Having trouble working with L.D. Davis protein adhesives? They're also known as animal glue, hide glue or protein glue. Here are some tips and tricks for troubleshooting.
Animal Glue Issues
Temperature
Running our animal glue at too low of a temperature can cause a few problems:
- Stringing,
- Poor machining,
- Adhesive that's too thick,
- Adhesive that sets too quickly.
If you are having these problems, try raising the temperature. We recommend a range of 140-150 degrees Fahrenheit for our animal glue. Low humidity can also cause glue to set too quickly- if raising the temperature doesn't fix the problem, try to dehumidify the area surrounding the animal glue and its application as much as possible. Also, the glue could be over-diluted; add some fresh adhesive to remedy.
Lastly, try reducing the application rate. If none of these tips work for you and you're still having trouble, contact your sales representative-it may be time to try a different type of L.D. Davis animal glue. On the other hand, running animal glue at too high of a temperature can cause opposite problems, such as adhesive that sets too slowly. Try lowering the temperature for better results.
Adhesive Transfer
If you're having problems with poor adhesive transfer, you could be using too little adhesive, your adhesive may be too thick, or the water is evaporating too quickly. To remedy, add some more water to the animal glue to increase dilution, increase the application of your current adhesive, or raise the temperature, because too low of a temperature can make the adhesive run too thick.
Smearing
If the LD Davis animal glue you're using is smearing at the trim knives of your machine, it probably doesn't have enough time to dry, or it's setting too slowly, probably due to high humidity or high temperature. Try to control the humidity in the area and lower the running temperature.
If All Else Fails...
As always, LD Davis representatives are here to help with your glue troubleshooting.
