A recipe for rabbit skin glue
Rabbit skin glue has the distinction of being this site's first almanack topic. It is without a doubt the material I am most often asked about, when discussing what sort of media I work in.
Rabbit skin glue is refined collagen, and as its name indicates, it is derived from the hides of rabbits. It is inexpensive, but artists can opt for a still less expensive "hide glue." I've never discovered which hides are used as the basis of those glues, and while I've read that rabbit skin glue is the better material, in my own experimentation, I haven't noticed any significant differences.
Rabbit skin glue is traditionally used as "sizing," which prevents oil paint from coming into direct contact with the canvas, paper, or wood panel that's being painted. Particularly with canvas, when the oil of paint soaks into the the surface, decay is hastened, and the surface becomes more brittle. The glue is also a good all around and archival adhesive; it can be used for bookbinding, for example. I've used it in nearly all of these drawings to treat the surface of the paper.
When you purchase the glue, it comes in smelly little granules that require some processing to use. Soak 12 parts water to 1 part glue overnight, and then heat the mixture in a double boiler. Heat it gently, stirring constantly, until the mixture is warm, and all the glue granules have dissolved.
The double boiler helps to protect the glue from boiling, as boiling the glue will destroy it and require starting over. I've seen people use electric slow cookers and kettles set to a low temperature, and I've also seen a sleek bain marie set up, but an electric hot plate, thrift store saucepan and recycled peanut butter jar have always worked perfectly well for me.
The heated glue will be viscous, and as it cools to room temperature, it becomes slightly gelatinous. I store remaining glue in the refrigerator - tightly lidded and labeled, of course. You definitely don't want anyone to mistake this stuff for a condiment. Without refrigeration, it gets moldy, and pretty disgusting. To date, I've never had any trouble with gently reheated hide glue that's spent time in the refrigerator. Perhaps in 200 years a conservator will discover that recycled glue like that has not held up as well as small batches of glue that were mixed and heated individually, but I'll be long past worrying about it by then.
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