Another hide glue question

[Dave Diaman]

A hide glue thread got me wondering. For you guys who use hot hide glue what are you using for a glue pot? The high dollar electric glue pots work great if you are using hide glue all the time. I know quite a few people who are reluctant to use hot hide glue just due to the cost of a glue pot. I just wanted to see what type of budget friendly glue pots you guys here have come up with.

[Hank Knight]

My glue pot isn not particularly "budget friendly," so I probably shouldn't reply to your inquiry, but I will. I tried the Rival plastic tea kettle with a glass jar for the glue and was very dissatisfied with the result. The biggest problem was the fact that the temperature was very erratic and often got well over the limit for hide glue. I looked at the electric glue pots commonly available through woodworking suppliers and decided against them because they hold way more glue that I would ever use at one time. I would end up wasting a lot of glue with one of those pots. I ran across this little brass jewel (http://www.musicaravan.com/gluepot?gclid...oCH1Dw_wcB) on one of the luthier sites and ordered it with the electric pot warmer. It works as advertised and cooks a reasonable quantity of glue for my needs. It's not cheap, but it suits me perfectly. Lee Valley has recently advertised a similar pot with an electric warmer for a more reasonable price.

[Dave Diaman]

That is the first I have seen the Lee valley set up. That is indeed a nice budget friendly set up. Great for someone who wants to get into hammer veneer work or just using hise glue.

[Steve N]

A hide glue thread got me wondering. For you guys who use hot hide glue what are you using for a glue pot?

Old Fondue pot I got at an auction for 50 cents. It is a ceramic pot, with an electric element. The elements on the better ones can keep a pretty constant temp, and on mine I've found 140* to be just a bit past the #2 setting. It has 10 settings, which can get oil to around 350* which is way too hot, I think 140 is most suggested temp. I think mine was probably 25 years old when I got it, but if it had been used at all it was only very lightly. I had bought it initially to melt lead, but it is too cool for that. Later when I got interested in trying hide glue it put it to use for a trial, Haven't felt the need to upgrade, it works fine. I unplug it at the end of the day, not sure if that hurts my glue? But I would worry with it hot. I tend to make small batches, and if I think it's too old, I'll just start more.

You want the constant temp that electric provides. Candles, and sterno can vary by as much as 100*. Even if you had to buy a couple to find one that kept a temp range pretty consistent you would still be way ahead of buying new. Plus the old ones are built like tanks, anything electric in the last 20 years is made as a throw away. Ohhh yeah, UL listed too
 
 

[barryvabeach]

Dave, if you have a decent thermometer,  you can use a hot pot - which is a cheap pot used for warming soup to boiling water   -  here is a nicer one than the one I have  https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/p...rd=hot+pot

I fill it most of the way with water, put the hide glue in a half pint mason jar, and put the jar in the water.    I cut out the lid of the pot so that the mason jar just fits, to cut down on evaporation loss, put a thermometer into the water and adjust the control until I get it around 140.  It is not as precise as a dedicated pot, but works great for me.  When I am done, take out the jar, and put it in the fridge if I am not going to use it in a while.

[Dave Diaman]

Barry, I actually have one of the nice electric glue pots. I mainly use the glue for hammer veneering but obviously it has a lot of good applications.

[packerguy®]

Crock pot and mason jars.

Cut a piece of acrylic to replace the top where the jar pokes up through it.....so the heat stays in the pot, but the glue vessel is open and doesnt over heat. 

After done for the day.....I put the leftover glue in the mason jar in the freezer. Easy peasy.

I hammer veneer. Also use for inlay and inlay bandings, and delicate stuff that is hard to clamp, but doesn't require structural strength and stuff that I want to set fast (like small moldings and such)

[atgcpaul]

How far would you get with that little LV glue pot? Only holds an ounce. Do you guys add anything to your hide glue to extend the open time?

[rick4212]

(Packerguy said:
I hammer veneer. Also use for inlay and inlay bandings, and delicate stuff that is hard to clamp, but doesn't require structural strength and stuff that I want to set fast (like small moldings and such))

The strength of hide glue is relatively the same as pva glue. It's stronger than the wood so why wouldn't you use it when structural strength is required? I've been using liquid hide guy for a few yours now and wouldn't go back to pva.

[Steve N]

And they're off...................


Anyone??