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Hide Glue
- Thread starter g123
- Start date
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2009
- Messages
- 538
A broken down hide (one that has been pre-soaked in lime, uric acid, tannin, ash, etc. to loosen) is heated in water until the collagens separate. The separated goo-residue is removed and spread out in sheets to dry. I carry little chips of it with me, along with pitch. Keep dry, can mold easy.
Very adhesive, forms molecular bonds with objects. Horses were the top used species for procurement in the heyday of hide glue production...
Many uses. Great for soaking sinew/cordage and wrapping. Great for woodwork. Not a good filler...
BTW, a good source for hide glue if you don't have a hide is Knoxx Gelatin. Those little packets you can find in most stores. Yup.
Very adhesive, forms molecular bonds with objects. Horses were the top used species for procurement in the heyday of hide glue production...
Many uses. Great for soaking sinew/cordage and wrapping. Great for woodwork. Not a good filler...
BTW, a good source for hide glue if you don't have a hide is Knoxx Gelatin. Those little packets you can find in most stores. Yup.
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Below is an extract from my book describing how I've made hide glue. It is heckuva strong stuff, but it is affected by water unfortunately.
If there are any formatting problems in the text that I haven't noticed, please forgive me. It is late at night and there were several anomalies that I had to correct following the copying of the text from the PDF file on my Mac.
"Properly made hide glue can be a very strong adhesive.
I have made successful glue from fresh, wet hide and sinew scraps; and from bug-infested rawhide that has been dried for a year or so. I have also made it from hide which still has hair attached. The hide does not dissolve during the process and it is discarded once the glue substance has been extracted from it.
It is made by simmering scraps of hide (along with any hooves and sinew scraps) in clean water.
The smaller these pieces are, the faster the glue substance should be extracted from them. I have read that the water shouldnít be allowed to reach boiling point to achieve the best results, but I have to admit that some of my batches of glue have boiled for a short time without any obvious
damage being done. I don't have a thermostat on my woodstove.
The process can take a long time, and it can fill your kitchen with an aroma that may not be enjoyed by everybody.
After the hide has simmered for several hours the 'juice' may start to get thicker. At this stage I generally remove the hide scraps (and any other rubbish) from the pot and continue gently heating the fluid until it gets noticeably thicker. The fluid can be strained through a piece of
loosely woven cloth. Sometimes I have made a batch of glue over several days because I only had my stove burning for a short time each day. It could be a good idea to elevate the pot higher above the heat using fireproof metal objects of some sort if you find it is hard to keep the heat low
enough.
When the fluid gets reasonably thick, it has become hide glue. You can use it at this stage, or you can dry it so it will store for a long time at room temperature. When it cools, the fluid may form a jelly or a thick leathery substance. You could gently heat up the jelly some more to drive off
more moisture, but if you have the leathery stuff just set it aside to dry until it is quite hard. If you choose to dry it by heating it further, be sure not to let the temperature get close to boiling point.
If you choose to dry the jellied glue at room temperature you may find that small patches of mould form on the glue while it is drying. I have simply wiped the mould off with a paper towel and just carried on drying the stuff without noticing any bad effects, but if the rot really set in I would consider discarding the batch.
As the glue dries it is likely to stick to whatever it is touching. You could try threading lumps of stiff jellied glue onto a string or a thin stick.
Dried glue can get so hard it will shatter when hit with a hammer. Sometimes it may stick to the pot when you are making it. You can either mix in some water to soften the glue, or you may get it out by shattering it. Mind your eyes as little bits of hard, sharp glue may fly everywhere.
I store dried glue in a screw-top jar.
To use hard glue, it has to be returned to a liquid state. This involves water and heat. There is no definite rule as to how much water should be added, because both thin and thick glues will eventually dry out to form a bond. Thin glue may penetrate better, but thicker glue will get tackier in a shorter time. It may be helpful to soak chips of glue in the water for a while before
you gently heat it up to dissolve it and to get to the right consistency. As a guideline you could try just covering the solid glue with water.
