Which Primitive Glue Is Best? #4: Hide Glue

Glue is incredibly useful for a lot of different projects, but what did they use back before modern glue? In this series, I explain how adhesives were made in ancient times and find out which one works best.
In the fourth episode of this series, I make hide glue. How well does it work? Which one is best? Find out in the next video of this #howtomakeeverything #shorts series!

[@agent57]

I have a really old jar of rabbit skin glue granules that used to belong to my grandparents. They were both artists and used it to stretch canvases for oil painting. I've used it once for that as well. Smells trying but works pretty well!

[@KainYusanagi]

Hide glue unfortunately loses its bond pretty easily over time; Baumgartner has proven that time and again with the pieces he conserves.

[@ameisweirdx]

Its also used for gesso painting! One lady in a group called The Four (four people from glasgow famous in the art world) did amasing huge gesso paintings

[@charliebaker1427]

​@@ameisweirdx yeah animal proteins are a common base i mean gesso itself arose from eggbased paints

[@kbee225]

​@@KainYusanagiyeah anything organic will eventually degrade because of free radical damage and UV exposure. Not much you can do about it.

[@kbee225]

​@@mikebar42you glue it to the frame and stretch over it.

[@Ninth_Penumbra]

Both Hide Glue & Gelatin are derived from animal Collagen, however Gelatin tends to be composed of much smaller (hydrolysed) Collagen protein fragments, whereas Animal (mammal) Hide Glue keeps the long chain Collagen proteins in a far more intact form, thus giving the glue it's remarkable adhesion strength. Grind it to as fine a powder as you can. Don't let it boil, or it will be weaker. The smell is certainly memorable, & will adhere to similar proteins, so make sure to simmer it in a well ventilated area (away from furnishings).

[@brutusthebear9050]

Right, this is why you don't boil leather for cooking, you boil bones. It's also used in far more than jello, as gelatin is the primary 'ingredient' of stock. Stock then is used for a variety of different sauces.

[@elusiveshadow5848]

​@@brutusthebear9050 this is because the collagen in bones and skin is different. bone collagen is (type1) made of thin single threaded structure, so it easily hydrolysis to gelatin when heated. skin collagen is made of thicker bundles that show cross linking, so its hydrolysed product still contains some collagen fibres in it

[@Bladewarriorcat]

So....I shouldn't consume it?

[@Ninth_Penumbra]

@@Bladewarriorcat Not unless you want to roll the die on potential Intestinal Adhesions...

[@Bladewarriorcat]

@@Ninth_Penumbra I never rolled a nat 20 before. Time to test it out

[@mountainbikerdave]

The main benefit of hide glue is that it releases with some heat. So if you're a woodworker and your piece has to be taken apart again it's no big deal.

[@DBT1007]

So.. If the house is on fire, all the glued stuff, gonna get loose?

[@austintaylor808]

@@DBT1007If your house is on fire, I think that you have bigger issues to be worrying about…

[@porteal8986]

hide glue is actually much more heat resistant than PVA, though any glue will release with enough heat. The reversibility of hide glue comes from its solubility in water and its brittleness: though hide glue can be very strong, a bit of water/steam or a shock with a mallet in the right area(depending on the seam you want to open) and it will open up without damaging the wood as long as you know what you're doing

[@SgtJohnRemairez]

So...what's like the minimum temperature before the structural integrity of whatever got glued is....compromised?

[@lekiscool]

Hide/Skin glue was really popular in use for binding canvas to another canvas during painting restorations.

