Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 27

Thread: Titebond liquid hide glue and shelf life

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Vancouver Canada
    Posts
    716

    Titebond liquid hide glue and shelf life

    I have a bottle of the liquid hide glue, and I admit it's probably 10 years old. I used it so that I'd I DID need to, I could repair it.
    Making a smaller cabinet top. Jointed the wood, used my hand planes to finish the smoothing, adjusted the joints to dead tight.
    Into the clamps with the liquid hide glue, came back 3 hours later, release the clamps - and one section is not holding; in fact, the whole piece wants to come off and the glue is still tacky.
    Now, I suspect the glue is too old and won't hold. Just wanted a confirmation of my suspicions by someone more knowledgeable.
    Young enough to remember doing it;
    Old enough to wish I could do it again.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Warwick, Rhode Island
    Posts
    346
    If my memory is correct, liquid hide glue in a bottle - Titebond - has a 1 shelf life.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    Virginia
    Posts
    1,209
    Everything has a shelf life. Trying some on a test scrap is not a bad idea.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    SE Michigan
    Posts
    3,222
    One year. And that may be shorter depending how long the bottle sat on the shelf. Titebond has started to put a date of their bottles. While I’ve had good luck with the stuff, others here have posted failures from new bottles. One test I’ve seen somewhere, is to put a drop on your thumb and using your index finger, press and open against the glue. If it forms strings (kinda like spider web strands), it’s good to go.

  5. #5
    Ground hide glue is better in every way. It last indefinitely in the dry state.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Newburgh, Indiana
    Posts
    918
    Yes, hot hide glue is better, but it is very hard to use on some glue ups. You have to be quick!
    Life's too short to use old sandpaper.

  7. #7
    Put some glue on a piece of paper and make a very thin smear with your finger. Put the paper in the over at 170F for 17 minutes. Let it cool an hour. Then bend the paper. If the glue bends, then it’s bad. If it crackles, then it’s still good. If stored in a cool basement the Titebond stuff supposedly can potentially last 10 years.

    I personally find the lack of not always knowing if the glue is good really annoying. And they don’t put a manufacture date on the stuff. So periodically I do that test to make sure it’s okay. But it did convert me over to hot hide glue because then you ALWAYS know it’s good. I make a batch, pour it into a silicon ice cube mold, and then store the cubes in a container in the freezer. You can extend the working time by adding salt when you heat it up in the pot.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Doylestown, PA
    Posts
    7,551
    Quote Originally Posted by Nicholas Lawrence View Post
    Everything has a shelf life. Trying some on a test scrap is not a bad idea.
    And not just with hide glue. I write the purchase date on every glue container when I bring it home. That doesn't account for time in the warehouse and on the shelf but at least it's something.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Curt Harms View Post
    And not just with hide glue. I write the purchase date on every glue container when I bring it home. That doesn't account for time in the warehouse and on the shelf but at least it's something.
    What really trips is when you buy something that somebody previously returned after having it sit on their shelf at home for several years. (I'm looking at you, BORG!)

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    New England area
    Posts
    588
    Liquid hide glue is wonderful stuff, but its shelf life is one year, tops. If you're getting close, buy a new bottle of glue. Why take a chance with a four dollar bottle of glue on a project build with $100s of dollars worth of wood and $1,000s of dollars (usually) in tools, not to mention your own time.

    There is a manufacturing date code on Franklin LHG and Patrick Edwards' glue comes with a date written on it by hand.

    "According to Titbeond the codes were changed in 2009 to the following:

    The first digit represents A for America (made in), the second digit is the last digit of the year of manufacture, the third and fourth digits represent the month, the fifth and sixth digits represent the day of the month, and the last four digits represent the lot number.

    Example:

    A904270023 - This material was manufactured on April 27, 2009"

    This is an expensive hobby and can be a very exasperating and financially risky profession. If you're down to having to economise on glue, you might as well throw in the towel now before it gets worse.
    Last edited by Charles Guest; 06-24-2019 at 7:32 PM.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    2,534
    Stephen Shepherd wrote some excellent articles on using Liquid Hide Glue;

    http://www.fullchisel.com/blog/?p=2105

    http://www.fullchisel.com/blog/?p=4698

    As to the recommended storage life of Liquid Hide Glue, Titebond states 24 months.

    Storage Life
    24 months in tightly closed containers at 75°F.http://www.titebond.com/product/glue...4-c47daa20f8ed




  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Tippecanoe County, IN
    Posts
    836
    Quote Originally Posted by Stewie Simpson View Post
    Stephen Shepherd wrote some excellent articles on using Liquid Hide Glue;

    http://www.fullchisel.com/blog/?p=2105

    http://www.fullchisel.com/blog/?p=4698

    As to the recommended storage life of Liquid Hide Glue, Titebond states 24 months.





    Thank you Stewie. Expiration dates can be useful but it's hard to beat an actual freshness test.
    Beranek's Law:

    It has been remarked that if one selects his own components, builds his own enclosure, and is convinced he has made a wise choice of design, then his own loudspeaker sounds better to him than does anyone else's loudspeaker. In this case, the frequency response of the loudspeaker seems to play only a minor part in forming a person's opinion.
    L.L. Beranek, Acoustics (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1954), p.208.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Doylestown, PA
    Posts
    7,551
    Quote Originally Posted by Stewie Simpson View Post
    Stephen Shepherd wrote some excellent articles on using Liquid Hide Glue;

    http://www.fullchisel.com/blog/?p=2105

    http://www.fullchisel.com/blog/?p=4698

    As to the recommended storage life of Liquid Hide Glue, Titebond states 24 months.





    I'm pretty sure storage conditions affect liquid hide glue, maybe more than other glues. I keep mine in a cool dry basement and have done some test glue-ups. About 24 months seems right IME.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    New England area
    Posts
    588
    I'm trying to imagine a scenario where a bottle of glue would go unused for a few years, but whatever I guess. A year is unusual, heck six months should be highly unusual. A bottle every two weeks is more like it unless you're an old broken down codger like me. If you go through it fairly rapidly you don't have to take any special precautions in its storage except for keeping it from freezing solid. If you haven't worked in the shop for a while, but are ordering material for a new project, getting tools ready, etc. go ahead and spring for a $4 bottle of fresh glue regardless of the date on the bottle you currently have ($4.47 on Amazon right now). It's a pittance.

    LHG is absolutely strong enough for furnituremaking. It may not be strong enough for certain applications in instrument-making, but if you're into that you're well beyond knowing what glue to use.
    Last edited by Charles Guest; 06-26-2019 at 3:41 PM.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Dickinson, Texas
    Posts
    7,655
    Blog Entries
    1
    Please define "1 shelf life".

    I have tight bond that is at least 12 months old. it still works.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •