Primitive Archer

Awesome post, let's keep a sticky on this one lol. I've been playing with and using 222 bloom strength hide glue from a furniture maker, seems to gel pretty quick but gives about 5 minutes of work time depending on how thin you mix it. I'm about to make a batch and add 10 percent fish glue (from stewmac) and see how the set time changes. I'm considering using a mix of the two for gluing a horn belly but I am nervous about either straight hide glue gelling too fast on me, or a mixture of hide/fish being too flexible for the cured joint.

Those glue cubes look really clean! Any updates on projects/tests you've used them with?

Thanks Robert.  Ya it’s great stuff!  If you can get your hands on some good quality fish bladder glue you will not be disappointed.  I’ve used croaker glue in the past too but don’t think it was as good as the sturgeon stuff.  Just my opinion and maybe I did so
Etching wrong also in making it.  I basically just purchased some croaker bladders off eBay and treated them the same as I would the sturgeon bladders.  I think part of the reason may have been not up to par was that I cooked it for a long time maybe too long.  The inner lining of the sturgeon bladders is what I use to make my glue and it dissolves quite well actually and almost all renders down at about 60 degree.  I will have to do more testing with croaker bladders to get it right. I was thinking I was going to dissolve the croakers similar to the sturgeon bladders and that was not the case.  Anyway all part of the learning.  I do mix my hide glues and fish glue also for sinew.  The benefit of this is increased gel time.  If made properly the fish bladder glues would be evry but as strong as the high strength hide glues.  I’ve heard guys taking and teaspoon of honey even to add some flex to hide glue depending on the application.  Say for a pigment paint job on a native bow or the like.  I’ve not seen the need to do this yet but who knows.  I have noticed that the sturgeon glue loves to glue horn to appropriate wood cores for horn bows.  It takes to it very well.  It works extremely well for size coats leading up to the horn glue up itself too.  I go supper thin with the size coats and do a ratio of 5% glue.  The actual horn glue up is around 25-30%.  To get these ratios it’s super simple if using a digital scale just and just making a small batch I would work in grams.  So I would place a little jar on the scale and tare it or zero it.  Then add 25grams of dry glue granules or dry cubes and then add 75grams of water.  I then add this little jar to my glue pot which is just a hot wax pot with a temp control dial to about 60degrees.  This will yield about 100 grams of 25% hide glue. I like this particular concentrate for sinew.  I also work under a heat lamp with the bow propped with the back up facing.  Anyway lots to discover with hide and bladder glue for sure.  Ask if any questions.   

Im excited to see this bow progress. Standing by for updates.

I would cut to length, cut nocks and get to low brace, it stresses differently when on a long string. Looking good so far. Pappy

Trying to wrap my head around the thought, that at one point in time someone said "hmmm - I wonder if I could make some glue out of this sturgeon bladder"
How does that happen - and then actually work?

Awesome post, let's keep a sticky on this one lol. I've been playing with and using 222 bloom strength hide glue from a furniture maker, seems to gel pretty quick but gives about 5 minutes of work time depending on how thin you mix it. I'm about to make a batch and add 10 percent fish glue (from stewmac) and see how the set time changes. I'm considering using a mix of the two for gluing a horn belly but I am nervous about either straight hide glue gelling too fast on me, or a mixture of hide/fish being too flexible for the cured joint.

Those glue cubes look really clean! Any updates on projects/tests you've used them with?