Method 1

You can make hide glue by cutting rawhide into tiny pieces and cooking it gently with water until it becomes thick and vicsous. Strain it, pour it onto a metal sheet and alow it to dry. Then flake it off and pound the larger chunks down to a convenient size. Result: hide glue.

Method 2

Materials

1. 4 ounces of vellum or rawhide scraps (the purer the better)
2. 2 pints of distilled water
3. a small enamel pot
4. piece of loosely woven cloth (to use as strainer)
5. bowl – can be disposable plastic

Directions

1. Bring the water to a boil then reduce the heat to simmer and add the vellum scraps. Do not let the water boil once the vellum is added to it. This will reduce the effectiveness of the resulting glue.
2. Allow this to simmer for one and a half hours (about half of the water will evaporate).
3. Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool slightly.
4. Strain it through a plain white piece of loosely woven cloth into a clean bowl.
5. Let the glue to sit at room temperature in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight overnight. It will congeal into a jelly.
6. Turn the bowl upside down and remove the jelly onto a piece of plastic wrap.
7. Slice the jelly into ¼ inch slices and allow to dry out of sunlight. This will take several days.
8. To use the glue, take a slice or two of the dried glue and warm it in a bit of water. You can do this in a small metal or ceramic dish over a candle or on a stove burner. Once again do not allow it to come to a boil or it will be useless as glue.