What is Hide Glue?
What else is Hide Glue called?
Animal glue, protein glue, rsg, rabbit skin glue, Cabinetmaker’s / Carpenter’s glue,
There is also Fish Glue (Isinglass) which is made in a similar way, but is useable at room temperature and is more easily dissolved in water once cured.
When do we use hide glue?
When used as a glue, Hide glue produces a strong but rigid glue. It's excellent for musical instruments as it produces a superior sound to modern plastic based glues.
Hide glue is also used in "sizing" for preparing canvas for oil painting in the pre-industrial method. Sizing protects the fibres from the oil paint which is then followed by a coat of gesso to protect the paint from the fibres.
How do we get Hide Glue ready to use?
These days we can buy hide glue as granules, flakes, or flat sheets, which have an indefinite shelf life if kept dry. We dissolved in water, heat and apply warm, typically around 60 °C (140 °F).
Warmer temperatures destroy the strength of hide glue. Glue pots specifically for hide glue are difficult to find these days. Instead, a double boiler setup with a smaller inner pot for the hide glue (maybe with a lid to store it for next time) seems to be most common.
Can I just buy Hide Glue in a bottle like normal glue?
Does it really smell bad? Like really bad? Or are they just being fussy?
How do I undo Hide Glue?
Get it warm or
What are the benefits of hide glue?
Hide glue is easily reversable with the application of heat, water, or both. This is also the major drawback in some situations.
Being reversable, it's good for things that we might want to repair like guitars, violins, chairs, and the like. Unlike plastic and PVA glues, we don't have to clean the old join perfectly before the new application of glue as the new glue will reactivate traces of the old hide glue.
When don't I want to use hide glue?
Anything subject to heat or moisture. Bugs can also be attracted to hide glue in some situations.
Hide glue also has a shorter open time than many modern glues - the open time depends on how long it can stay warm rather than time.
Permies threads about using hide glue:
Natural Glues for Luthier
glueing leather together naturally
PEP - making hide glue flakes
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