What’s the deal with the joke about horses “on the way to the glue factory?” Does some glue come from horses? Which part of the horse? I thought I heard it had something to do with mucagel (I think that’s what it was) in the horses bones or something. What truth is there behind this?
Glue was once made from the bones or hides of horses and other animals. Check out this page for some info on the composition of glue and its manufacture.
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TMR
I think glue is the name for the products (prior to synthetic adhesives) that people used to stick stuff together, and that glue was made from animal hides and bones, or even fish, milk products or vegetables. mucilage is another word for glue I think.
mucilage 1: a gelatinous substance esp. from seaweeds that contains protein and polysaccharides and is similar to plant gums 2: an aqueous usu. viscid solution (as of gum) used esp. as an adhesive
Yes, glue was (is?) made from animal byproducts; hooves, I think. Bone china was made using bones, too.
Jell-O brand gelatine uses hooves (or another animal byproduct) in their product. I learned this from vegetarian friends who ensure that the gelatine they buy is animal-free.
Hide glue is still made and still used. Hides, hooves, and bones are a by-product of the slaughterhouses, nobody is killing animals specifically to make glue or gelatin.