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I'm now involved with a project to try and encourage people not to use plastic bags, and I've been working on making some paper bags instead - but I've come unstuck when it comes to glue! I'm looking for an eco-friendly quick drying glue. Does anyone know of one? I was thinking of something like issinglas (if that's how to spell it) but I'm not sure of the cost, availability or suitability.

Hey Milims!

You can make a glue out of blood, native African style but getting people to donate can be an issue. Casein glue can be made from milk if you have excess milk. I would have to look upo the process, I wrote an article on it 20 odd years ago and seem to remember boiling the milk with lime to precipitate the calcium caseinate. I think it is used as is. Will have to look it up.

Nev

You can use flour and water mixed together, not sure how long it takes to dry though, also there is something called cow gum I think its made from boiling cows bones or something.

Wombat - perhaps I could hire a transit and stick some blood donors logos on the side
Helsbells - all I can say to the cow thing is...

Milims wrote:Wombat - perhaps I could hire a transit and stick some blood donors logos on the side

Works for me!

The cow glue I think was made from boiling down the protein bits that don't get eated like skin, horns, hoofs etc to make a glue that you heat to get liquid and let cool to set.

Nev

I think the glue that's made from boiled cow's bits was/is used in the traditional furniture trade, and is heated for use - it comes in pellets which have to be melted.
To further confuse matters, there was a well-known brand of adhesive called "Cow gum" which was I believe rubber based, and had a horrible volatile solvent in it (and was nothing to do with 4-footed cows)

the boiled bones type glue was used for glueing cardboard boxes, but they stopped using it because of bse, so it maybe worth lokking into what they use now, or getting bones from the butchers and making it yourself, you could let the dogs clean them up first

or how about stapleing them

I think I had that chemically rubbery cow gum in my mind, and totally invented the idea that it was from bones! oops!

Maybe not from bones, but you can make glue from boiling the hide. Cut into small pieces, add water to cover, simmer until thick, stirring occasionally. Strain while still warm, it sets when it cools.

-Ellendra