Tips are in order of arrival.

1. (For Christmas) there was also an itty bitty bottle of titebond glue, which I was
particularly delighted by. It just happens that I learned some important
things about glue recently, when I successfully made a flawless repair on
the broken neck of a guitar. Evidently someone had stepped on it, and broken
the neck, about halfway through. I bought it that way (I love a challenge),
so I am only guessing. Here is what I learned, after visiting musical
instrument restorer's sites:

White glues and carpenter's glues lose their adhering abilities after about
a year. So you are better off with a small bottle you use quickly than a
large one that sits around a while. This tiny bottle (1.25 oz) is perfect
for small jobs like Hitty, or casual users of wood glue.

The very best glue for wood is hide glue ( made from animal hooves and
hides), It comes in a powder form and you cook it - big stinky mess. It's
what keeps antiques stronger than new furniture, but not really necessary
for Hitty. The Titebond company makes a ready to use hide glue ( titebond
hide glue) but some musical instrument restorers won't use it for reasons I
could not find out. Might be great for Hitty though.

The most commonly used glue for wood is carpenter's glues (of which titebond
is generally considered the best). Carpenter's glue is not much different
from white glue, and in a pinch you can use it instead. Both work by binding
to the moisture in what they are gluing. I've restored antiques before and
wondered why they didn¹t hold - turns out the wood was too dry. However, if
you paint the wood first with water, let it sit for 10 minutes and then glue
it, you get a successful bond that is stronger than the wood itself. This
proved to be true on the guitar. I believe this was the best gluing job I've
ever done, because I finally understood the glue! I did not show the guitar
to my dh until I had repaired it (but not relacquered it), and he could not
find the break in it. Even knowing where the break was, I can only find the
largest section. The repair is invisible, and I believe that is because the
bond was so good.

There is a third type of glue that is good for wood ( can't think of the
technical name) of which Gorilla brand is the best known. This glue becomes
a foam and expands, making it great for some things ( like Hitty joints?)
and terrible for others ( like broken guitar necks).

Lastly, there is a product that is not a glue, but is used in lieu of one
for chairs. This might be very good for Hitty as well. What it does is make
the wood swell, and stay swollen, so that dowels fit snuggly in holes. I saw
it in the hardware store, and it has a misleading name and no explanation of
what it is ( a sales person told me). I wish I remembered the name - I only
remember that chairs are mentioned all over the front of the package.--Laurel Parker