Hide Glue

[4v50 Gary]

Hide glue has been around since Pharoah. I've never read an account of a 18-19th Century settler making it though. I'm certain they were aware of it but can anyone confirm it? They had cattle, horses and mules that they could get the raw material from. It would have been useful for furniture making or in our case, gluing the wood plugs on the end of powder horns. Thoughts?

 

[MEHavey]

All over the place -- especially wood-working, musical instruments, and books
https://www.finewoodworking.com/2005/10/25/understanding-hide-glue



.

 

[JeffG]

Titebond markets a genuine hide glue. I use it, and it's a good product.

 

[beag_nut]

Hide glue is also (almost exclusively) used for violins, etc. I used it once to repair an old piece of furniture, which was originally built with it.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Good video. I didn't realize in came in thick sheets. Would a frontiersman/settler have it?

 

[woodnbow]

Good video. I didn't realize in came in thick sheets. Would a frontiersman/settler have it?

Yes, they would have had it. Natives around the world used it to make laminated or sinew backed bows. It also comes as beads or powder. Knox gelatin is essentially hide glue. Hide glue is easily made and when it’s dried you can put it up for future use. Fish skins make exceptionally strong hide glue.

 

[MEHavey]

didn't realize in came in thick sheets. Would a frontiersman/settler have it?

See https://www.instructables.com/Home-Made-Hide-Glue/
...and even earlier...
(No kidding) mountain men process in the middle of nowhere.


Walmart dog bones (the chewing kind)

 

[Malachi Leviticus Blue]

Not to mention that raw hide was the mountain man's do all equivalent of duct tape

 

[paul harm]

Pine pitch [ or sap ] is also used for any thing form musical instruments to building wood ships. There are many old primitive ways of doing things that still work very well today.

 

[JN01]

Glue has its uses, but if properly fitted, a horn plug doesn't require glue.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Yeah, but I've seen a horn plug fall out. Horn was made for a famours gunmaker by a famous horn maker whose name would be recognized immediately.

I generally use toothpicks to pin the plug in place. The contrast of the stained toothpick against the horn is pleasing to my eyes. It wasn't unknown for wood plugs on historical horns to be tacked or nailed in place either.

 

[damoc]

I have used hide glue a lot for bowmaking incredible strength but not water proof. Here is a vid of when I made it.

 

[damoc]

Yes, they would have had it. Natives around the world used it to make laminated or sinew backed bows. It also comes as beads or powder. Knox gelatin is essentially hide glue. Hide glue is easily made and when it’s dried you can put it up for future use. Fish skins make exceptionally strong hide glue.

This is a sinew backed juniper bow I made from juniper sinew and hide glue.

 

[Rustmangler]

My uncle would have a pot rendering every time I visited. He was a world class bowman. He made many laminated bows.

 

[woodnbow]

This is a sinew backed juniper bow I made from juniper sinew and hide glue.

Very nice! I’ve often thought that Juniper would be a fine bow wood, backed of course. But one of my friends was a Texan and every year for many years he’d bring Osage on his summer visits.

 

[JN01]

Yeah, but I've seen a horn plug fall out. Horn was made for a famours gunmaker by a famous horn maker whose name would be recognized immediately.

I generally use toothpicks to pin the plug in place. The contrast of the stained toothpick against the horn is pleasing to my eyes. It wasn't unknown for wood plugs on historical horns to be tacked or nailed in place either.

Well, sure, I would use pegs to pin the plug also, but when it is initially installed after boiling the butt of the horn, it should have a secure, airtight fit without need for glue. My theory is that temperature and humidity changes causing swelling and/or shrinking of the wood might cause the joint to loosen up. I usually sealed the exposed portion of my plugs with melted bees wax.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Mechanick Exercises - how to make hyde glue by Joseph Moxon (1703):

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015028306002&view=1up&seq=105

Lotsa stuff in the book including blacksmithing, joinery, carpentry, turning (lathe). I found out that the Gunsmithing Shop in Colonial Williamsburg keeps a copy in their office.