Double Bass Advice on hide glue

[fdeck]

I want to use hide glue to repair a piece of furniture. Previously, I've used liquid hide glue with great results, but I'd like to learn how to use the real stuff without risking it on any of my instruments. So I'm asking for some basic guidance: What kind of glue to buy in a modest quantity, from whom, what proportions of glue and water to use, etc. Links to instructions that people actually believe are correct would be a plus.

Thanks!

 

[Gopherbassist]

Marshall Bruné is a luthier who has discussed hide glue on his YouTube channel several times.







You can dig through his channel, I think there's more than these.

I'm not sure he has discussed where to buy though.

 

[james condino]

Milligan and Higgins is the only maker of hot hide glue in the US, so they are almost always the same material, regardless of who is selling it. All of the resellers base their prices upon how much they purchase. When you buy it in 55 gallon drums, there is a significant price break that sometimes gets passed on to customers in cheaper sales price.

 

[fdeck]

Milligan and Higgins is the only maker of hot hide glue in the US, so they are almost always the same material, regardless of who is selling it. All of the resellers base their prices upon how much they purchase. When you buy it in 55 gallon drums, there is a significant price break that sometimes gets passed on to customers in cheaper sales price.

Thanks! What grades are typically used for instrument repair?

 

[T_Bone_TL]

Well, if you are willing to branch out into the closely related stuff one might call "bone glue" you can get it in handy little packets at the grocery store, masquerading as Knox unflavored gelatin. Mix with cold water in a clean jar, let soak, then heat. When done, put a lid on the jar and pop it in the fridge. Re-heat when you want to use it again. Proportions...I think one packet to an ounce or two of water, but it's been a while.

Here's a 23 year old thread covering it, and fish glue, and rabbit glue and hide glue...(don't just skim the first couple of posts, there's meat further down based on actual use of it, rather than reporting other people reporting "it's great" or "It's terrible"

M

Double Bass Thread 'Knox Gelatin as Glue'

Nov 10, 2003

A number of years ago I remember reading some things about the use of Knox Gelatin as a glue. They were published in a regional journal. My recollection is that it is a "cousin" to hide glue but not as strong. Does anyone have any information about this? I was fitting purfling into an instrument a couple of weeks ago when I realized I was out of hide glue, so I used the Knox Gelatin. I'm much more hesitant however to use it for the bass bar or neck joint.

• Martin Sheridan
• Replies: 39
• Forum: Setup & Repair [DB]

 

[dperrott]

Hide glue is wonderful stuff. I think the gram strength and water to glue ratio is less important in furniture. For furniture I used 251. I always tended to do a bit more water than glue. I see people "making" hide glue with gelatin and all this stuff. Seems silly to me. Just buy the stuff. Tools for Working wood has really good glue and they give a breakdown of their suggested gram strengths and usage. You can put urea or canning salt into the glue to make a longer open time but I never did it.

BT&C Hide Glue

Hide glue is the oldest and most traditional of all the glues used in woodworking. Hide glue has some good and bad features: on the minus side, it must be used

toolsforworkingwood.com

 

[Gopherbassist]

urea

Ew.