Sunday 28 October 2007

The Crafters' Way 34

Here is part 2 of the glue article. Its not too late to leave a comment to go in the draw for the 2 x 3pk of Hand Dyed Fabric.



A Sticky Subject Part Two

Last week we covered White Glues, Wood Glues and Spray Adhesives.


Hot Glue: This type of glue comes in sticks, which are then inserted, into a hot glue gun. Both the guns and the sticks are readily available and are quite inexpensive to purchase. The glue works on both porous and non-porous surfaces. It is also suitable for joining uneven surfaces. Hot glues are not suitable for structural projects. Two potential negatives of hot glue guns is 1) the length of time to heat up enough to melt the stick and 2) burning your finger when you forget that it is hot. Don’t ask me how I know this.





Cyanoacrylate Glues: You’ve all seen the TV ads where they glue the man upside down to the ceiling. That’s right they’re using cyanoacrylate glue. You only need a very small amount. The bond is fast, clear and strong. Don’t go searching the shelves for cyanoacrylate glues. It’s not a very marketable term. Anything with “super” in its description is likely to fit the bill.

Glue Sticks: A very easy glue to use and one you probably already have. Just check the kids pencil cases. You can buy glue sticks that are both repositionable and permanent. They are most often acid free so they are suitable for your paper based crafts. They will also bond fabric. Glue stick dry clear and because they are not a fluid glue they are less likely to wrinkle. You can also buy Glue Pens that will give you a very fine line of glue.

Industrial Strength Adhesives: I really hate using these as I find them extremely messy however they are often the only suitable glue for bonding metal to fibre. Contact Adhesives, two part epoxies, jewlry glues and china glues all fall into this category. They dry clear leaving a strong bond. I find they also tend to have a strong odor so use in a well ventilated area.

Again always follow the manufactures instructions when using a glue that you are unfamiliar with. If you have specific surfaces that you wish to bond visit http://www.thistothat.com/ for recommendations.




Back to more Free Craft Projects and Hints.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the wonderful report on glue, certainly helps to decide which is the correct kind to use. There are so many different kinds available now it can be quite confusing.