Piggly No Wiggly Glue
Note: We now offer a discount if you order more than one bottle.
Piggly No Wiggly Glue is a gelatin-based adhesive that offers all of the advantages of animal-based glues: It is reversible, non-toxic, endlessly reparable and is as strong as any glue must be.
The glue comes in 8-ounce bottles.
Unlike other animal-based glues, though, this glue dries clear (which is ideal when gluing light-colored woods) and has virtually no smell, unless it is mistreated or abused.
Piggly No Wiggly Glue is made in our Covington, Kentucky workshop from three ingredients: food-grade gelatin, water and salt. Our formula has a Bloom strength of 250 and creates a glue that needs to be heated before use until it is liquefied (we recommend using a Crock-Pot, glue pot or baby bottle warmer). And it has an open time of 15-18 minutes, a much longer open time than modern yellow glues. This long open time allows you to relax during complex assemblies.
As with all water-based glues, the working time and clamping time are affected by your shop’s environment. The temperature and humidity will change the glue’s open time and the clamping time.
For a typical workshop at 72° F with a relative humidity of 30-50 percent, you can expect our glue to stay tacky (or “open”) for about 18 minutes. We recommend you leave the project in clamps for an hour or two (or overnight if you can).
A lower temperature can reduce your open time. And high humidity can increase clamping time.
Your best indicator is to leave some squeeze-out to monitor. If the squeeze-out is tacky or soft, leave the clamps on. If it is hard, remove the clamps. Squeeze-out is easily removed, even when fully dried, with hot water.
The shelf life of the glue is indefinite as long as it is stored correctly. We put ours in the fridge at night (especially in warm, wet weather). At the very least, you should prevent the glue from freezing and store it in a cool, dark place.
Piggly No Wiggly Glue is completely non-toxic (dogs find it delectable). It also is reversible. If you need to disassemble a joint, wrap it in a moist towel and use a heat gun to soften and plasticize the glue. Once you have disassembled a joint, you do not need to remove the glue. Adding a fresh coat of glue will reactivate the dried glue and allow you to make a strong joint.
Made in the U.S. from domestic ingredients.
You can download an instruction sheet here.