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Sinew & Hide glue, from pigs ??
Coo-wah-chobee:
I have made Hawg glue fer along time. Since thats what I harvest mostly, I use it all. I crush bones and add pieces of hide. Dont bother takin' hair off just put it all on firepit in backyard. Eat most of hide without hair of course called "pork rind" yummy! ;D Put in large pot with, fish skins, heads, bones and whatever I can get at the time. Reason I try ta use fish also is IMO the fish is a bit stronger glue and mixes with the hawg stuff. Add water and a few other things and let slow boil on fire fer about 12 hours always addin' liquid as needed. Near end I start skimmin' "crap" off top and put in pail which goes in compost heap. At end of 12 hrs I have a nice glue that I pour in a pizza pan and let cool, then put in refrig ta congeal. Take out and cut inta small squares and put in bags and put in freezer. Glue is very strong. Knox gelatine is made from either hawg bone and skin or either. FDA has approved it fer human consumption so has some additives in it. SOS, ifn ya eat Jello yer are eatin' hawg glue! :o This glue is stronger than knox gelatine. Big time "humiditee" down here so I dont leave out cause it wont really dry out and mold will grow on it. Ifn ya live in a dry climate ya can leave out ta dry and do as Justin says. Fe my money no comparison between TB and hide, fish, bone glue. Try ta pull it off wood after it dries good, surprise, surprise! :o :o Its really not much work for what the benefits ya get. No tricks really. I use a good finish on sinew, glue combination thats natural but thats another story ;) ;D ;D......bob
DanaM:
Bob sounds to me that with all yer experience(s) that a book would be in order.
I'm not kidding, yer a source of considerable primitive do-it-yerself info that should be preserved and passed on
to next generation. Have you considered doing a book?
NOMADIC PIRATE:
Bob, how about sinew out of porkers tendons ??
...c'mon give us the secret finish ;D
Pat B:
Manny, For many years, I believe Jay Massey used French Polish on his bows. That is a mixture of shellac and linseed oil, hand rubbed into his sinew backed(and self) bows, over and over again. Later on he started using what we now call Massey finish; epoxy thinned with a solvent and applied by hand(a soft rag). One story I heard is that after capsizing his boat and dumping everything overboard in the river, it was 3 days before he found his sinew backed bow down river and there were no ill effects from the 3 day soak after using the Massey finish.
In the 2 sinew backed hunting bows I have made, one hickory the other osage, humidity changed the draw weight tremendously over a few weeks time, in both cases at least 20# swing. I used Massey finish, Tru-Oil and spray poly of both bows. If I had dunked them in a river, the finishes probably would have preventer water from entering the wood but R/H is a whole other creature. I believe the only way to maintain the integrity of the draw weight is to keep your sinew backed bow in a hot box between used, if you live in a high humidity area. The Eastern Woodland Natives didn't use sinew backed bows. They weren't practical for them. In western states, where the R/H is lower, they were used. Pat
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