My hide glue experiences that make using it much easier.

First of all, cooking hide glue is one of the two things that ruins it.
It should never be more than 140 degrees but much less, as water
boils at 212 degrees for you double boiler folks.  As you will see,
temperatures even as low as 75 or 80 degrees works depending on your
ratio of water and assuming your crystals are a light golden color and
not dark low grade stuff.

The other thing is, exposing your glue supply to air is the worst thing
if you intend on using it again over and over from the same dispenser.
Fungus and dust in the air and of course that lousy scum on the surface
makes it wasteful and hard to use.

Squeeze bottles work very well for small work like covering pneumatics
and one, two and four ounce plastic squeeze bottles give you the most
control with a very small opening in the spout, and also if you keep
the spout capped at every use it won't clog, and it will never skin
over on the surface of the glue.  It will last a long time like many
weeks and months.

A peanut butter jar is good when using a brush for covering bellows.
Keep the brush out of the glue, and keep it capped, don't store the
brush in it, but in another jar with some water and a good sealing
screw on lid on both jars.  The metal ferrule of the brush will corrode
spoiling the glue if you leave it in it.

If you will have several containers with a different amount of water
to glue crystal ratio you will find that the thicker it is the higher
temperature it takes for your average use (like 120 to 130 degrees,
which is not always needed).  By the way, I only use filtered water to
keep chlorine out of it, or steam iron water.  At those temperatures
and thickness it will cool more quickly and you have to work more
quickly, like gluing bellows.  Your body temperature is just two
degrees away from 100 degrees.

Use a lamp dimmer and maybe a 25 watt bulb (not more), and no need for
water in a double boiler that's constantly running low.  Use only metal
covers and stands and never cover with cloth.  (I do not assume any
responsibility or liability for damage or injury from any of these
suggestions).  Or use a lamp dimmer on your glue pot to get it's
temperature more under a moderate control.

I use a rotary dial type thermometer for cooking roasts in the oven
with a sensor you push into the meat (which I got at Wal-Mart for
cheap) it works perfect.  I just put my 2- and 4-ounce squeeze bottles
in my glue pot without water with the meat thermometer and a good
temperature control.  It very rarely ever reaches 140 degrees, usually
100 to 120.  Also never leave heating glue unattended.  These are my
opinions and should encourage more of us to use hide glue.

Robert Leber