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Fish glue can be frozen and will still work fine.
This printed on the label from the supplier.

I will make a copy of the label and see if I can post it here.
Maybe M.D.P. or someone can help out with this from the Norland web site.

This info mey not be important to everyone ;but I thought it was important to post.

Mike

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Mike Collins

Interesting. It's brought up some questions in my mind. I would suspect fish glue has a limited shelf life. (like most glues) I'm guessing it might be best to freeze part of a supply to extend it's shelf life.
I also wonder about freezing hot hide glue, obviously not while it's hot. It seems I'm always mixing small amounts. Could I mix and cook a bunch and freeze most of it for later use?

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I didn't mean to say it, but I meant what I said.
http://www.brackettinstruments.com/

This is good news Mike thanks.!

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

Woody, yes you can freeze HG, but make sure to exclude all air and double bag it to avoid freezer burn. I make up my HG in an ice cube tray, then when it has gelled I bag up the cubes and put it in the freezer. I don't freeze fish glue, as the shelf life, if kept cool, is measured in years, according to the source the bottlers say between 2 and 5 years. I buy mine in 250ml bottles a couple at a time from Kremer and that is enough for at least ten guitars.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

When I make up hide glue, I make up about ten baby-food jars worth and keep one in a shop fridge (for warming up when I need it) and the rest in the freezer. The fish glue bottle sits on the shelf out in the shop as I'm certain I'll be out of it before the bottle goes sour (two to five is a LOOOONG time!)

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Bob Garrish
Former Canonized Purveyor of Fine CNC Luthier Services

I find it interesting that you can freeze organic based glues like fish and hide, but let Titebond freeze and it goes bad. I don't know what that means but it is interesting.

Hide glue and fish glues are solutions of proteins in water. Freezing the stuff doesn't denature the proteins, it just freezes the water.

As far as I know, the aliphatics and polyvinyls are suspensions; small drops of a glue that is not water soluble which has been mixed with an emulsifier and whipped up into water. In this respect, it's like mayonnaise, and you can't freeze mayonnaise either. In the case of mayonnaise freezing it forces the little drops of oil together, and they coalesce, to float to the top when the stuff thaws. I've never tried freezing Titebond, but I suspect something similar happens.

There are some smart people around here. It always amazes me the stuff that you guys know.

Darrin