Hide glue on a rush job bit me last Tuesday

Got a call to repair a cracked door frame in a rental unit, owner wanted it done same day. I grabbed the hot hide glue out of habit since it's great for old joints, but it was 40 degrees outside and the glue gelled before I could clamp it tight. Had to scrape it off and redo with Titebond II, which saved the job but cost me an extra hour. Anyone else stick with a glue for tradition and regret it on a tight timeline?

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mark_chen6228d ago

Wait, did you already have the whole joint prepped and ready when you realized the glue was gelling, or did it catch you mid-assembly? That makes a huge difference because if you had a dry fit done it's a lot easier to switch gears, but if you were fumbling with clamps and the glue was setting up at the same time, that's a total nightmare. I'm curious if you warmed the hide glue pot or just grabbed it cold from the shelf, cause that's the kind of detail that bites you right when the clock is ticking. Honestly, I've been there with fish glue on a trim piece in winter and I just don't mess with it on tight deadlines anymore, no matter how good it is for the old stuff. The extra hour you lost is exactly why I keep a bottle of Titebond in the truck as a backup now, even when I plan for hide glue. So was it the cold air hitting the glue before you even got it on the wood, or did it start thumbing its nose at you once it was on the joint?

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