Official Luthiers Forum!

To Hot hide glue!!! I must admit I was hesitant about setting aside the old titebond , but whats not to like about HHG...it is easy to mix, looks like a little goes a long way, tacks up quick , and dries very hard!!! It is easy to clean, getting squeeze out couldn't be simpler!!
In fact I had joined the back on some cocobola with titebond the other night, the next day I barely flexed it and it broke??? I cleaned up the joint and used HHG, dried hard as a rock, a couple of passes thru the drum sander and the joint disappeared!!!! today, I am on vacation this week, I braced up a soundboard!! Easy!!!!!
Now I know you pros are probably saying " tell me something I don't already know" but for the hobbyist out there, like me, who may be sitting on the fence, you are missing out by not converting!!!

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MK5acoustics.com

I've switched lately for bracing anyway...

Hmmmm....closer to getting off the fence!
Thanks for the testimonial!

Jump on in! The waters fine!
Once you try it you will never look back...

Mikey

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The Biggest Little City, Nevada
www.hammondguitars.com
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The ease of cleanup with HHG cannot be overstated. As far as gelling too quick, just preheat your parts.

Chuck

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I converted to HHG or Fish Glue . I like them both .

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

Sold!
Off to Lee Valley.....

It just so happens Im starting a Cocobolo set and was wondering about the TiteBond working like i need , and thought about the hide glue. I bought some of the titebond liquid hide glue and dont think its worth having . So I assume the other stuff is waaayyy better . Looks like I may be investing in hide glue as well today !

Good toot out there that helps explain use ? Vid Link ?

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I have switched to hide and fish for many tasks and love them both for different reasons. Todd, or anyone else who knows, is fish glue easily repairable also? I assume it can't be as easily repairable as hide (I've had some experience with hide repairs; super easy), but is it necessary to get rid of all traces of fish glue similar to ar glues when making repairs, or can you say refresh the joint with warm water and apply more fish glue if necessary?

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Aaron Craig

Fish glue can be reactivated with water, just like hide glue. No need to clean out the old glue.

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

Was wondering about whether either of their hide glue is optimum for most guitarmaking tasks, and if so, which one ... any input there? ty....

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=20002&cat=1,110,42965&ap=1

Edit: p.s. free shipping on orders over $40 there until Sept 26th too (in Canada anyway, not sure about US)

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Thanks Arnt.

I use the Lee Valley fish glue. Seems to work great. Shake the bottle before each use.

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Aaron Craig

So repairability aside, does fish glue offer the same tonal benefits over other glues that HHG does? If so, does HHG offer any real benefit over fish glue?

260g might be a little thick and quick gelling for most of the time, especially if you've never messed with hide glue before. Good for bridges though, since that's generally the most stressed joint on a guitar. 150g is toward the weak side for instruments I've heard, but I've been using the Behlen's stuff that's around there no problem. Dries clear amber, hard and brittle. I'm just about out though, so I think I'll try the 192g from LMI next to see how it compares.

Anyway, the gel time is what separates hide from fish. For gluing dentellones, it can't be beat. Just stick it and hold it for a few seconds. Also enables the ever convenient rub joint. And makes cleanup easier, since the squeeze out can be peeled off in strips. Another of my favorite advantages is that it lasts forever in dry form, so I'm not constantly wasting half full bottles that I didn't make it through before expiration.

I haven't tried fish glue, but if I could buy it locally in small quantity, I would.

The Lee Valley granular HG is 260g, and the pearl is 150g. Is there any problem combining the two for less hold and more working time?

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

what ratio are you guys using, I did the 1.8 to 1 that LMI glue recomends...will less water get a thicker glue? or just shorten the set up time???

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MK5acoustics.com

Start by putting granules in a bottle, and filling with water until it's just over top of the granules. Let it soak 30 min or so, heat it up, and add more water until it flows right ("right" being relative to the task at hand). In general, I prefer thicker for smaller joints, thinner for larger. Plate joining and bracing being the smallest, and headplates and fingerboards being the largest. Thinner film and less viscosity means easier squeeze out from a large area. But you don't want to go too thin on the small joints, because they squeeze out so thoroughly, there might not be enough actual glue left in there if it's mostly water that will evaporate away.

Fish glue in my experience takes a bit more to get apart and dries harder than HHG. I use Fish on what I consider permanent parts , Kerfing , Braces , plate joint . HHG for the Bridge plate and anything that would be needing to come off .
David LePlante turned me on the the advantages of Fish glue. I know Todd Stock had some at the first open house at Sylvan Wells shop . It piqued my interest and after David told me the advantages , it was a no brainer. I don't use Tite bond much anymore on builds and would say that the open time of the fish glue is a big advantage on gluing on tops and back .
HHG is also a great glue and both are so repairable . I use HHG for neck glueing and fish glue for the blocks .

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

1 to 1 is more like it, at least for me. Less water gets thicker glue, but the thicker glue actually holds heat better, and doesn't gel quite as quick. At least that how it works for me.

Reguarding hhg, I've always used it. Before the internet I didn't know any other glues were used on musical instruments.

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