Hey folks, I imagine this topic has been done to the point of saturation but I figured I give my version. I have tried a few different sources of material for hide glue over the last year but have pretty much settled on this "recipe".
I stop at Wally World and they always have these in stock. I like em cause you get a better volume to cost ration ($5) and they snip up nicely into small pieces which makes for a quicker reduction. They are a 50 count package. (Don't get the smoked or flavored versions as they do some really odd things to your glue)
Here is a shot of the chews all cut into very small piece...I use the entire 50 pieces.
Next I like to add 4 "croaker" fish bladders...I find these at one of our Asian Food Markets and pick up a couple dozen at a time. I use the bandage cutters to snip these into smaller pieces as well (if you have carpel tunnel syndrome you will certainly be feeling it by now after the 50 chews and these tough suckers!)
All cut up in the crock now, I will add a fair amount of hot water and put it on my small double crock cooker/warmer which has 3 settings...Low, High and Warm. I put it on High and leave the cover slightly ajar to aid in evaporation and let the heat and water do their magic for the next 10+ hours.
Stay Tuned for the next update.
Thanks for looking~