You are less likely to damage the glue by overheating if you heat it indirectly. An old tin can makes a good glue pot. This can is placed in a pot of water that is being heated. Stirring will hasten the dissolving process. If you are going to glue sinew or rawhide, then the glue shouldn't
be so hot that it will cook the sinew or rawhide. If the glue is too hot to touch with your finger, then it is probably too hot for sinew. Any surface that is to be glued should be clean and free of grease or oil. Sometimes it may be appropriate to pre-heat and dampen the surface to get the glue
to bond. I donít know how long the shelf life is for this made-up glue. It might be best if only enough is made up for the job at hand. Thoroughly dried virgin glue should store well for a very long time if kept away from moisture.
In a primitive situation, glue might have to be made in a fired clay pot."
Ancient Skills © Stephen R. Coote. Electronic edition.
If there are any formatting problems in the text that I haven't noticed, please forgive me. It is late at night and there were several anomalies that I had to correct following the copying of the text from the PDF file on my Mac.
"Properly made hide glue can be a very strong adhesive.
I have made successful glue from fresh, wet hide and sinew scraps; and from bug-infested rawhide that has been dried for a year or so. I have also made it from hide which still has hair attached. The hide does not dissolve during the process and it is discarded once the glue substance has been extracted from it.
It is made by simmering scraps of hide (along with any hooves and sinew scraps) in clean water.
The smaller these pieces are, the faster the glue substance should be extracted from them. I have read that the water shouldnít be allowed to reach boiling point to achieve the best results, but I have to admit that some of my batches of glue have boiled for a short time without any obvious
damage being done. I don't have a thermostat on my woodstove.
The process can take a long time, and it can fill your kitchen with an aroma that may not be enjoyed by everybody.
After the hide has simmered for several hours the 'juice' may start to get thicker. At this stage I generally remove the hide scraps (and any other rubbish) from the pot and continue gently heating the fluid until it gets noticeably thicker. The fluid can be strained through a piece of
loosely woven cloth. Sometimes I have made a batch of glue over several days because I only had my stove burning for a short time each day. It could be a good idea to elevate the pot higher above the heat using fireproof metal objects of some sort if you find it is hard to keep the heat low
enough.
When the fluid gets reasonably thick, it has become hide glue. You can use it at this stage, or you can dry it so it will store for a long time at room temperature. When it cools, the fluid may form a jelly or a thick leathery substance. You could gently heat up the jelly some more to drive off
more moisture, but if you have the leathery stuff just set it aside to dry until it is quite hard. If you choose to dry it by heating it further, be sure not to let the temperature get close to boiling point.
If you choose to dry the jellied glue at room temperature you may find that small patches of mould form on the glue while it is drying. I have simply wiped the mould off with a paper towel and just carried on drying the stuff without noticing any bad effects, but if the rot really set in I would consider discarding the batch.
As the glue dries it is likely to stick to whatever it is touching. You could try threading lumps of stiff jellied glue onto a string or a thin stick.
Dried glue can get so hard it will shatter when hit with a hammer. Sometimes it may stick to the pot when you are making it. You can either mix in some water to soften the glue, or you may get it out by shattering it. Mind your eyes as little bits of hard, sharp glue may fly everywhere.
I store dried glue in a screw-top jar.
To use hard glue, it has to be returned to a liquid state. This involves water and heat. There is no definite rule as to how much water should be added, because both thin and thick glues will eventually dry out to form a bond. Thin glue may penetrate better, but thicker glue will get tackier in a shorter time. It may be helpful to soak chips of glue in the water for a while before
you gently heat it up to dissolve it and to get to the right consistency. As a guideline you could try just covering the solid glue with water.
You are less likely to damage the glue by overheating if you heat it indirectly. An old tin can makes a good glue pot. This can is placed in a pot of water that is being heated. Stirring will hasten the dissolving process. If you are going to glue sinew or rawhide, then the glue shouldn't
be so hot that it will cook the sinew or rawhide. If the glue is too hot to touch with your finger, then it is probably too hot for sinew. Any surface that is to be glued should be clean and free of grease or oil. Sometimes it may be appropriate to pre-heat and dampen the surface to get the glue
to bond. I donít know how long the shelf life is for this made-up glue. It might be best if only enough is made up for the job at hand. Thoroughly dried virgin glue should store well for a very long time if kept away from moisture.
In a primitive situation, glue might have to be made in a fired clay pot."
Ancient Skills © Stephen R. Coote. Electronic edition.
