silk and hide glue test

[sander]

Was thinking of backing my bow with silk.  Its my first bow the backing just for insurance.
Did a test with glueing  a square of silk on a block of wood.  I used hide glue melted it checked
that the temperature didnt get over 140 with a thermometer.  After glueing the silk to the
block I let it dry 24 hours.  It seemed to be stuck together fairly well but I found it didnt take
much effort at all to pull the silk off the wood.  I wasn't impressed with the bond not sure if
I want to put this on my bow anymore. Any thoughts?  A test with tightbond 2 is in progress.
Sander

[Josh]

I have used titebond II and silk with great results.  What kind of bow are you building?  If it is an oily wood like osage or ipe you need to wipe down with acetone first.  if you stained the bow with an oil-based stain prior to gluing on the silk it could be the problem too.  The pores of the wood have to be clear of oils/sawdust for the titebond to adhere.  Good luck man!   -josh

[Swamp Bow]

I've used TBIII with silk, and been happy with it.  I agree with Josh, clean the wood before glueing.  I fact I've taken to cleaning all my wood joints when wood working in general even with wood that's not real oily.  Cheap insurance.

Swamp

[Josh]

yeah I clean all my wood prior to gluing too, but if it is osage or ipe i also degrease.  That's what i meant to say.     -josh

[Shadow Walker]

Two things to remember when using hide glue: always "tooth" the surface to ensure a good bond, and, depending on the humidity, you may need more than 24 hours for it to cure properly.
I just tried removing a bamboo backing from one of my bows. It was glued with hide glue. That backing is not coming off ! Even with heat, it won't come off in a strip. The only way it's coming off is to rasp it down.
I should mention, I only use hide glus made from deer hide. I've never tried the Knox gelatin.

[jeff halfrack]

  try  tite bond II   dark   looks  like home  made  hide glue  use  it  on  my  bl self  bows  JEFF W

[bcbull]

any bow i back with silk i  use tb 3  acetone to clean degrease no matter what wood  cant get it off if i wanted to  also paino makers hide glue   but tooh the surface first    it  wont come off without a rasp  brock

[Swamp Bow]

yeah I clean all my wood prior to gluing too, but if it is osage or ipe i also degrease.  That's what i meant to say.     -josh

LOL I thought you did! I was just agreeing. 

Swamp

[NOMADIC PIRATE]

before you glue silk with TB get it nice and damp, and stretch it 

[Pat B]

TB is water soluble until it cures. Wetting the silk(or any cloth) first is a good idea anyway so it will accept the glue better.
  The problem with the silk could be a sizing that is put on new cloth. You may have to wash(hand wash with mild soap) the silk first to remove the sizing so the glue adheres. Also, did you saturate the silk with glue?

[sander]

I appreciate everyone sharing there experiences with silk and glueing.  Josh it is an osage bow.
Thanks for the advice on the acetone.  Pat The silk is from black silk pants maybe like you said
there is some residue from dry cleaning or whatever that I should try to wash out.  The hide
glue is in crystal form I ordered some years ago not sure what kind of hide it came from.  The
test wood was basic 2x4 material I didnt sand it or anything.  Many of you got solid bonds I
am hearing I will take what I learned and do some more tests.  Sander

[mox1968]

has anyone tried the titebond hide glue for silk??

[Swamp Bow]

I pre-wetted my last silk backing.  While it was still wadded up from squeezing water out of it, I squirted a bunch of glue into it and worked it into the cloth thoroughly.  That really helped me from getting dry areas and also thinned the glue just enough so the silk was easier to smooth out.  I also really stretched the silk longways before applying and that helped control wrinkles.   Been real happy so far, the Ipe has not over powered it at all.

Swamp

[Shadow Walker]

has anyone tried the titebond hide glue for silk??

Titebond makes a hide glue?

[Justin Snyder]

has anyone tried the titebond hide glue for silk??

Titebond makes a hide glue?

Yes, liquid hide glue in a pint bottle.