[@UncannyLiving]

That’s pretty interesting actually thank you for sharing! It is cool to think about natural alternatives to stuff that seems so simple in our modern society. We think glue? Oh yeah everyone knows glue! Elmers glue and glue stick, but wtf is it??? A bunch of chemicals in a concoction. Kinda crazy

[@goldengear22]

Hide glue is pretty much the only glue that is used for making violins, because it's strong but not so strong that you can't open the violin again to make repairs

[@zackwelsh8801]

Most vintage guitars also use hide glue

[@htme]

Final Testing video: kzbin.infoF0IYNHydscE Pt 1 - Caveman Glue: kzbin.info4WVgYCLMNUI Pt 2 - Wheatpaste Glue: kzbin.info4PTUOjNdSwU Pt 3 - Casein Glue: kzbin.infoJKpeIRqqs0w Pt 4 - Hide Glue: kzbin.infooVF1Hvd0Zn0

[@Lone-Lee]

Pin this comment

[@Yume10605]

Hide glue is also still used in painting restoration

[@anthonybarton9469]

My favorite type of video. Short, sweet, historical and informative. 👍

[@samuelcarley7245]

Darn... cliff-hanger. Now I know how easy it is to make glue. A couple traps, and a couple days.

[@iteerrex8166]

This one better win lol, it has historically.

[@victor_.]

Hey quick question, why did you make this a series shorts, wouldn't be better to make a video?

[@andya.p202]

Reels in viewership to the channel. I'm curious how it'll be tested so I subscribed 🐱

[@victor_.]

@@andya.p202 could be, my main worry is that shorts don't really get monetized

[@htme]

I'm mostly experimenting with shorts, they appear to help bring in new viewers to the channel. But this was also a topic I felt wouldn't perform well as well in a long form video. I did a similar concept on primitive sandpapers as a long form video, which performed pretty poorly.

[@KainYusanagi]

@@htme I think it's worked out rather well as shorts, with one caveat: I think you should film each section separately so it's not so obvious that it's all filmed and edited, and just cut into shorter segments. Minor complaint there, but would be a qualitative difference, I think. Either way, this is the sorta content I've always wanted from shorts compared to the endless crappy YTer react videos and similar that plague the system, so even if you don't change how you do it, I hope that these sort of smaller content shorts stick around.

[@Bit-while_going]

Keep in mind that you're asking him to combine the snippets before he's even invented the glue.

[@johnmosesbrowningsrightnut8642]

Hide glue is still used fairly often in lutheriey

[@FlyPVTarzan]

Love your channel thanks

[@RissaNaChelle]

The hide glue is what I've been waiting on. If done correctly it's one of the best wood glues on the planet.

[@asherael]

where is the full length video?? i've been trying to piece these shorts together because I can't find it and it's really frustrating, i just wana watch the longform content

[@LuminaryCursorem]

Pretty much all the luthiers use hide and fish glue. It allows them to disassemble the instrument down to basic parts so they can repair or replace a curtain parts.

[@lovelasnow]

So that’s why it’s a running joke in old cartoons that a horse that can no longer work or be cared for by the owner is sent to the glue factory

[@KainYusanagi]

Mhm. Too bad the meat just goes to waste. :/

[@tomrengert1221]

Waiting for the next one!

[@MSANTHR0P3]

Turned on notifications just to see which glue wins. Why am I so invested in ancient glue?

[@rosannaspeller9408]

Yes! I was hoping that you would include hide glue.

[@jonstringer7136]

this is what I wanted from yt shorts great content buddy

[@doodskie999]

Some old civilizations also use tree sap as glue.

[@thechum9653]

Man i followed you for years and somehow lost you,found you back through shorts, post full videos of the shorts in comments homie. Got my attention again, now i wanna see whole process

[@NBDYSPCL]

We need to drastically reconsider those people we consider to be "primitive". I love trying to imagine how these discoveries came about.

[@emwhaibee]

How many times did you have to boil and top up the solution before having the final desired product??

[@John--]

I watched a video a few mins ago about calligraphy ink and how they used animal glue. I was like, huh what's that. Then KZbin showed me this. The algorithm provides.

[@sterobinson561]

Is this why dead horses went to glue factory back in the day

[@mutley11]

There is also fish skin glue; which is similar… I think it was used to glue leather?

[@acerpalmatum]

Rabbit skin glue is still used for painting restoration I'm pretty sure!

[@modsanch]

Update????? I left my kids at home for this, really would like to get back to them..

