Genuine Rabbit Skin Glue
Genuine Rabbit Skin Glue
This is a high grade glue made in the U.S. It is a fine mesh granular glue that is easy to dissolve in water. The high-quality grade means that it is the lightest in color and most translucent glue available. This makes it ideal for use in gesso and as a medium for distemper painting.
Stronger than most modern adhesives, rabbit skin glue is used in traditional woodworking, gilding and painting techniques. First soaked in water and then heated in a water bath, it is applied warm, and gels when left to cool. In woodworking, rabbit skin glue's solubility in water makes it reversible, while its "open time" allows for repositioning. In painting and gilding techniques, it is used both as a size for canvas and boards, in recipes to make traditional gesso, and in distemper paints.
Animal glues vary in strength, but rabbit skin glue usually offers the highest strength, viscosity and elasticity. True rabbit skin glue tends to gel at lower temperatures, making it easier to use in gesso applications. Otherwise, glue made from bovine collagen are comparable.