Hide Glue

[ken hatch]

Patrick Edwards maker of "Old Brown Glue" has posted links to a series of videos he made for FWW. The videos are a great tutorial on mixing, using, and storing hot Hide Glue.

https://www.finewoodworking.com/2020/03/20/choosing-and-mixing-hot-hide-glue


(https://www.finewoodworking.com/2020/03/20/choosing-and-mixing-hot-hide-glue)

[John Keeton]

Ken, I have seen one or two of those videos, but I don't recall whether he discusses the use of urea with the hide glue. Do you recall?

[ken hatch]

Ken, I have seen one or two of those videos, but I don't recall whether he discusses the use of urea with the hide glue. Do you recall?

John,

IIRC he does not, he does go over haw to save hide glue if you need to walk away for a few days and how to increase open time. I use Old Brown Glue a lot but with understanding how to save unused hot glue I may start using it more.

ken

[Harold Patterson]

You can’t do a rub joint with old brown glue but it works very well with hot hide glue.

[John Keeton]

Apparently, Old Brown Glue is hydrolyzed collagen with urea added. It cures by losing moisture only, whereas hot hide glue cures by loss of heat and moisture. I believe Milligan and Higgins is the only remaining manufacturer of hide glue in the US, and I suspect that Patrick acquires his collagen components from them and formulates his glue. I think I still have an old container of liquid hide glue acquired years ago from Sears that needs to be discarded. I recently acquired some granulated Milligan and Higgins 192 and some urea that I intend to use on a Windsor chair build I am in the midst of. It and the Hold Heet glue pot are only one small part of the new and varied tools that I have acquired for this project! But, it is a fun adventure so far.

[bill epstein]

Especially when I lived up north with the first twinges of arthritis in my hands I was a big fan of hot hide glue :D

Was doing a lot of veneering back then to feed my hobby and liked Tage Frid's idea that "he could veneer the planet with hide glue and no clamps". Learned that a cabinet scraper, a veneer hammer and a cheap drip coffee maker (Federally mandated to heat to 150 degrees) were all one needed to cover large areas.
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[ken hatch]

I use "Old Brown Glue" for most of my glue ups, the exception is when the joint will be exposed to water. I like using hot hide glue for many complex glue ups where I can do one section, then the next and so on. It can cut down on the clamps and rush. The problem I've had with hot hide glue is I didn't understand how to save the unused glue. One of the videos shows a way to do that. One of my next projects is to build a drying screen, Once done I expect my hot glue vs. liquid glue ratio to reverse from 20/80 to 80/20.

ken

[bill epstein]

I use "Old Brown Glue" for most of my glue ups, the exception is when the joint will be exposed to water. I like using hot hide glue for many complex glue ups where I can do one section, then the next and so on. It can cut down on the clamps and rush. The problem I've had with hot hide glue is I didn't understand how to save the unused glue. One of the videos shows a way to do that. One of my next projects is to build a drying screen, Once done I expect my hot glue vs. liquid glue ratio to reverse from 20/80 to 80/20.

ken

The leftover glue dries up from evaporation. I always just left it in the coffee maker carafe , heated it up and added a little water until I got the desired consistency back. Never had it sit for really long periods, though.

Hey Ken, I have to thank you for letting me know about Stan Covington. Terrific guy. I ordered and received an Oirenomi Chisel and I'm knocked out over the quality. My really old chisels cut well but this one leaves a burnished surface even on end grain. All I had to do was polish it out on the 8000. Dead flat and square.

[Charles Murray Ohio]

Any hot hide glue that I have left over stays in the jar and goes into the refrigerator.

[Don Peters]

There's a couple of hide glues nobody has mentioned:
1) Franklin. I actually use it pretty often for one important quality. It seems to have virtually no "grab", which takes a lot of the stress out of longer glue ups. Overnight clamping time.
2) StewMac's Fish Glue. This stuff grabs quickly and stays there. Smells like that paste glue we used to eat when we were in elementary school, although that's not a "feature". Overnight clamping time.
dp

[ken hatch]

The leftover glue dries up from evaporation. I always just left it in the coffee maker carafe , heated it up and added a little water until I got the desired consistency back. Never had it sit for really long periods, though.

Hey Ken, I have to thank you for letting me know about Stan Covington. Terrific guy. I ordered and received an Oirenomi Chisel and I'm knocked out over the quality. My really old chisels cut well but this one leaves a burnished surface even on end grain. All I had to do was polish it out on the 8000. Dead flat and square.

Bill,

You are welcome. Even though Stan and I have never had a face to face I consider him a friend and yes he is a terrific guy. In addition he sells some really good tools.

ken