They stopped making the Hold Heet electric glue pots a while back. I’d love to find one of those, but they don’t turn up anywhere these days.
Does anyone have an alternative? I use it for both finish and glue. I’d like it to hold a quart can or jar.
It needs to hold a very steady temperature of 110 to 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Most of the complaints I’ve seen about options are that the temperatures swing too much.
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Look up wax warmers, they're inexpensive and make a great glue warmer. I bought one a bit back that was a great size and held a consistent temp. I only stopped using it because I left water in it when I wasn't using it and the thin metal rusted through.
I also have a cheap drugstore tea kettle that holds 140º at it's lowest setting. It's been working for close to 10 years now.
They'd both hold a quart container if needed.
I heat up Old Brown Glue on the stove. I put a small saucepan filled with water on the stove and place the glue bottle in it. I heat on low heat, checking the temp with a cheap digital thermometer you can buy online.
At any rate, that will work in a pinch.
I have used a baby bottle warmer to good success for a glue pot. They tend to offer finer temp control at the range needed for hit hide glue.
I’m not sure if they come in large enough sizes is the only thing. But for the low cost, at least worth checking out.
Lee Valley has a glue pot and warmer combination in their catalog. It was pretty reasonably priced. The wax heater as mentioned or maybe a rice cooker with a warm setting might work well also. I bought a crock pot once that came with a baby crock pot that only is to keep things warm. That works well for me.
I got a tiny crockpot at a thrift store for $5. Sounds like the size you need. Works well for hot hide glue.
Search eBay and other typical sources. Something will turn up.
I use the bed of my 3D printer for my rabbit skin glue. It works splendidly. It keeps an extremely specific temperature, and I even get it to swill/stir the glue for me, by moving the bed. I made some really really really simple custom gcode to do this (I'd been happy to help anyone else do the same)
The small little plug in devices used to keep ones cup full of coffee warm are ubiquitous in thrift stores in Atlantic Canada. They work well as a glue pot warmer and only cost a couple of bucks. Lee valley has a posher version new for under 15 bucks. Same basic device.
I use a wax warmer, as somebody else motioned too. If I had to do it over again, I would have gone with the two pot wax system. One side to warm up the glue and the other filled with hot water for the hammer and cleanup.
The worst smell I've ever encountered was back when I was a Master Carpenter for a theatre. We used hot hide glue-based paint. Someone (not me) left the glue pot on over the weekend and the shop was filled with a horrendous odor of rotting animals. 40 years later, I still shudder.
I use a cheap hotplate and an old aluminum campfire coffee pot. Both came from garage sales for just a few bucks. Been working great for years!