Hot glue pot suggestions

[BradHall]

I'm considering getting a hot glue pot for use with hide glue. StewMac has the Hold-Heet pot for $132. LMI has a fancy looking brass pot with an electric base warmer unit sold separately , also $132. A Google search shows various home made set ups. What would you recommend for a small one man shop?

[Rodger Knox]

I've got the Hold-Heet from StewMac and have been quite pleased with it.
There do seem to be some cheaper alternatives, mostly small crockpots. Most of them have the disadvantage of adjustable temperature. I call that a disadvantage because you have to figure out what setting to use, the Hold-Heet is made for HHG, just plug it in and you're good to go.

[fazool]

I bought a mini crockpot. Set up as a double boiler. I used a thermometer and dialed it in to the right temp, then put a mark on the dial. Now I know where to set it instantly when turning it on.

Mine cost $15

[clinchriver]

Originally Posted by BradHall

I'm considering getting a hot glue pot for use with hide glue. StewMac has the Hold-Heet pot for $132. LMI has a fancy looking brass pot with an electric base warmer unit sold separately , also $132. A Google search shows various home made set ups. What would you recommend for a small one man shop?

I have a Hold-Heet its been great but the aluminum pot has several small craters, I'm wondering when its going to get a hole. I would go with the copper pot next time.

[Frank Ford]

After five decades in this biz, I have all kinds of glue pots. Here's the one I actually use:



I boil some water in the microwave, pull a small disposable cup of pre-melted glue from a bag I store in the refrigerator, remelt the glue momentarily in the microwave, float the cup in the water, take it over to the bench, use it for the job at hand and dump the leftovers in the trash. Lightning fast, clean & easy.

If I had lots of hide gluing to do during the day I might drag out an electric glue pot, but the fact is that I just don't do enough to justify the mess, cleanup and maintenance.

[JonWint]

http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/pag...at=1,110,42965

Claims to hold temp between 140* and 150*F. Haven't used mine yet to verify temp. $36.50

[WaddyT]

I currently use a "Hold Heat" glue pot, but for my first 10 guitars I used a baby bottle warmer that I bought at Good Will. I think I paid $3.00 for it. New ones run somewhere in the $20 to $60 range. Some have rheostat heat controls. The only reason I changed was that I got the Hold Heat on a 1/2 price sale. Even with that, I have had to set the temperature as it was much too hot when it arrived.

[Pat Foster]

Tightwad that I am, I bought one of these about ten years ago for $12. Still using it. Probably $25 now. Pretty good temp control.




Pat

[dekutree64]

I'm happy with my Little Dipper crock pot. No temperature control, but it's just about right. More toward the cool side than hot, which is good so it doesn't degrade the glue. And if you need extra open time, you can put the lid on for a couple minutes to trap the heat.

It's slow to heat up, but you can get around that by heating water in a pan on the kitchen stove before pouring it into the pot.

[John Arnold]

I had a quart size Hold Heet for about 20 years. The aluminum pot finally corroded a hole where it contacted the brass rivets in the bottom of the well. That is due to galvanic action. IMHO, it is a design flaw that would easily be corrected by putting two or three pop rivets in the rim of the pot to raise it up off the brass rivets. After that happened, I started using a glass pickle jar inside to hold water, and a smaller jar inside that to hold the glue. But then the heating element burned out, and it was time to get something else.
I bought one of these, and I have been very happy with it.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Professional...-/331971328944

I use a thick glass candle container to hold the glue. The thick glass holds heat really well, and it fits down inside the well, so I can cover it with the lid. The pot itself stays dry and clean.

[Howard Klepper]

Originally Posted by Rodger Knox

I've got the Hold-Heet from StewMac and have been quite pleased with it.
There do seem to be some cheaper alternatives, mostly small crockpots. Most of them have the disadvantage of adjustable temperature. I call that a disadvantage because you have to figure out what setting to use, the Hold-Heet is made for HHG, just plug it in and you're good to go.

You have to check the temperature calibration on any device. Having no temperature control is not a guaranty of accuracy.

Originally Posted by Frank Ford

After five decades in this biz, I have all kinds of glue pots. Here's the one I actually use:



I boil some water in the microwave, pull a small disposable cup of pre-melted glue from a bag I store in the refrigerator, remelt the glue momentarily in the microwave, float the cup in the water, take it over to the bench, use it for the job at hand and dump the leftovers in the trash. Lightning fast, clean & easy.

If I had lots of hide gluing to do during the day I might drag out an electric glue pot, but the fact is that I just don't do enough to justify the mess, cleanup and maintenance.

While I use this method, there is a considerable temperature drop between the water bath and the glue in the cup; the plastic is a poor conductor of heat. I expect the glue to be at least 10ºF cooler. That makes the system accurate enough, but I still feel a bit uncomfortable with the guesswork. There's no way to get my thermometer (the ones made for steaming milk for cappuchino are ideal) immersed in the glue.

[Alan Carruth]

I've been using a small coffee cup warmer for years now. I put an enamel mug on it with some water in it, and keep the glue in a small baby food jar. A few marbles in the bottom of the mug raise the jar up so that I can het hold of it easily. The one I have holds a temperature of around 130 degrees nicely: hotter gives you longer working time, but also breaks the glue down quicker. You may need to hunt around to find one that gives the right temperature, but at under ten bucks new (with a mug), and much less at thrift stores (without the mug), it's not going to break the bank.

[Frank Ford]

Originally Posted by Howard Klepper

While I use this method, there is a considerable temperature drop between the water bath and the glue in the cup; the plastic is a poor conductor of heat. I expect the glue to be at least 10ºF cooler. That makes the system accurate enough, but I still feel a bit uncomfortable with the guesswork. There's no way to get my thermometer (the ones made for steaming milk for cappuchino are ideal) immersed in the glue.

Indeed, but there's no need for thermometer if you use the glue this way. The caution about overheating glue is based on time-plus-temperature, so if you cook it all day at 175 degrees it will break down after some while. If you heat it for a few minutes at close to 200, there's no damage. In practice, I bring the water bath to a furious boil, float the cup in there, walk to the bench, and get to work.


Our old pal, Hideo Kamimoto, built a career on his repair work with hide glue, keeping it heated all day in a jar stuck in a pan of water on a hotplate. He told me he had never heard of a critical temperature, and only kept the glue itself from boiling.

In these "technical times" it's easy to overstudy some traditional stuff.

[murrmac123]

Originally Posted by Frank Ford

Indeed, but there's no need for thermometer if you use the glue this way. The caution about overheating glue is based on time-plus-temperature, so if you cook it all day at 175 degrees it will break down after some while. If you heat it for minute or two at close to 200, there's no damage. In practice, I bring the water bath to a furious boil, float the cup in there, walk to the bench, and get to work.


Our old pal, Hideo Kamimoto, built a career on his repair work with hide glue, keeping it heated all day in a jar stuck in a pan of water on a hotplate. He told me he had never heard of a critical temperature, and only kept the glue itself from boiling.

In these "technical times" it's easy to overstudy some traditional stuff.

I love to see a myth busted wide open ...

[capohk]

+1 for baby bottle warmer. I also save and use pesto jars for mixing and keeping glue in.