> Sheesh! Are you OK? > > :( Yea, sorry, just doing too many things at once and not too alert. The glue's not clear - got it. It might be a reaction to your pot, or ??? I still wouldn't rule out demonic possession, but I doubt it's a real serious case. Years back, I went to one of those New York Steinway seminars, and got a look at their hammer hanging setup. I'd always wondered what they did to their glue that made it that opaque tan color. I had never seen hide glue do that, and guessed that they added whiting or something to it to try to make it about the same color as the maple to disguise the lack of any attempt at making a neat glue collar. Functionally, just throwing the glue on and getting on with it works just fine, it's just not as neat as what most techs like to see. So I asked. They said it was just plain old hide glue, even though it looked like what you're describing. The stuff they used for rim lamination looked just like that too. So I don't know why it's doing what it's doing other than possible contamination, or lack of contamination, or temperature, that's different from what I'm doing. Maybe it's temperature, and entrapped air bubbles. What kind of container are you using, and heat source and approximate temperature? How thick is it mixed, and how long has it been in the pot? If the glue works like it should, it's probably ok, but it would be nice to know what's causing it. Here's a test. Put some crystals in a jar and cover them with water. No heat, just let the crystals swell up for a while. The stuff I use turns to a yellowish translucent gel, and turns that honey color after it's melted in the pot. The longer it's in the pot and under heat, the darker it gets (to a point). Ron N
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