Old glue water change 2023

It is that time of year again.

It is time to check the condition of the old glue once a year.

Please also see our 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 posts.

We are happy to report that we checked the condition of the old glue and changed the water again this year on January 20, the day of the great cold.

All photos are mosaic-free this year.

Sorry if you are offended.

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First, let’s start with the oldest jar.

these is the glue made in 2018.

Unseal the package and open it immediately.

It looks not so different from previous years.

There is no particular smell.

Only the surface layer of mold is dumped into the bucket.

these is what the inside of the jar looks like after the mold layer is discarded.

Discard all the water, and scrape off and discard any sludge on the surface.

Only the clean and mold-free parts were left.

Here we again fill the area with water.

Once the lid is closed and sealed with washi paper, this year’s water change is complete.

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Next, these two jars. They are a little smaller than the previous jar.

The glue produced in last year’s (2022) glue cooker, after the glue made in 2020 had rotted,

We decided to divide it into two of these small jars and to change the way it was laid down.

We hoped that if one of the jars rotted, the other would remain.

I put one side in the same jar as the other one and let it rest with water.

The other jar was not filled with water, but was covered with a hand towel and left to rest.

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Now, let’s open the package.

First is the one with water.

There is no mold. Even so, it smells terrible ・・.

This feeling is just like the state of the glue those has rotted before (PREVIOUSLY).

At any rate, I will try to scratch out the inside of the glue to see if there are any parts that are not rotten.

It’s sludgy all the way inside. The smell is terrible.

Unfortunately, it is the same as the glue made in 2020 and it seems to have rotted away.

We do not know the cause.

Even though the water I’m putting in it and the environment in which the jar is placed is no different than the 2018 glue.

So was there some problem when it was made last year?

If so, then the other half of the jar must have had some problems when we made it last year, even though we changed the way it was laid down.

The other half of the jar may have been ruined, although the way it was laid down has been changed.

Anyway, I’ll check it out.

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Mildew? It looks like mold. There is not much smell.

A good sign?

Take a hand towel off the surface.

The inside of the jar looks like this.

Is it OK inside?

Remove by hand any surface damage that may be present.

Well, even the inside is slippery.

It feels distinctly different from the well-made 2018 glue.

It feels more like a glue those has gone bad.

Is it still no good?

But it still looks a little better than the glue in the jar I mentioned earlier.

It doesn’t smell too bad either.

So, I will lay it down for a year, hoping for a ray of hope.

Close the jar by covering it with a hand towel.

I hope it will survive properly next year.