DaveC's High Tech Hideglue equipment
Lower left clockwise
Rival Crockette from garage sale with removable ceramic line and hole in
plastic lid for brushes...Note--ceramic glazes will chip over time from the
glue 3/8"-1/2" flat brush with aluminum ferrule for brushing flat surface
1/4"-3/8" round brush with aluminum ferrule for brushing dowel holes
3/4"-1" flat brush for brushing large edge gluing jobs shown with corroded
steel ferrule which discolors the glue wax paper roll for use when ironing
down veneers variable transformer (can use light dimmer on crockette)
for temp control around 140 degrees...use meat or candy thermometer
clothes iron relegated to shop use for ironing down veneers
1/2 gal milk container which holds up to 3lbs 192gram 3x ground dry hide
glue fiberboard and clear lexan pcs for clamping veneer edges and patches
Deft spray can top with center for mixing hide glue
1 amount of hide glue level with center (approx 2/3 of top)
1 full top amount of water
I double this total amount for use in the crockette for 1-2 weeks worth of glue
Some have asked for a brief article on how to use this stuff!
I have promised much more but I tried to find my old briefs...
I couldn't even locate the racing stripes!!
So here goes another short winded attempt to be long winded:
I have longtime used a Rival Crockette attached to a variable
transformer although a light dimmer will work just fine because
this cooker uses a resistive element without a thermocutoff sensor...
I get more than 100% power but that is seldom necessary and a
dimmer will give you up to 100%
I mix the glue with the top of a spray can...I normally use a Deft top
and fill it with glue up to the inner ring and add water to the top of cap...
this gets me a mixture of around 2 glue to 3 water...
use your own system but this works for me!
I am always in a hurry so I put the glue and water into a warm
or warming Crockette and have never had any problems
hydrating the glue and/or softening it!
I let it heat up and stir it until I get that opaque frosted whitish/yellow
mixture...if it is too brown, I stir in some more water...as it dehydrates,
it get that brownish transparent look and will actually start chipping the
glaze from the ceramic insert in the Crockette...you know it is used to
glue-chip glass and be assured, ceramic glaze is a glass and will chip!
When the glue is fresh, you have to move very quickly to get it applied
to both the mortice and the tenon ends of the joinery...and then you have
to clamp it before you find globs of jello on the ends. Heating up the wood
or the glue more will prevent this gelling but I have not found it to be a
severe problem if you move quickly and you clamp the parts together
even after a slight gelling. I recently did an experiment where I let the
glue gel and them squeezed it between two fiber board pieces, then split
them apart and found it took considerable effort to separate them as if
they had been glued hot! Can't promise great results but I suspect it can
be worked into a schedule of faster application and clamping.
I always clean up the gelled glue with hot water and a stiff paint touchup
brush so as to not leave the glue overnight...on straight NC lacquer, it just
kinda flakes off but on shellac, it will take the finish with it! Shellac rules
but hide glue binds to it like flies on sh_t! More proof of the bonding power
of both shellac and hide glue!
My favorite and most profitable uses for the glue are:
glue blocks (rub joints)
veneer repairs, edge regluing
regluing of virgin furniture glue joinery
Remember that this glue was used for case work until around 1930
so most older furniture will respond to its reintroduction
Older veneers will rebind when thinned hide glue is injection under them
If an older piece has not been reglued with "modern" glues, the hide glue
with bond with minimal effort and expense.
Ask away friends when you need to get started with this stuff!!
I always welcome and entertain Q&A.
DaveC