Why would I use a hot glue gun instead of just glue?
November 27, 2021 7:43 PM Subscribe
I have wood glue, cyanoacrylate, Super 77, and glue sticks. Is there anything I can't glue? If so, could I glue it if I had a glue gun?
When I glue stuff, it seems to stick together ok, I guess. But Home Depot sells glue guns. They must exist for a reason, right?
A glue gun must be the right tool for some job. What is that job?
When I glue stuff, it seems to stick together ok, I guess. But Home Depot sells glue guns. They must exist for a reason, right?
A glue gun must be the right tool for some job. What is that job?
It’s extremely quick, much faster than epoxy, and space-fills better than CA glue. It’s a backup recommendation for a lot of stuff on the indispensable thistothat.com. Great for models made of foam core.
posted by supercres at 7:59 PM on November 27, 2021 [7 favorites]
posted by supercres at 7:59 PM on November 27, 2021 [7 favorites]
It is handy in crafting as it dries quickly like super glue (though without the adhesion), but has the "give" of wood glue. I've used it for everything for quick clamping pieces of wood I'm cutting and to sticking to the bottom of a rug to stop it slipping. Low heat glue guns are great for kids the glue is easy to pick off if it gets on things you don't want it on (for the most part) and glues fast enough kids can finish a whole project without waiting for glue to dry. Hot melt glue guns and their glues come in all sorts of colors (including with sparkles) and I can buy sticks for a variety of materials that all use the same gun, don't go off if I take a while to use them all the container hasn't set hard I can heat it, cool it, reuse it whatever. I even use it to hold things while I wait for those other glues to dry.
It's not a product for everyone but I suspect you don't do a lot of crafts as that is more the area they are aimed at, though I am noticing hot glue guns more and more in hardwares stores, it's main uses are in crafting and making. There is a new world of adhesives for a whole range of uses once you hit crafting circles,wait until you you find out bout Modge Podge, tacky glue, glue dots, glue runners, adhesive spray and E600.
posted by wwax at 8:37 PM on November 27, 2021 [8 favorites]
It's not a product for everyone but I suspect you don't do a lot of crafts as that is more the area they are aimed at, though I am noticing hot glue guns more and more in hardwares stores, it's main uses are in crafting and making. There is a new world of adhesives for a whole range of uses once you hit crafting circles,wait until you you find out bout Modge Podge, tacky glue, glue dots, glue runners, adhesive spray and E600.
posted by wwax at 8:37 PM on November 27, 2021 [8 favorites]
Adam Savage has a good quick video about what he uses a glue gun for.
posted by caek at 8:38 PM on November 27, 2021 [6 favorites]
posted by caek at 8:38 PM on November 27, 2021 [6 favorites]
Hot glue guns are great for temporary holds on jigs, and for crafts where you want positionable gap filling with fairly quick hold times.
(I'm the kind of guy who has Titebond I, II, and III in my workshop, because even though they're all yellow wood glues they all have subtly different characteristics which make them better for different tasks...)
posted by straw at 8:40 PM on November 27, 2021 [2 favorites]
(I'm the kind of guy who has Titebond I, II, and III in my workshop, because even though they're all yellow wood glues they all have subtly different characteristics which make them better for different tasks...)
posted by straw at 8:40 PM on November 27, 2021 [2 favorites]
I use them all the time for craft projects. I make a lot of wreathes and hot glue holds things together nicely. It dries quickly, which you need when you're gluing things together that aren't going to stay in the desired position without you holding it (like gluing a fake flower to a wreath form).
posted by radioamy at 9:07 PM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by radioamy at 9:07 PM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
As others have mentioned, it's space-filling and somewhat flexible. This makes it good for use on certain fabrics. For instance iron-on patches are backed with basically the same stuff, which is then melted by the clothes iron instead of a gun.
It also goes from workable to set very quickly compared to most chemical adhesives. This has advantages in many applications, including industrial processes where an identical operation is performed multiple times. A lot of consumer electronics have loose wires and things fixed down with a dab of hot-melt.
In construction, it's commonly used for "templating" where a worker wants to take the form of an odd shape or something otherwise difficult to describe with linear measurements alone. Such a worker will snap off strips on thin plywood, fit around the form, and tack them together with hot-melt (or sometimes a staple gun). The glue sets in a few seconds, so the pieces can be held by hand, instead of having to clamp and wait for glue to cure as you might be used to with more permanent forms of wood construction.
