John Tuttle wrote:

> ... we used a hide glue that smelled so bad that the owner of the
> store would only let us use it in the early morning and in the late
> afternoon, when it was unlikely that any customers would be coming
> into the store.

I will say that I don't use the top grade of hide glue available.
You really don't need it with player work but I know that some will
differ with this statement.  And maybe I haven't seen an extremely
poor grade of hide glue either.  But if you only make small batches,
don't over heat it, and throw out old used glue that starts turning
darker in color or grows mold over time, you shouldn't have any problem
with the smell.

The biggest problem with the poor grades of glue is that you will have
to skim what looks like a white slim from the top of the glue using
your glue brush.  This must be removed!

The biggest problem I had when first using hide glue was mixing it with
too much water.  At first, thin seems to be easier to spread but when
it gels and dries after a day, there isn't enough glue between the wood
and cloth to hold it properly.  I had what looked like large air bubbles
along the edge of the pneumatics where the cloth didn't stick to the
wood.  Now I use a thicker mixture and this problem has gone away.

The thickness should be more like thick maple syrup that is cool,
not cold.  If you mix it too thin, just take the top off of the hot
glue pot and let the water evaporate.  It will not hurt the glue
properties.  The end grains of the pneumatics is also a problem when
gluing.  I preheat the end grain on a plate warmer and apply the glue
with about five strokes of the brush.  This forces the glue down into
the end grain.  I hear that sizing the end grain is preferred but
I have never done this.

Hope this helps someone new to hot hide glue, which is the best glue
to use with player rebuilds.

Pete Knobloch
Tempe, Arizona