sinue glue or home made glue

[Con LanAdo]

just read an interesting Home Depot zine on just about all modern glues. I am wondering about the practicality of certain home made types of glues like sinue & has anyone had experiance with same. Thanks, Charlie

[ssor]

Other than reinventing the wheel, trying to make your own glue is posible. You will have a water soluble glue when you are through. But if you want to try, just for fun, boil some pigs skin or feet for about three days in only enough water to cover them, adding water as you need to, to replenish evaporation loses. after three days you should have a thick liquid, silghtly dark in color. Strain off the solid parts and skim off the fat. Now you can boil the remaining liquid until it will form thin threads when you pour it from a spoon. This will harden when it cools and when you want to use it you will have to place the container in a pan of hot water and heat the glue until it is melted. Using this kind of glue requires that you work quickly, have the parts ready to assemble, coat the contact surface with the hot glue and press the pieces together. Be careful not to burn your fingers.

Better to buy Titebond 2 in a neat little squeeze bottle. :D

[Bruce Hooke]

It is my understanding that sinew is usually used in it's solid string-like form rather than being turned into glue. However, based on a bit of Googling it does sound like it is often used in combination with hide glue in traditional crafts. So are you really talking about turning sinew into glue or are you talking about making hide glue (which I don't think you would use sinew to make)?

Hide glue is certainly a viable glue for certain purposes. Some favor it for work on antiques because it is fully reversable. It has various other advantages that are not matched by modern glues, but also some disadvantages such as the quick set time and the need for a hot glue pot. However, if you want to use hide glue there is no need to make your own unless you really want to. Hide glue in various strengths is readily available from various woodworking suppliers.

[Jamaica Mike]

If you are referring to hide glue - often made from rabbit or horse hide - it is used in certain applications where it is superior to other glues, one of the main applications is veneering. It is (was) also used by artists to size canvas, as it both seals and slightly shrinks canvas when applied.

It is water soluble, and has no marine or applications where it yields an advantage over urea resin or epoxy glues - AFAIK.

JM

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

Material of choice in high-end violin building/repairing.
More faff than anyone needs.

[ssor]

prior to modern chemistry hide glue had reached a high state of sophistication with certain types of work specifying the source of the tissue for the glue. I remember one reference to glue made from the skin from the roof of the mouth of a sturgeon(fish). I don't recall the particular job involved.

[Con LanAdo]

i think we are on to something - thanks for all your replys. Hey PI do you know dvbook shop in Montgomeryshire? The only place i've used my passport for lately has been Greenland but after seeing Neils pics of hunting etc. @ home in the Welsh countryside i'm going there as fast as i can find some free time.

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

dvbook ?? sorry, I'm new to Wales and had to look up Montgomeryshire on a map, turns out that it is an area I used to visit regularly about 20 years back. Where is the shop in question? - and what does it sell?.
I'm down on the south coast now - seldom venture that far north.

Most of rural Wales is worth a visit, but like most of the west coast of the UK, you have to be prepared for rain.
In Ayrshire they say "If you can see Ailsa Craig, its going to rain. If you cant see Ailsa Craig, its raining".

[Venchka]

Originally posted by P.I. Stazzer-Newt:
...

In Ayrshire they say "If you can see Ailsa Craig, its going to rain. If you cant see Ailsa Craig, its raining".Colonial translation: Ailsa Craig = Mount Rainier
:D

Lee Valley Tools sells hide glue. Or did in the 2004 catalog I was reading yesterday. While it was raining in the Swamp. Go figure. Rained all weekend. Today was GLORIOUS! :cool:

Wayne
In the Swamp. :D

[Tristan]

Native Americans used sinew on the front of their bows, glued on, I believe with hide or hoof glue. It was particularly important in bows with reverse curve. See great book, American INdian Archery by Reginald Laubin,

[sr. jigaboni]

Lots of "traditional" bowyers that make wood bows (you think you're uptight about the wood you use?) use sinew backings applied with animal or hide glue; some use backings of fich or snake skin and some (ahem) use paper. If you want a simple homemade glue, use gelatin; they've basically done all the work for you, and you don't have to wash it off your hands if you buy cherry.

peace

Rigo

[Con LanAdo]

yeah another passion is the bow & the reason for the initial ? was the reading of Traditional Bowyers Bible confirms everything you all have mentioned. PI Neils dvbook shop ?'s can be ans. by the fella hisself beeb@dvbookshop.fsnet.co.uk
, he is also a specialist in books on archery for anyone else who might be interested - even some copies under his publ. of out of print articles.

[ssor]

I "googled" hide glue yesterday(it was snowing, ok?) learned more than I ever wanted to know. :D