Hide glue shelf life

[osage outlaw]

How long will hide glue keep in the freezer?  I think mine is a good 2+ years old.  I wrapped it in plastic wrap.  I dried some and I have a ton of finely shredded scraps if I need to make a fresh batch.

[IdahoMatt]

I have never seen bad Knox gelatine.  Smell like it has turned but still sticky.

[osage outlaw]

This is home made glue from sinew scraps

[Pappy]

I think in the freezer it will last indefinitely,I have some several years old and use it from time to time and it seems to be fine.  It I had questions I would put a little on something and see how it works before using it on an important project.
   Pappy

[PEARL DRUMS]

My jar is over a year old and I just keep heating and adding to it as I use it. I keep it frozen of course.

[MWirwicki]

Clint:  Go with it.  I keep mine frozen and never have issues.  I only experienced mold once when I kept in the fridge.  But that was for a couple of months.  Freezer I would guess indefinitely.

[Oglala Bowyer]

I've always cut mine into little pieces and let dry and haven't experienced any issues with it.  It keeps this way as well.  No mold or anything.

[osage outlaw]

Thanks guys.  I'll give it a go and see what happens.

Here is another question, when you dry it, how do you crush it?  I tried to crush some small dry flakes and the stuff is like concrete.  When I did crush it, the pieces flew everywhere.  I want to get it in granular form so it will rehydrate easier.

[hedgeapple]

The few times I'm made hide glue, I poured the left over glue onto a large cookie tray with wax paper on it.  It was really thin.  When it dried, I just broke it into flakes small enough to fit into a ziplock bag.  I use a small crock pot for making my glue.  When I needed it the next time, I just put enough water in the crock pot to cover the flakes.  I would stir it occasionally while I was working on other stuff.  In 10 or 15 minutes it was dissolved.  I leave the lid off the crock pot so extra water would evaporate.  I cook it until it gets sticky between my fingers.  It's usually an hour or two before it's ready.  I just pre-plan so I'm ready to use it when it's ready.

BUT, the last hide glue session my planning was too great.  When it was ready I wasn't.  So, I just added some more water an let it simmer more.  All in all it stayed in the crock pot for about 2 days with me adding more water as need.  Man it was the STICKIEST hide glue I've made to date.  haha

[hedgeapple]

Well maybe you don't want to listen to anything I just posted about hide glue and sinew.  I just looked on the bow that I applied a second layer of sinew to last week.  The sinew has separated from the wood in several places.  Grrr kinda haha  After seeing post here of sinew backed shorties, I was kind wishing that I had induce some reflex to this bow.  I guess I get a second chance.

Here's what I think happened.  First I had cleaned the back of the bow with denatured alcohol, but something happened I didn't get to put the first layer of sinew on then.  The next day, I was in a hurry and didn't re-clean the bow.  Some of the oils from the osage might seeped back to the surface.  Secondly, the hide glue on my first layer was kind of thin.  But, I used it anyhow.  The first layer held well.
The second layer was applied with the really stick glue.  Apparently when the second layer cured it pulled the first layer off the wood.

Oh well, live and learn.  This was just my 3rd attempt at sinewing.  The first 2 are still shooting.

[osage outlaw]

Dave, did you use any oil or grease when heat bending that bow?  I had a sinew backing lift up on a bow after using oil.  I used acetone before I put it on.  For the second attempt I scrubbed it with Dawn dish soap and the sinew held tight.

[Pat B]

I've tried acetone, alcohol and other things to de grease wood for sinewing. My best efforts were by washing with Dawn dish soap like Clint suggests then I rince with boiling water. I used this method on the last two sinew backed bows and haven't had any seperation problems.
 I had to repair once and replace once the sinew on Elkie, the bow I made back in '06 to elk hunting. After the last time I got fed up and removed the sinew and added a rawhide backing(very thin ringed with knots).
  Anyway, wash with Dawn and rince with hot water.

[hedgeapple]

Yep, I used olive oil during the 5 or 6 heating tweaking sessions.  Thank guys for the suggestion of Dawn dishwashing soap.

[osage outlaw]

Dave, I quit using oil after that.  I haven't noticed a difference and I've made some decent bends lately.

[SLIMBOB]

Same here as Osage Outlaw.  I've nearly quit using oil when I straighten.  Just got tired of washing it off.  Dawn works well, but I've not noticed much difference without it on slight to moderate bends.  Any more than that I'm steaming anyway.