Hide glue - glue sticks?

[NRMiller]

Does anyone know of a source or have experience with hide glue sticks made for a hot glue gun? Seems like it could save some mess.

[Rick Turner]

I think the viscosity could be an issue.

[Mario Proulx]

Why mess with 1,000's of years of success? As Rick points out, you'd need the glue sticks in a gelled state(there needs to be water there somewhere), so that means a preservative, and perhaps other stuff for the sticks to retain their moisture. Not to mention that if we heat the hide glue over 150°(some references suggest 145° as the limit), we begin to break the protein chains that make it work.

Hide glue doesn't have to be messy at all. I put mine in a small bottle(discarded hair color bottle, to be exact), add a handful of stainless steel bolts in the bottle to prevent it from floating around in the hot water and to also help retain heat when in use. Using it is no different than using any regular bottled glue, except for the short open time, but I get around that by warming the parts, and by being well organized with all clamps or whatever at the ready. I have a 4 hour timer on my pot, and turn it on when I enter the shop each day; if I need glue, it's hot and at the ready at all times. If I don't, it turns itself off at lunch time...