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My hot hide glue smells faintly like a dead animal. I'm not talking about mixed glue that has sat around for awhile. I'm talking about the dry stuff before I add water. Note that I've had this glue in a sealed jar for about 10 years without using it - I don't remember the bad smell when I used it back then. It is pearl form and looks as dry as the day I bought it. I did add some water and made some glue with it and of course the smell is right there - the smell is faint but still to disgusting for me to want to use. I thought this stuff didn't go bad.

Bottom line is that I'm looking for someone to assure me that brand new hide glue doesn't stink so I can go buy some more. I certainly am not going to use hide glue if I have to put up with the bad smell.

Different people have different responses to smells. I don't smell anything that I would call "dead animal" smell but I've heard others complain about the smell of hide glue. Individual variability in this area is so great that the only thing you can do is to visit another builder's shop and ask to smell their glue. It sounds like it's time for a shop tour. Your aren't too far away from several builders. I think Lance is in Jackson and Mark Swanson is in Grand Rapids.

Should smell like Geletin. If it smels like dead annimal?

[QUOTE=arvey] Should smell like Geletin. If it smels like dead annimal?[/QUOTE]

That's funny, I thought it was a dead animal . . . once!

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Arn't smells a funny thing, I love the sweet smell of HHG yet others hate it. To me it doesn't smell dead, get a pack of geletin from the store and cook it up and it smells the same. But yes, both are from a dead animal.

There are still protiens in hide glue that go rancid after a while. I would guess that ten years is long enough for that to happen unless you vaccuum sealed the jar.

Plain gelatin does have a slight smell to it, but not of dead animal...

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Joe Breault
Merrimack, NH
Perpetual novice

I believe there's various grades of hide glue and I've heard that some of it smells. Now, I'm no expert with hide glue as I just learning to use it too, but I've heard the "pearl" stuff sometimes stinks.Jim_W38988.8068634259

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

A lot of the stuff sold in pearl form is bad stuff - more bones and hooves
then actual hide. Last time I bought hide glue from Behlens it was this way,
and it reeked. Dry hide glue should never go bad, but perhaps it smelled
that bad before and you just blocked it out.

I would dump it and buy a new batch from a luthier supplier. The same
quality of hide glue can be available in both pearl and granular, but it seems
like I've seen more of the nasty imported stuff in pearl form. They have what
I believe is a high clarity 192 gram granular that you can buy in one pound
bags at Elderly's if you were hoping to find something close by.

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Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation.

I have some 192 Ground Hide Glue from Millican & Higgins and some from Woodworkers Supply with the J.E.Moser's brand name. (I think these are the same glues.) They both have a little smell, but nothing terrible.

I would guess that the hide glue will take moisture from the air which could start to break it down causing the odor.

[QUOTE=Dave White] I thought it was a dead animal . . . once![/QUOTE]
Still is!

[QUOTE=arvey] Arn't smells a funny thing...[/QUOTE]
Yes, but he doesn't talk about it publicly!

Thanks all for your comments on my stinking glue. Yes, indeed mine is the "pearl" kind colored a dark amber although I think I bought it from LMI way back when and used it to repair some fiddles. I think the "moisture from the air" causing a break down is a likely theory.

Actually, I have been over to Mark's recently and his comment of "you really should build your guitars with hide glue" is what made me dig my glue out of deep storage. I'll order up a fresh pound of 192 and see how it goes.

I had some pearl glue and it wasn't very good either, and smelled bad. David's suggestion is right on, as usual!

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Mark Swanson
Swanson Guitars
http://www.MarkSwansonMusic.com