Hide glue question

[DaveParkis]

I was at an estate sale yesterday and the guy gave me 4 bags of hide glue. The issue is that the flakes had apparently congealed and resulted in a 5 lb block. Can I just break this up to use or is it garbage?

[mike4244]

I was at an estate sale yesterday and the guy gave me 4 bags of hide glue. The issue is that the flakes had apparently congealed and resulted in a 5 lb block. Can I just break this up to use or is it garbage?

Use it , You can saw it to useable sizes, break it though take precautions. If you want to break off chunks , cover the flakes with a cloth towel first. Wear gloves and eye protection. The flakes break off in shards. I bought 5 lb bags about twice a year . After a while the flakes tend to congeal.
I band saw them into cubes. The first time I used hot hide glue was 60 years ago. About 20yers ago I found about 1 lb from my original stash in a jar hidden behind a box jig that I hardly ever used. I wanted to see if the flakes were still useable. I dissolved about 1 ounce in hot water, then glued a couple of scraps together. The old glue was just as strong as new flakes I had.
mike

[DaveParkis]

Thanks!!! I appreciate the help