[pianotech] How to mix up a batch of hide-glue (hammer hanging)

Terry Farrell mfarrel2 at tampabay.rr.com
Tue Feb 2 14:06:18 MST 2010


Does Joe Garrett still sell that 3X Chrome hide glue? I've been using  
that for 10 years now and it is fabulous. The first hide glue I  
purchased was indeed from Schaff and I could not get it to mix. This  
3X Chrome stuff dissolves in ten minutes or so - so easy. I just cover  
it with water, heat it up and it is liquid. If too thick for my  
application, just add a little water. If you goof and it gets too  
thin, just add a little more glue and wait a few minutes for it to  
dissolve. I is very easy to use and seems to work great. I don't know  
what weight it is.

Terry Farrell

On Feb 2, 2010, at 12:22 PM, Ron Nossaman wrote:

> Andrew Anderson wrote:
>> I've been searching my mailbox and can't find anything this specific.
>> I've heard how great working with hide glue is, so I bought a mini  
>> slow cooker and the glue, now what?
>> proportions?  what is the urea for? etc.
>> Andrew Anderson (hide-glue rook)
>
> Hi Andrew,
> First, where'd you get the glue, and what's the gram strength?  
> Here's something I posted on the subject 7 months ago.
>
>
> More about hot hide glue, since this part has never been discussed  
> here to my recollection.
>
> Hide glue comes in different gram strengths. In practical terms,  
> it's a measure of the ultimate strength and gel rate of the glue.  
> Most people start with too high a gram strength and shoot themselves  
> in the foot. Those who say they found hot hide to be unmanageable  
> usually bought it from Schaff. Theirs is 370-399 gram, which I  
> consider to be impossible for general use. Pianotek sells a 251 gram  
> weight, which is manageable, but still touchy for general work. I  
> prefer 192 gram. It's a balancing act between thickness and gel  
> time. For hammers, particularly, you want a fairly thick glue that  
> won't "string", and will still gel before it runs down into the  
> hammer tail cove.  The high gram weights are super critical of water  
> content for this use. Thin enough to not string means too thin to  
> gel in time to not sag. The 251g has a wide enough operating range,  
> and is quite usable for hammer hanging since you can get a quick gel  
> and  minimum sag with a mix that's not too thick to use. I find it  
> too much for player and felt work though. Add enough water to make  
> it usable covering pneumatics, and the initial tack isn't good  
> enough to let you move on without standing around holding things and  
> waiting for the glue to grab. The 192g is good enough for hammer  
> hanging, and much better for player and felt work. It can be mixed  
> thick enough for hammers, with a gel time that works, without  
> stringing glue, and thin enough for player and felt work without  
> losing the initial tack that lets you get on with it.
>
> Dries brittle, scrapes easily, softens with heat and moisture. That,  
> everyone already knows.
>
> And no, I don't use urea. I bought some to play with, but haven't  
> needed to yet.
>
> Mix consistency (water added) determined by trying it and adjusting  
> as necessary.
> Ron N



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