Lost Art Press

Warm Glue With a Coffee Mug Heater

Posted on by Lost Art Press

One of the other suggestions for a replacement for the beloved Hold Heet glue pot is to use a coffee mug warmer, such as this one. I chose this particular model because it has two heat settings that are ideal for heating glue (122°F and 140°F), plus it has a timer and an automatic shutoff.

I’ve used it a few times, but the limitation of this kind of glue heater was obvious from the start: It’s too small to heat more than a little bit of glue. If you work on small projects and need only a few ounces of glue at a time, a mug warmer is ideal. But I had trouble heating enough glue for a chair class and had to break out the Hold Heet.

Honestly, it’s a lot to expect from a $20 appliance that is supposed to keep 8 ounces of coffee warm. It just doesn’t put out enough heat to warm a water bath and a plastic glue bottle. (You can’t put the glue bottle directly on the warmer; it will melt.)

One possible option would be to store your glue in a steel container, which could go directly on the appliance. I tried using a large ceramic vessel but couldn’t get the water above 100° F. The thing likes to heat metal.

So the best option was a steel vessel filled with water and a glue bottle inside. 

So, bottom line: It’s great for people who need enough glue for a few crackers. But if you need enough for a big piece of casework, look elsewhere.

— Christopher Schwarz

25 thoughts on “Warm Glue With a Coffee Mug Heater”

  1. Luthiers Mercantile, lmii.com, has a really nice brass glue pot with a brass insert for $39.99 and a glue pot warmer for $19.99. For luthiers they hold plenty of glue, but, as you say, it would not big big enough for casework. It’s a really elegant and reliable little setup. YMMV. ELF

  2. A water bath heatd with a sous vide immersion heater should work. Precise temperature control and it should have no problem keeping a large amount of glue warm.

    1. I was going to make the same suggestion. You should be able to keep a classroom’s worth of glue bottles at temp with a sous vide heater. It looks like the top result on Amazon is 1100 watts and costs $50 if you use the “coupon”.

    2. Sighhhhh… I already have issues with my tools disappearing into the kitchen, without traffic in the other direction…

      1. I’ve been using a simple hot plate for 30 years since my HoldHeet gave out.

  4. I also use a coffee warmer. It got too hot so I modified it with a 155 degree thermal cutoff switch our of an electric motor. I use a small ceramic dish on the warmer but the main heat for the OBG is an old 600 watt electric tea pot. I squirt a tablespoon of glue into the ceramic dish and dip the acid brush (cut to half length) into the puddle. Wash brush and dish at end of each glue session.

  6. I’ve been using Old Brown glue in small bottles. I warm one in a microwave for 10 seconds. This provides about 5 minutes of application, before needing to be re-heated.

  7. Back in my misspent youth, I remember cooking up sausages on an old clothes iron that I held upside down in a coat hanger nest. The temperature was controllable; but my friends would comment on my maple flavoured tee shirts…

  9. So the coffee cup warmer may be useful for a coffee cup. AND if one is like me it would be good for heating up shoe polish for my old combat boots… OR the soft wax your Daughter creates. It speeds up the french polish time..

  11. I would think maybe an induction hot plate. Glass top, some with temp control. With an induction plate can be used with any material, ceramics or aluminum. Reasonably priced.
    Just a thought.

  12. I’ve a vintage glue pot that I’ve not yet used. It holds about ½ pint of glue (I haven’t measured it) in a double boiler type vessel. It’s made from cast iron. I’m thinking this would be a good match for heating it. What are your thoughts?

  14. Here’s another vote for an immersion circulator. Besides using it for hide glue it works perfectly for melting beeswax for soft wax and other formulations. I use 50% beeswax and 50% mineral oil on tool handles and anything freshly forged and leather sheathes.

    And sous vide is mighty useful for preparing steaks, sausages, fish, shrimp, chicken, and thawing goodies from the freezer. And making batter for fresh churned ice cream, and infusing your own bitters, etc. And ribs, don’t forget the ribs that cook for 36 hours. 122F is perfect for scallops, 140F is perfect for sausage.

    Hide glue has food karma in it’s DNA.

    1. Wait now. So the suse vide can be used in the kitchen too? 🤯

  15. I imagine that the old basement crock pot or deep electric skillet with an inexpensive temperature controller like a $20 Inkbird (I use similar controllers for starting vegetable seeds indoors on heating pads) could be used to great effect at heating a lot of glue and holding temp for a long time. Pre-heat the water on the stove, electric kettle, or microwave so it doesn’t take forever to get going. Make sure that the thermostat can handle your desired set temperature (some don’t let you roast your seedlings any higher than about 100 degrees).

  16. Now we need a blog post on the best thermometer to use with your hot hide glue warmer. Meat thermometer? digital read out? infrared? or how bout an old fashioned candy thermometer? Most accurate? And of course,“the best bang for your buck”!

  17. Adding to an old thread/post, I know. But I did stumble across this glue pot+warmer for $40 from Lee Valley this am and recalled the post/search. They’re not generally in the business of selling crap so maybe this checks just enough boxes to hit that sweet spot, especially qualifying for free shipping as is.

  18. Wow! A thermopop pocket thermometer!! I have one, and I absolutely love it! I’ve found a new use for it!

Comments are closed.