[@FloridaManMatty]

The very best guitars and stringed instruments are still made with hide glue. The fish-based stuff available today is exceptional and has a longer set time, so you don’t have to race the clock to reset a brace or fretboard on a vintage instrument.

[@diekrahe.]

Had to use that for my furniture course, god it stank

[@platinumsky845]

this glue is used in instrument making, in part because it's possible to use heat to separate parts if repairs need to be made.

[@Rabbit-the-One]

This looks so easy that it makes me want to try

[@rigelsprague7504]

yesss finally someone got it right. i used to know a violin luthier who made their own glue and they made it the same way.

[@nightshadekelly]

Hide glue and pine pitch are my favorites

[@jakethejackalope3473]

Outstanding

[@Krizzy_G702]

This one was the best

[@Justherern]

I can’t wait for the finale

[@drew899]

Horses in a 10 mile radius: 🫥

[@mark5150ty]

Hide glue is still the preferred glue for building musical instruments. Modern wood glue like Titebond are plasticky and flexible even though they bond just as well, using hide glue actually produces a musical instrument that sounds better and resonates with much more sustained then using a modern wood glue.

[@phillipkirby502]

Still waiting to find that last test video.

[@ewah25]

I feel like this one will win purely because it's been used most prominently in history for the longest time, aside from typical PVA glues of course. On a side note, probably a controversial take; I think I prefer gelatin as a glue as opposed to Jello purely for how easy it is to make, and because that stuff is gross lol

[@dannythorpe1425]

Been used the most isn't always because it's the best product. Cost of production is a key factor. Something that is acceptable or does more than it needs too and is cheaper to produce will be made over a superior product.

[@porteal8986]

@@dannythorpe1425 hide glue is actually the best though

[@unbinding216]

The hide looks so good. 😂

[@dolphinboi-playmonsterranc9668]

I'd like to rate all of these glues, but I don't have a horse in this race

[@ozzku]

”a horse in this race” I see what you did there

[@djadysiti7371]

an ancient art of master piece

[@firstlast9384]

Use a cross cut paper shredder hopefully that works well

[@grizz23]

Great for laminating thine decorative wood onto you projects

[@creepyloner1979]

use a slow cooker instead of boiling the hide, and swap out the liquid once in a while so that the already dissolved hide isn't sitting at a high temp and continuing to break down while you wait for more to dissolve. you don't need to cut it into small pieces, big pieces will break down just as fast, but if you've got a paper shredder handy...

[@TheOodoneOut44]

I use the BONES and SKIN of my ENEMIES to GLUE furniture together!

[@habanacerroarti]

Rabbit glue was used mixed with copper oxide to make arrow glue the copper oxide was added to male it last longer working as th a antibacterial agent

[@lonewolfark2270]

Takes the name gorilla glue to the next level

[@martinnielsen5851]

😂

[@Sweet.Nightmare89]

Looks like forbidden pasta...

[@thespacebanana1307]

You should test it against pine pitch glue

[@Hawke301]

How long did you boil the hide to make the glue?

[@theduke7539]

horse glue was incredibly popular in the 19th century. Old horses who were on the verge of dying, or already dead horses would be sold to glu factories.

[@Mambo1]

U cuting the gide reminds me of dryde pine appel

[@connorhart7597]

Bowyers use this stuff all the time, especially for asiatic type composite bows

[@layneurquhart9098]

You got me again... went to KZbin to try and find the next part but nope

[@jakeb7525]

I'm fairly certain you said "high hopes" there at the end, but I could've SWORN I heard "hide hopes" 🤔😂

[@slc308]

Fun fact. You can use Knox unflavored gelatine and it works the exact same.

[@pauldelapena456]

Egg whites next please!!!!

[@tthams73]

It’s not just made animal skin (hide) and should the gelatin should be completely dried. Hide glue is an adhesive made from animal connective tissue. Technically it's a protein colloid glue formed by boiling down the collagen from skins, bones, tendons and other tissues.

[@cretudavid8622]

Hide glue is extremely flexible!

[@markjust86]

Are you going to test them against wood glue too?

