Official Luthiers Forum!

The "little dipper" type crock pot is what a lot of us use as a cheap glue pot. Not as nice as a real glue pot, but they work fairly well. Grumpy used one for many years, but I don't know if he still does.

Yup, still do! I've bought a few more as spares when I find them at second hand shops, but have yet to burn out my original "Little Dipper". The thing will hold 140°F day-in and day-out, and has done so for many years now. It even has a neat little slot that my candy thermometer's clip fits into perfectly! I fail to see how a "real" glue pot would be any better/nicer?

And yes again, I still use old hair color bottles, with a handfull of SS bolts inside to weigh down the bottle(so it doesn't float in the hot water bath) and as a heat sink so that the glue stays hot for a long time when out of the water.

I use various sizes of cheap artists brushes, mostly for cleanup, as the tip on the bottle is perfect for applying a bead of glue, which really doesn't need to be spread, unless it's a large surface, where I'll use the side of the tip to spread it. A bead of glue will hold its heat longer than a spread layer of glue, so it buys you time, and when you place the parts together, the glue will spread evenly anyhow. With practice, you'll know what size bead to create for whatever width of joint you have. I only use a brush for tiny parts, like side braces and such.

The brushes stay in the water bath all the time, so there's no issue with the ferrules getting loose, since the wood swells.