Rublev Colours Hide Glue - 4 oz

High-grade glue made in the U.S. of pure bovine hides. The glue is manufactured from the protein collagen found in skin, connective tissue and bones of animals. It is a 40-mesh (U.S. Standard Sieve) granular protein glue that is easy to dissolve in water. Its low bloom value gives it a longer setting time, making it ideal for use in gesso and for sizes.

Hide glue is graded and sold by its Bloom Value. Bloom value is a measurement of the strength of a gel formed by a 6 and 2/3% solution of the glue that has been kept in a constant temperature bath at 10° C for 18 hours. A device called a Texture Analyzer is then used to measure the weight in grams required to depress a standard plunger 4 millimeters into the gel. If this procedure requires 200 grams, then the glue is a 200-bloom value glue. Glue is also tested for its viscosity at this same 6 and 2/3% concentration. A standard viscosity range is associated with each bloom level.

Preparation Directions

First soak in water for 30 minutes and then heat gently in a water bath until completely dissolved. Apply with a brush while warm or with a spatula when allowed to cool to room temperature (it will gel when cool). For gilding, use as an adhesive for metal leaf, such as gold leaf. Mix with gilder's clay or whiting to make a base for gilding. Add calcium carbonate (calcite, chalk or marble dust) for chalk grounds or calcium sulfate (gypsum) for gesso grounds. Always make the minimum concentration required; as a guide, a set gel should be somewhere between hard set and liquid–about the consistency of jelly. For gilding size, use 40 grams for every liter (quart) of water.