuable violins, hundreds of years old that have been repaired many times. If it wasn't for Hide Glue this couldn't be done. And Hide Glue is very strong.
Regards
Ed
 
I use a Rival Hot Pot Express, which seems to be discontinued. But this "Brentwood Electric Kettle Hot Pot BPA Free, 32 oz, White" looks identical. About $14 on Amazon.
 
Thanks, Ed. I would assume that the pot that you have does not have a thermostat control. Apparently that's not been necessary for you? And thus it shouldn't be something I need either? I can't imagine that you need anything for more than three or four ounces of glue at a time.
 
I've used a baby bottle warmer for around 20 years. In fact I'm on my third one, all bought used off the auction site. You've just got to make sure that the particular brand can get up to temperature. One of them that I bought only just managed it whilst the others had headroom on the thermostat.
 
Thank you! It looks like it is thermostatically controlled, but it is 32 oz! Even half of that is an awful lot of glue to warm up. I don't understand why anybody would ever need that.
 
I use a slow cooker that was at the back of the cupboard - it heats water to 150 degrees quickly and holds it all day. I mix up the HHG in old glass jars and just pop them in the cooker - turn it on and an hour later I am ready to go.
 
Baby bottle warmer for me. Parents of new babies don't want second-hand bottle warmers, so used ones cost almost nothing.

Precise temperature isn't that critical unless you are keeping the glue hot for a long period, which instrument makers rarely do - heat up glue, perform glue up, switch off bottle warmer. Throw away the glue after 2 or 3 days, during which time you won't have heated it more than a few times.

My total investment in HHG kit (bottle warmer, plastic paint pot and cheap artists brushes) has been under the US$ equivalent of $15 over the last 10 years.
 
I use a milk frother they are $29.95 Australian dollarydoos at Aldi for my water bath with a plastic jar inside
. It heats up to 63 centigrade in a heartbeat. It then turns off but a quick touch of the button and is hot again. Useful if you are a forgetful old duffer like me.

I did see one person use an old iron as a heat pad.
 
You can do this cheaply with "Knox Gelatin" bought at the supermarket . Go to "FRETS.COM " scroll wayyy down and you'll see " Hide Glue from the supermarket "
The site FRETS.NET is awesome , an unbelievable amount of information for anyone that plays a stringed instrument .
 
Last edited:
Bob_H said:
I use a slow cooker that was at the back of the cupboard - it heats water to 150 degrees quickly and holds it all day. I mix up the HHG in old glass jars and just pop them in the cooker - turn it on and an hour later I am ready to go.
Click to expand...

Okay, now I get it! The heater is for WATER. And the water then warms the glue. Makes sense now. Do you put the thermometer in the water or in the glue?
 
I used a small kettle with no lid, basically a small heated pot. I unplugged the pot when the temperature climbed too high then plugged it back in when it cooled. I will make a control for it yet. I had an electronic thermometer in the glue, I used a squeeze bottle similar to these.

https://www.amazon.com/Ira-Pollitt-...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

When finished you can store what is left in the fridge foe a while.
 
I was reading this thread and saw something I didn't understand. "Hide Glue on an instrument is the ability to easily take it apart for repairs.". How does that works? Re heat the glued surface? Not a builder, although tempted by the stewmac kits to kit my feet wet, someday.
 
Okay, now I get it! The heater is for WATER
Click to expand...
The light bulb moment.
Sorry, thanks for dragging us back to reality. It seems we all assumed that was obvious. Too often we forget what we didn't used to know (if that makes sense)
Miguel
 
lauburu said:
The light bulb moment.
Sorry, thanks for dragging us back to reality. It seems we all assumed that was obvious. Too often we forget what we didn't used to know (if that makes sense)
Miguel
Click to expand...

Yeah, one day I will stop asking the ignorant questions and hopefully start asking interesting, artistic questions. We'll see...
 
If you want to use hide glue and have it's advantages without investing in a double boiler etc, you can buy liquid hide glue, which is hide glue mixed with (usually) urea which stays liquid at room temperature.
 
lauburu said:
The light bulb moment.
Sorry, thanks for dragging us back to reality. It seems we all assumed that was obvious. Too often we forget what we didn't used to know (if that makes sense)
Miguel
Click to expand...

The internet has been my salvation on this stuff. Between this and another forum and YouTube videos and, frankly, anybody I can leach off of, I keep inching forward. :) I am at a disadvantage having never done any woodworking as well.

It would be a supreme benefit to be in a mentor relationship with somebody on a local basis where you could go and pay them to hang out in their shop and watch them work. One might be willing to sweep the floor or do any number of menial tasks simply to watch and learn. Mean time, I have you folks! And I am persistent. Not quick, just persistent.
 
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