Hi Ted
If negatives that aren't, in practice, isn't maligning, I apologize.
It's my impression that the dire tonal consequences of not using (x)
glue are hallucinatory Nd even marketing based, but there's a lot of
that in the business. So I don't have any claims at all in that direction.
I like hot hide for felt and leather work and have found nothing better,
or even as good. I use it for some wood work too, with similarly good
results. Spread thin quickly, which you can't do with a squeeze bottle
of any cold glue unless you're using it out of an open container with a
brush, it gels fast, doesn't wick up into the felt, and can be handled
nearly immediately. You can really make time refelting or leathering
anything. Bushing too, for trapwork and such. Damper installation, and
of course hammers, it's quick and sure. With hot hide I find I'm sitting
around much less waiting for glue to set up before I can move or
assemble it. Sure, there are situations where it's not appropriate, so I
use something else for those situations. There are so many instances in
a shop where hot hide is both appropriate and desirable, I hate to see
it dismissed wholesale because someone used it badly and consequently
wrote it off. As many times as I've seen "rebuild in a bottle" (CA) used
badly, it has become the first glue reached for in way too many cases,
while a fine glue like hot hide remains largely misrepresented and not
even considered as a result. There is no universal glue, but I'd much
sooner totally abandon CA than I would hot hide. I was once given a new
expensive Hold Heat glue pot and the pound of glue crystals that had
convinced the tech that hide glue was junk. I tried to get him to keep
it, and had offered to help set him up to use it, but he had a bad
experience and wanted nothing more to do with it ever again. I found he
had bought the glue from one of the supply houses, and I tried a test
batch and also found the stuff to be utterly unusable. Truly hideous
glop, totally unmanageable. So I called the supply house to ask what it
was. I was told it was Milligan and Higgins (a good name), with a gram
strength of 370-399 grams. WOW! I'd never seen anything like this first
hand, and couldn't imagine why they were selling it to unsuspecting
techs without any technical information at all. They obviously don't
know what they're selling. There is nothing I know of that can be done
to that glue to make it usable for anything I'll ever try to do, and
that was his only problem. Had he bought the 251 gram stuff from
Pianotek, or 192 gram (my choice) from Highland or any of the other many
sellers of Milligan and Higgins, Bjorn, J.E Mosers, Behlen, and some I'm
not familiar with like L.D. Davis, he would have been fine and very
possibly would still be happily using his glue pot. The glue went out in
the yard for the ants. They probably now have indestructible tunnels.
It's like learning on and playing a piano that has never been tuned. It
isn't obvious what's missing without experiencing it.
So no, it's not a handy field repair glue, but it's a first rate shop
choice in addition to, say Titebond original (my choice), Boldoc's,
Instrument Maker's Glue, Assembly 65 (from M&H), or Trim and Molding.
All good glues. It just deserves to be on the list with these others
instead of being unilaterally dismissed as it is more than any other glue.
Ron N
Original Message------
Hi Ron,
I don't read any of these posts, including my own, as maligning hide glue. It has been a fantastically effective glue for, oh, something like 4000 years now. You could say it has stood the test of time.
I think this is the question: Given the occasional failure of hammer head glue joints, what is the overwhelming advantage of using hide glue? My success rate has risen to 100% since I switched from hide to Bolduc. I certainly can't discern any tonal difference. It is just as easy to remove a head glued with Bolduc using the Jorgen pliers that Susan mentioned.
If I felt I could do better work with hide glue I would switch right back. Can you tell me in what way hide glue is superior?
------------------------------
Ted Kidwell, RPT
California State University, Sacramento
Capistrano Hall, rm. 153
6000 J Street
Sacramento, CA 95819-6015
916.278.6737
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-31-2015 13:19
From: Ronald Nossaman
Subject: Best Glue for hanging hammers
Just for the record. In spite of the general attitude that hot hide is
difficult to use or touchy, it's not, as anyone who actually uses it
will tell you. Hammer heads don't need to be fitted any more precisely
with hide glue than with Titebond Trim and Molding, and it doesn't
require any special or difficult working speed. Someone standing for ten
minutes with a glued hammer in their hand will produce a failed job with
either glue. I don't understand the need to malign a fine glue just from
personal preference.
Yes, the Trim glue is quite nice, but not because of any deficiency of
hide glue.
Ron N