Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Primitive Skills => Topic started by: WhistlingBadger on November 25, 2025, 12:43:19 am
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I backed my latest project with sinew and Knox gelatin. The dry powder and cold water mix are odorless, but when warmed up it smelled bad. Not rotten cow bad; more like bottom of a stagnant puddle bad. Not something I'd want to eat.
I've read that hide glue contaminated with bacteria can smell unpleasant, so I bought a different kind, Medley Hills Farm unflavored gelatin off Amazon. Just mixed some up to glue on a tip overlay, and it has the same smell.
Does this mean anything? Is the glue still strong? Does all unflavored gelatin smell like this? (They wouldn't sell a lot of jello if it did) It quits smelling as soon as it drys out, so I can live with it if it still works.
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I think thats fairly normal. Has a burnt skin smell to it almost.
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All hide glue smells, I had used commercial hide glue initially before I switched to Knox. The commercial stuff had a stink to it when it was wetted, I knew Knox was real hide glue when I wetted it and had the same funky smell as the stuff I had used used before.
Your Knox is just fine.
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Good to know, guys. Thanks.