Materials: Glue

Glues

Opinions run strong among musical instrument builder regarding glue. It is a really hot topic. So much relies on the ability of glue to hold things together (and to come apart easily for repairs). At Bear Meadow, we have joined the march back into time, to adopt the oldest known adhesive, hide glue.

Hide glue is made from the flesh of animals, and is a complex mixture of proteins. It is very strong, and quite versatile. If you want to know about hide glue, visit the Hide Glue FAQ.

We use hide glue for all major glue jobs. Here and there, epoxy, aliphatic resin ("yellow glue") and cyanoacryllic ("crazy glue") is also used for special purposes. There is no one glue for all purposes, but if there were, hide glue would be it.

For instance, we attach the top of the dulcimer with a specially weakened formulation of hide glue. If a sharp jar hits the instrument, we want the top to pop off (undamaged) rather than cling mightily to the body of the dulcimer and get smashed. Using a weak preparation also makes it easier to get the top off for repairs inside. Only Bear Meadow instruments are repairable in this manner. Other makers follow guitar practice and permanently glue on the top (without furnishing a soundhole big enough to get a hand and tools through).

The set-up we use for using hide glue is very simple:

First we measure the glue and dissolve in water
Then we heat the glue carefully to 135 degrees F.
After using, refrigerate the prepared glue to keep it indefinitely

Dwain Wilder

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