Hide glue vs. Aliphatic

[Ron Nossaman]

I use Titebond for most general woodwork because it's handy (if I can find
the bottles in the shop), immediate (no heating), and dependable (no
qualification), like Danny said. I haven't experienced any creep problems at
all. I will, on the other hand, always maintain a working glue pot for hide
glue primarily for the property Titebond doesn't exhibit - JELL. I mix it a
lot thicker than Stephen B would advocate, but I'm not looking for molecular
thickness glue lines. What I'm after is something that won't wick into
felt/cloth to the degree an aliphatic will. Hide glue jells quickly so it'll
hang on before it's dry, or deep, and I can let go get on with it. I use it
for all most felt to wood joints. For player and pump organ bellows and
pneumatics (hinging and recovering), ANYTHING but hide glue is intolerable.
Jell time is also the reason I use hide glue to hang hammers. I haven't
noticed any difference in the sound of hammers hung with either type of
glue, and I doubt that it's a real concern outside the ranks of the
terminally anal. I do like the fact that I can get a good uniform glue
fillet (collar, only skinny) without having to go back and mop glue off the
tail coves. 

PS: Lest anyone take offense at the reference to anality, none of us got to
be good techs without a pathological fixation on the minutiae of the trade. 

 Ron Nossaman