rawhide glue

[criverkat]

i am going to make some more rawhide glue the first batch i made i left out to long and it molded on me my question is how do i dry it to a solid so i don't have to put it in the freezer that way all i have to do is add the chips to  water and heat

[Shadow Walker]

if it went moldy, then it probably wasn't boiled long enough when you made it.
Boil it until it becomes very thick (like thick caramel pudding) then put it in the fridge for a while and it will congeal to the point where you can cut it into thin slices. Dry the slices on a rack so it gets good air flow. After a couple of days it should be hard and dry, and will not mould.

[kiwijim]

You can also add a small ammount of bleach to help preserve it.

[sulphur]

this is a total newbie question.   what is rawhide glue good for and how do you make it??

[Shadow Walker]

Rawhide glue is the best glue in my opinion that you can use for bonding any natural materials. I use it for lamjnating bows.
Check out "all bark and a lot of bite" in the bows category. I laminated the bow with bark and used hide glue to do it.
It is simple to make. All you have to do is boil rawhide ( cut into chip size peices). I use deer hide. When the water boils down , you'll get a caramel colored, thick (like cake batter) That is your glue.
Pour the glue into a shallow container and put it in the fridge overnight.
Next day, cut into thin slices and let it dry. It will turn hard.
Whenever you need some, you just warm it up in water and it will desolve back into hide glue.
It's great stuff!