I recently purchased a new gluepot for the home shop. It is a cute little number designed by Hank Levin and sold by Luthier's Mercantile. Since I make glue in tiny amounts in the shop, this small, self-contained unit seemed appropriate. It is nice to work with and looks at home on the bench, and the only modification I made was to add some insulation to the lid because the knob cast into the cover gets hot to the touch.
Looking at a gluepot reminds me of a story from my London days. I was friends with one of the Charles Beare repair shop workers for a short while. At that time, they were the premier repair shop in London, and Charles’ expertise brought in some of the finest violins ever made to be repaired, restored, and adjusted.
Apparently, in the shop was a gentleman from Germany who had a fondness for a sausage lunch. As is a typical German custom, he preferred his brats boiled, so to utilize the resources at hand, he would cook the mid-day meal in the gluepot.
I don't know if this story is apocryphal, lore, or if she punked me, but I always hope he changed the water before regluing the seam on that Strad.