Making Glues

 Glue... it's not easy to make a glue that sticks really well, that isn't too wet, that isn't going to attract bugs or go bad quickly and is vegan.

That's a tall order, especially when we have become a buy it and have it quick society.

There are all kinds of glue recipes out there, and books that include homemade glue recipes. I haven't tried all, but the ones that I have tried...makes me wonder if the author did that recipe. Because in the end it sure didn't look like the photo...WAIT... there was no final photo.

I tried a rice flour, water, and sugar recipe and no matter how long I boil it; it was still watery. Okay, I've been at the stove for over an hour, I don't even stand at the stove to cook anything for over an hour, what would make me think I'd love standing at the stove cooking some concoction that will become a paste...disappointment was the final result.

I tried whole wheat flour, sugar, alum and water. This is supposed to make a glue, not a paste and this time I pulled over a tall stool so I could stir and stir and stir, an hour long. Until mixture becomes translucent...TRANSLUCENT? Are you kidding me, what does that really mean, the stuff is brown, okay, more glossy than translucent, but maybe that's what they meant. And again, no final photos, that would have been great to have those final photos of what it should look like.

I'm beginning to feel like a witch who keeps a failed grimoire of failed spells. Eye of wheat, sweetness of tooth, with cool clear fluids of the earth, stir until your hair frizzes up and your face is red from the steam...

The wheat glue actually stuck and stuck pretty quick, only to find out through more research that bugs like the gluten in the wheat and really shouldn't be used for book making if you want to have it last. Plus, you have those folks that are seriously allergic to gluten. What about them? Nope gotta keep searching.

I read to replace the wheat with cake flour, it made a nice smooth glue with no bugs wanting to come to dinner. But I'm still a bit nervous about it.

Okay enough...

Methyl cellulose is natural chemical made from plants. It has been around for a long time mostly used to restore old books to clean off old glue and to use to re glue. It has been used to glue wallpaper.

I bought a package of it and made it. No witch at her cauldron stirring for hours. Just mix with warm water, add more water and let it sit for a day (follow directions.)

I'm always on the lookout for old bottles and glass jars to hold whatever I make or to hold my methyl cellulose and alum (not food grade) I keep them in an old bookcase with doors, so my cats can't get into them. 

I'm beginning to feel like I have an apothecary.

I had an old clean pickle jar to use. Stirred it up and set it aside till the next day.

And here it is, you can tell the stickiness from the lid. It's not perfect but it works well when I use it to stick pages together to alter an old book into a journal. It is a wet glue that can dry quickly if applied to thinly, so it takes practice in using it. And because it's natural, you have to watch out for contamination. So, it's good to keep in a glass container with a tight lid. Don't shake it before use, stirring it is better, so the lid doesn't rust. It can last up to a year if well taken care of.

I made this batch about two months ago. It still glues well, but it definitely needs stirred and patience needs to be taken because it's not like white glues on the market. I did more research on it and found out it's okay to make this in small batches and to use less water to make the glue thicker and stickier. That's my next venture to take this glue and add more methyl cellulose to it in small batches.

Meanwhile in my research I discovered wallpaper paste, which is made from natural ingredients, but make sure it's an organic wallpaper paste, some companies still add harmful chemicals to the paste. Dick Blick sells a wheat starch adhesive in powder form (back to my cooking cauldron,) add water and heat up. I personally have an issue with plastic containers and this product comes in a plastic bottle (we have so much plastic in this world, and I've been cutting back on plastic use, so for me this is a downer.) 

I'm not done in my search for ecofriendly glue either homemade or bought.

Till next time,

Peace and Love,

Dolores

Update! I am using a plant-based adhesive called Natural Acrylik Medium (TM)

It's a plant-based acrylic medium. Just like conventional acrylic mediums, it has many uses - mixing with natural pigments to make natural acrylic paint, varnishing, adhering, collaging and more. I use it as a glue and a replacement for modpodge.