# glue

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glue/9475>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 28, 2000, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glue/9475 "2000-03-28T13:57:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![kilwc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b487fb/32.png) [@kilwc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kilwc)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2000, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glue/9475/1 "2000-03-28T13:57:00Z")

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Does anybody know what glue is made of (horses hooves really)? Why there are so many different types of glue, why thinner glues are stronger than thick glues, and why they can be so smelly? And while we’er at it, are violin strings really made out of cat guts?

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2000, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glue/9475/2 "2000-03-28T14:07:00Z")

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Some glues are made with animal products. I can’t remember which kinds at the moment though.

There are different kinds of glue for different applications. For example, model cement dissolves plastic and causes it to stick together when it dried.

I _think_ they smell because some of the glue’s ingredients evaporate during the drying process.

Just guessing here, but a thinner glue probably gets down into the pores of the material better than thick glue, resulting in a tighter bond.

Not sure about the cats’ guts, but they had to use _something_ before there was nylon! 😉

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“I must leave this planet, if only for an hour.” – Antoine de St. Exupéry

Are you a turtle?

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**Author:** ![Ursa\_Major](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a88e57/32.png) [@Ursa\_Major](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ursa_Major)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2000, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glue/9475/3 "2000-03-28T14:27:00Z")

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According to this site cat gut is really sheep gut. [http://www.suru.com/surucor.htm](http://www.suru.com/surucor.htm)

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**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2000, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glue/9475/4 "2000-03-28T17:50:00Z")

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Animal glue, typically made from hides, is not very common aside from antique restoration and some furniture building. It comes in granular form and has to be mixed with water and heated to be used. It spoils quickly so I don’t think there is any ready to use liquid form of it. The main advantage is that it doesn’t set quickly which is good for things that take some time to assemble. It is absolutely not waterproof or even moisture resistant which can be an advantage, old hide glue can be removed with warm water or steam.

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**Author:** ![DVous\_Means](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@DVous\_Means](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DVous_Means)\
**Post date:** [March 31, 2000, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glue/9475/5 "2000-03-31T07:51:00Z")

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Vous means

> [@](#):
>
> Originally posted by Johnny L.A.:  
> \*\*Some glues are made with animal products. I can’t remember which kinds at the moment though.
> 
> \*\*

It’s called “casein” and was years ago in much the same way that PVA glue is used today.

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Knock softly but firmly, 'cause I like soft firm knockers…