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Double Bass Using Pre-made Hide Glue

C

Cyrus Pansch

Apr 13, 2006
50
0
#1
Hello,

I'm currently getting ready to glue on a new finger board and the flat back to the ribs of my double bass in the white. Can anyone tell me if it would be alright to use the pre-made hide glue in the bottle instead of cooking up a batch (Which I've never done and have heard is much more difficult). Is the pre-made stuff a quality product for string instrument repair?

Please advise,

Cyrus Pansch
 
#6
Jeff Bollbach said:
Then wouldn't the premix be good? I hear hide glue is pretty strong.
Click to expand...

My experience with the pre-mixed Franklin glue, (admittedly all electric), is that it bonds very strong... often stronger than the wood itself. One of the nice 'hide' properties that it retains, along with an adequate set time, is that it loosens nicely with applied heat.

I agree that gluing a seam where separation is desired calls for cooking up your own...

FWIW,
-robert
 
#7
Don't use this stuff. It doesn't act like granular hide glue. It goes bad, it creeps and it's a bitch to clean out. Also, I'm not sure that it reconstitutes itself like regular hide glue.
Do you know you can use regular grocery store unflavored gelatin? It's almost just as strong. Check out this site Frets.com for instructions on this, but please don't use anything but granular hide glue or 'knox' style gelatin for joints on an upright bass that might need to be taken apart later.
 
#8
Franklin Hide glue re-constitutes, all right-- when you least want it to. It will return to liquid state in very humid conditions. I have a violinmaker friend who went to a workshop/show with several instruments he had made, using this glue. The show was in the deep south, and at a humid time of year...every single one of his instruments slowly disassembled themselves during the show.

Another friend had a fingerboard on a bass come off during a gig, for the exact same reason.

If you live in AZ, and will always keep the bass dry, you can get away with it, but if there is a chance it will be exposed to humidity, don't chance it.
 
#9
Wow guys, thanks for the great advise!!! I'm going to pick up some Hide glue and a thermometer after work at Rockler and get-er done!!! After I'm done with the fingerboard and glueing the back to the sides I'll make sure to send some pictures if I do a good job...

Also on another note - Should I put up a new thread inquireing about lutheirs in MN. - Can anyone tell me a good/yet cheaper Luthier in the MN area. - I will need to go to the pro's to re-set my neck and the initial set up?

Thanks again

Cy-anara
 

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