Hide Glue

Hide glue is also commonly referred to as animal glue or protein adhesive. This term originates from source of the protein used to manufacture hide glue which is typically extracted from bovine or porcine hides and/or bones. Gelatin is also the exact same protein, but is processed to a higher standard for edible grades used in food and pharmaceutical products.  Pharmaceutical and nutritional companies use this higher grade of gelatin to manufacture soft gel and hard capsules.  These companies sell their gelatin scraps, both in hard cap and soft gel netting form, to L.D. Davis.  We then grind down the gelatin for use in the manufacturing of our hide glue.  Technical or industrial grade gelatin is used to produce hide or cake glues.  Hide glue can come in raw form, in small pieces or pellets, for example, or in cake form.  “Cake glue” refers to the appearance of hide glue once it is manufactured into production cakes, weighing in at about ten pounds each, that must be heated and melted by the end user prior to its use.

In addition to the technical gelatin ingredient mentioned above, hide glue ingredients also include Epsom salts, natural corn sugars, water, and glycerin, making L.D. Davis hide glue a completely non-toxic, biodegradable, and environmentally-friendly product.  This eco-friendly hide glue manufacture is a cornerstone of the L.D. Davis Green Advantage.

L.D. Davis is the larger of only two hide glue manufacturers in the United States and has been manufacturing hide glue for over 85 years.  We constantly source our raw materials and have solid, long-standing relationships with our suppliers so we can make sure that our customers can always get the hide glue that they need to produce their products, when they need it.

Hide glue is most commonly applied using a wheel or roller. It is commonly found in match heads and other abrasives, such as sandpaper, paper crimping, laminating, woodworking, bookbinding, and rigid box or set-up box manufacture.

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Physical Properties of Hide Glue

• Raw materials include technical gelatin, Epsom salts, corn sugars, water, and glycerin.
• Hide glue is available in dehydrated form or cake form.
• Can be modified for many different applications including book binding, box making, packaging and graphic arts applications.
• Hide glue has a long history in book binding (think of religious texts that are centuries old.)
• Hide glue is often used in antique furniture restoration for authenticity.
• All-natural hide glue is sensitive to changes in heat and humidity.  See our Troubleshooting Guide for help with adjusting running parameters.
• L.D. Davis offers winter and summer formulas for most of our hide glues due to its sensitivity to heat and humidity.
• Tenacious adhesion
• Ease of clean-up

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The Major Advantages of Hide Glue

• Soluble in water
• Forms a strong and long-lasting bond
• Non-hazardous, non-toxic, biodegradable.  Eco-adhesives like hide glue begin to break down within weeks of being recycled into the natural environment.
• Can be modified for open time, tack, viscosity and pH.