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Greg Clinkingbeard
Commercial User
Well, you didn't bother to tell us WHAT you're re-gluing, but almost certainly anything with the word "Titebond" is NOT the correct choice.
When in doubt, the correct choice is always hot hide glue, which requires a hot glue pot and smells bad. Most other choices will not hold properly and almost all of them will also be extremely difficult to get off the wood when the poorly done job with the wrong stuff fails and you have to take it to someone who knows what they're doing - which will translate into additional cost.
The bottled “hide glue” has had urea added to it, to keep it liquid. It hardens by evaporation, but readily reasons moisture from the air, and re-liquifies.
Not a desirable result. Go with the hot hide glue. Cheap, easy to learn… and reliable.
Not a desirable result. Go with the hot hide glue. Cheap, easy to learn… and reliable.
The first question was about ambient temperature, but of course the conversation will focus on glue type. (These questions are lightly related; if it's cold in the room, you'll have less working time, particularly with hot hide glue, aka HHG.)
Yes, HHG is more complicated to prepare than most anything else. No it's not a huge impediment if you care about doing correct repairs. There are at least a dozen threads on this here, and the consensus is always the same. We don't use it because it's traditional, we use it because it works best, and anything else causes more problems and likely damage down the road.
That said, I do use that Titebond cold hide glue in very limited situations where I want a quick, weak bond: installing a nut, for example. It won't take stress or shear, so don't ask it to.
PO: You'll get clearer and more useful responses by being more specific about the problem you're trying to solve. Yes, HHG is nearly always the answer, but there's some art to its formulation and viscosity. Let us help.
Yes, HHG is more complicated to prepare than most anything else. No it's not a huge impediment if you care about doing correct repairs. There are at least a dozen threads on this here, and the consensus is always the same. We don't use it because it's traditional, we use it because it works best, and anything else causes more problems and likely damage down the road.
That said, I do use that Titebond cold hide glue in very limited situations where I want a quick, weak bond: installing a nut, for example. It won't take stress or shear, so don't ask it to.
PO: You'll get clearer and more useful responses by being more specific about the problem you're trying to solve. Yes, HHG is nearly always the answer, but there's some art to its formulation and viscosity. Let us help.
Probably just better to ask the manufacturer about the temperature & humidity for "best results" tips on their product. They may even have a FAQ section at their website.
An acquaintance of mine watched five of his fiddles self-deconstruct while attending a show in the very humid, Deep South.
That was the last time he used the bottled hide glue.
“Try to learn from the mistakes of others: you can’t hope to live long enough to make them all yourself.”
That was the last time he used the bottled hide glue.
“Try to learn from the mistakes of others: you can’t hope to live long enough to make them all yourself.”
The problem with bottled hide glue isn’t that it contains urea, it’s that it contains formaldehyde as a preservative. So not only will your joint fail on the first humid day, it’ll give you cancer.
Jazzdogg
Less barking, more wagging!
I've had good success using Pat Edwards' Old Brown Glue on those occasions when hide glue was the answer, but HHG wasn't necessary.
Learning to use, buying the granulated hide glue, getting a thermometer, bottle warmer, or other way to carefully heat the glue, is easy, and cheap. If you are going to keep a working bass working properly for any length of time, you should learn how to prepare and use hide glue. A few clamps, and you will be ready to keep on top of the minor repairs necessary to keep your bass (es) in good form. A luthier is very valuable, and necessary for many things, but many maintainence issues can be handled with a few supplies.
- Aug 1, 2005
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- Private Inventor - Bass Capos
Absolutely. Learning to use HHG is easier than learning to drive a clutch car. It is simply foolish to not do so.
