Glue pot heater for hyde glue - hotplate?

Dec 05, 2011 21 Replies

I have a job that needs hyde glue and I was thinking of using our old filter coffee machine - but it's been thrown out. Can anyone suggest a cheap hotplate that will keep a small jar of water at around 70 degC ?


Maybe a slow cooker ..

Dunno if the wrap will wrap or not .. ;)

Our new induction hob (as mentioned on the other current thread) has a keep-warm feature that does approximately this - have not checked the actual temperature. I wonder if the cheap Lidl one does this as well?

Many thanks, that looks like a great idea so I've just ordered one ... I'll report back

Is this idea of any use to you?

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years since I used that stuff (over 40 if I remember correctly)

Cash

If you only want of heat small amounts of glue, a baby food warmer from Mothercare does a great job. Mine is a Philips Avent - about £20.

I've done hammer veneering just using a bog standard hotplate and a couple of tins, one inside the other - works fine at minimal cost. An old soup tin in an old saucepan on a hotplate also works fine.

Lots of single hotplates on Amazon for around £15.

Hope this helps

That's novel, but I've just ordered a cheap mini slow cooker to see if it will do the job ... it saves having a separate water pot

Thanks. I've followed-up on somebody else's suggestion of a mini slow cooker - hopefully that will give me a controlled tob of hot water to suspend a glass jar in for the glue. I'll report back

bin the HIDE glue and get a hot glue gun instead.

Nice joke TNP. You wouldn't believe the number of times I've had to pick a violin apart to clean it up and put it together again because someone has thoughtfully done just that.

Incidentally, I use my electric bending iron set at a low temperature and an old tobbacco tin for the glue when I want to heat up a small quantity of hide glue. No water jacket required. I realise that's not a lot of help to the OP since he probably doesn't have an electric bending iron in the cupboard under the sink.

Nick

They are heated around the side, not the bottom. You'll probably be better off with a fondue set. Anything from =A35 to =A315 depending on size.

Well ... I don't have a bending iron at the moment but I've been looking-around to work out how to make one but am tempted by silicone heating pads as a replacement for the traditional iron - have you tried them?

I don't think a glue gun would be particularly appropriate for the 18thC English "Guittar" that I'm restoring ;-)

Ha! I guessed you might be up to something interesting! I bought my bending iron back in the last century when I was nobut a lad but all it is is a large aluminium block with two precisely-fitted cartridge heaters and a simmerstat and I reckon I'd make one myself nowadays if this one weren't indestructible. Which is also the reason why I've not needed to try heating pads.

Nick

I didn't know that, but I've used a cheap slow cooker for many similar things .. warming R/C cars wheels up to remove tyres, melting wax for candles, plastic 'nodules' for a moulding experiment[1] and for most things it's been good.

The wife, bless her sole, uses it for cooking, who'd'a thought of that!

[1] Moulding war diorama figures from plastic instead of lead .. almost a failure, almost a success, but not a great result overall.

float one saucepan (with glue in) inside another with simmering water in it. As you used to make porridge...

or buy one of those thermostatically controlled glue pots? I have one and it's great.

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One nice thing with hide glue (apart from authenticity of course) is that you can undo the joints by steaming them a bit.

Robert

same goes for hot glue actually BUT its got radically different acoustic properties, so I retract the original statement with respect to ancient and treasured instruments.

PS did anyone see that article on someone who cat scanned a Stradivarius to exactly get the shape right, and is now building replicas? Cool trick huh?

OK there's a bit of smarts in wood selection and the varnishes, but its apparently getting a really close sound already.

I cant remember where I saw it...

The mini slow cooker was cheap but not really "mini" enough.

The hot plate from an old (i.e. free) filter coffee machine worked well (with a glass jar of water containing a herb jar with the glue in it) but sat at 60degC.

The winner though is a Boots baby bottle warmer - £5 from eBay. The max temperature was initially 50-55degC but by taking it apart and removing the stop on the thermostat I can now set any temperature up to about 85 degC. The herb jar fits perfectly.

HTHs someone.

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