Gelatin Recipe ?

[Sasquatch]

Anybody use it for sinew?  What are the instructions? Anything special ? Or do you just follow instructions on box?  What is the stuff you can buy at store that works on Sinew?

[Pat B]

Knox unflavored gelatin.  When I used it I mixed it with warm water until it dissolved then thinned it to the consistency of syrup. I keep hide glue(or Knox)in a double boiler so it stays warm while I'm working with it. Sometimes I will add a little warm water to keep it from getting too thick because of evaporation.

[steve b.]

Its all I use.  There is a technical way to prep where you add so much water and mix, let it sit for so long, heat it to a certain temp (like 160 F) and then let it cool to just below 140 and apply it at that temp.  My thermometer broke and so now I go by instinct.  I pour the amount of water into my crock pot that represents the rough amount of glue I want and then I stir in the gelatin, a little at a time, until I get I get a pasty mix, after about 5 minutes, of something between applesauce and peanut butter.  I let that sit for another 30 minutes on the lowest heat setting.  Then I turn it up to high and it will melt into a liquid state.  When its all dissolved and very hot to the touch I drop in damp sinew and let it soak for a few minutes, then apply.

[bradsmith2010]

I have used it with positive results,, I am still undecided as to which one works better,, I use hide glue ,,,, it just smells so funky got to work better right???

[wizardgoat]

I've used Knox, store bought hide glue, and homemade sinew hide glue.
If you have rawhide or sinew scraps, it's very easy to make your own,
and is the best stuff in my opinion. 
During application I use a thermometer, and keep the glue between 100-120 degrees.
Any cooler it doesn't seem to penetrate and swell my bundles as much.
Over 145/150  degrees it'll cook and curl up your sinew.
You need at least a softball size of scraps to make a decent amount of glue

[mikekeswick]

One thing i'll add is that gelatine gels the fastest of all the collagen glues. 
The real difference between them all is the gelling times/temps. It's worth getting to know them all.

[osage outlaw]

I've used knox several times and had good luck with it.  I started saving all of my sinew scraps and make my own glue from that.  I have some fish air bladders that I want to try sometime.

[joachimM]

At the molecular level, gelatin is exactly the same as hide glue put in a purer grade.
It's not often made from hides, mostly from bone scraps.
Gelatin is what you get when collagen is broken down into smaller parts (the stuff composing all connective tissues in hide, fascicles of muscles, sinew, gut linings, bones, blood vessels, ...). So you could make "hide glue" from any of those base ingredients.
Sources may vary, but the final product is extremely similar. The purer grade, the better it should stick.

I prefer gelatin leaves over hide glue granules, because the thin leaves dissolve faster than the granules.

[mikekeswick]

If you leave any glue in cold water overnight it will dissolve in seconds when heated. Trying to dissolve hard dry glue it in hot water isn't the way to go if you can plan ahead a bit. Plus if you make your own let it dry in thin film on baking trays or similar.

[joachimM]

Yes, that's the snag: planning ahead