[@Tman7514]

So are these a full video cut up or what’s going on

[@Alice-gr1kb]

I have a bag of rabbit skin glue granules. Violin makers use it to glue the instrument together because of how strong it is.

[@MattMcConaha]

Not really because of how strong it is. Modern wood glue is stronger. But it's still used in violins because of tradition and the fact that the glue can be reversed by steaming for repairs. But I think it's mostly for tradition, because guitar makers also need their neck joints to be releasable by steaming, and have settled on using PVA glue. A lot of people really value tradition in the guitar build process, if hide glue were stronger then people would still be using it frequently, but it's one of those things that everyone just decided was not good enough to keep doing. But violin blows guitars out of the water in terms of how much they value tradition.

[@TheTreegodfather]

Hide glue is the only proper glue for a violin 🎻

[@DatsiKxModz]

What's kind of amazing is most technology is based off the body or nature. The connective tissue is the "glue" of the body

[@john-michaelrobinson3994]

Can gelatin be used to make hide glue?

[@FatGuyinLittleShirt]

i always heard my whole life about sending somthing dead to "the glue factory" that's where grandma went.

[@thetrippingdeity]

For wood to wood pine tar is best some of the old furniture from 1800 still kicking

[@rmac1199]

2000 B.C. He still counts.

[@patrickedgley7103]

Is the hide glue the same as collagen glue?

[@zyanidwarfare5634]

Now this one makes sense to me, this and caveman glue

[@newtybot]

Man i need to bind these things together… 🐎… 🐴 how badly

[@guenther_adam]

What do we do with old horses now if we have synthetics?

[@theironcladman4272]

Instructions unclear I made glue out of jello

[@Turtlecuber]

So can i just use jello just as well?

[@MrLee-cy1pw]

Imagine being killed, butchered, ate and have your skin be turned into glue.

[@TrapperAaron]

Rabbit skin and fish skins are great for wood and paper.

[@tinachen9728]

Hide glue I not only use for wood work it’s used in Japanese ink and violin horses tails bow and shoes.

[@Pragma020]

Are you serious. GOD I LOVE This channel. I never see this in games as a recipe option. BRRO u can literally write a game 0ff ur channel alone.

[@thefallenlettuce2797]

2000 B.C.

[@mariawhite7337]

It isn't used for jello, exactly. Now it's called aspic. While the bones are used for jello.

[@heehoopeanut420]

I'm only saying this bc I saw someone else say they do this, but just remember if you're gonna use hide glue in paintings or art, it's not gonna stand the test of time.

[@habbin3634]

I don’t intend to be rude or anything, but I prefer you doing videos rather than shorts. Love your content btw

[@kealahau6727]

People use to use tar from pits also

[@sarahfeingold6052]

cassandras fate

[@ericarose1979]

Not for every DYI'R. But interesting enough and something I didn't know. Amazon car hop trays.

[@everydaychemistry6231]

So is this essentially the same thing as bone glue?

[@VosMage]

So that's what happened to Cassandra...

[@disconnectedpineapple9576]

The knife sharpener in me hated that

[@MysteryClown]

can someone tag me when the video about which glue is best comes out. Thanks

[@jonahardayfio7746]

This is so coool

[@b._.render]

Thankyou this was cool. What glue do you think will taste the best? Asking for a friend…

[@elusiveshadow5848]

starch glue is edible hide glue is literally gelatin, so you can add some sugar to make it appetizing

[@shadowfire9965]

Just out of curiosity but would the fact that your not issuing equal amounts of each glue change the results it seems to me that 6oz of one type of glue will probably hold better than 1 oz of another just as an example of course

[@chicopjota]

Would you like to make Sumi or India ink? Wiki says the earliest soot ink is from 30bce then Chinese developed their own method Sumi(ink sticks?). The process involves hide glue, soot and perfume and each company has their own process. Would be cool isn't it?

[@huckleberryred472]

It's B.C thank you

[@ploppyjr2373]

What?

[@the_linguist_ll]

No.

[@AndGoatz04]

Almost scrolled past cause the start sounded like an ad