Titebond makes a liquid hide glue... anyone use it? Any reason to prefer it to the crystal/hot glue stuff? Any brands to look for or stay away from? I'm seeing products marked "192 gram strength" and "315 gram strength"... but I have no idea what that means.
https://bjornhideglue.com/This site has a pile of great info that explains the different grades and how to work with hide glue.
At the end of the day, aside from the fact it's hide glue... is there any reason to choose it over, say... TBII or III? The water-resistant and waterproof quality of the TB seems to be a plus, no?
I have backed bows using fabric with TBIII and put patches on with Knox gelatin (an excellent, cheap alternative to hide glue).
For a one piece backing the TBIII works well and is easy to work with. I just spread a sizing coat on the bow with a brayer and then lay the fabric strip onto the still wet glue, then roll more glue into the fabric from the outside. This would also work OK for rawhide or snake skins. I don't think you wouldn't need the second coat of glue on the skins, but I have not backed with those yet.
For a sinew backing or other loose fibres (synthetic materials
, flax fibres, linen thread, etc.) TBIII is terrible while the hide glue works really well. Hide glue is way less messy, allows you to position bundles of fibre where you want them and then stick them there, repositioning is no problem before the glue gels and clean up is easy with warm water and a rag if you screw up.
Mark