Those are three things that come to mind, it looks like Wikipedia has more: Hot-melt adhesive
posted by 7segment at 9:07 PM on November 27, 2021 [3 favorites]
It also goes from workable to set very quickly compared to most chemical adhesives. This has advantages in many applications, including industrial processes where an identical operation is performed multiple times. A lot of consumer electronics have loose wires and things fixed down with a dab of hot-melt.
In construction, it's commonly used for "templating" where a worker wants to take the form of an odd shape or something otherwise difficult to describe with linear measurements alone. Such a worker will snap off strips on thin plywood, fit around the form, and tack them together with hot-melt (or sometimes a staple gun). The glue sets in a few seconds, so the pieces can be held by hand, instead of having to clamp and wait for glue to cure as you might be used to with more permanent forms of wood construction.
Those are three things that come to mind, it looks like Wikipedia has more: Hot-melt adhesive
posted by 7segment at 9:07 PM on November 27, 2021 [3 favorites]
We had a competition in 7th grade to see who could build the vest tower out of trash. One team brought in a glue gun to use and they won handily. I remember being in awe of this magic tool that I had never seen before. So, yeah. Trash towers.
Also for putting decorations on wreaths. Glittery things on kids crafts. And my husband wrote his name on his Christmas stocking with bright blue glitter glue.
posted by SLC Mom at 10:05 PM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
Also for putting decorations on wreaths. Glittery things on kids crafts. And my husband wrote his name on his Christmas stocking with bright blue glitter glue.
posted by SLC Mom at 10:05 PM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
The Glue Gun is the classic go-to for many generic craft projects, and really good at what it does. If you just like gluing things in general, then you must have one. Not a perfect eternal bond for every application, but a good-enough one in many uses.
thistothat.com is a useful basic guide, but they could use more depth in regards to plastics. Different kinds of plastics have various reactions to each other. Some adhesives react to some plastics like a solvent, and sometimes it makes an intentional bond by melting the surfaces together, but sometimes it actually melts away what you're trying to glue and makes a mess of things, or doesn't work as planned. (I'm not an expert on plastics, just what I've gathered from talking to plastic-people and trying to adhere things).
Wikipedia: Hot-Melt Adhesive is all about Glue Guns. (as mentioned above)
Wikipedia: Wood Glue has a good quick overview of what various adhesives can do.
Rule of thumb: slower glues are often better if you're not in hurry. Fast Cyan glues are what you need for a fast-bond, but they're more smelly, messy, and expensive. Many glue formulas use blends of Poly & Cyan for various setting times.
Is there anything I can't glue?
Parts that are subject to twisting stress can be pretty challenging.
posted by ovvl at 10:30 PM on November 27, 2021 [4 favorites]
thistothat.com is a useful basic guide, but they could use more depth in regards to plastics. Different kinds of plastics have various reactions to each other. Some adhesives react to some plastics like a solvent, and sometimes it makes an intentional bond by melting the surfaces together, but sometimes it actually melts away what you're trying to glue and makes a mess of things, or doesn't work as planned. (I'm not an expert on plastics, just what I've gathered from talking to plastic-people and trying to adhere things).
Wikipedia: Hot-Melt Adhesive is all about Glue Guns. (as mentioned above)
Wikipedia: Wood Glue has a good quick overview of what various adhesives can do.
Rule of thumb: slower glues are often better if you're not in hurry. Fast Cyan glues are what you need for a fast-bond, but they're more smelly, messy, and expensive. Many glue formulas use blends of Poly & Cyan for various setting times.
Is there anything I can't glue?
Parts that are subject to twisting stress can be pretty challenging.
posted by ovvl at 10:30 PM on November 27, 2021 [4 favorites]
I bought a glue gun when I needed to apply binding to the edge of a carpet. Everything I read said that hot-melt glue was the only adhesive that would work in this application.
posted by zombiedance at 10:39 PM on November 27, 2021
posted by zombiedance at 10:39 PM on November 27, 2021
Low temperature melting glue sticks are kind of useless in my extensive crafting experience. But the high temp stuff is irreplaceable.
Nothing does a better job of attaching, for example, a smooth thing to a soft thing, like a mirror or bead to felt, or a ribbon to a faux pine garland. You have to be careful and precise and use far less glue than you think you do, and the nozzle of an effective high temperature glue gun can easily melt the components you are often trying to glue, so you have to have a very light touch and commit. But it just boom, sticks stuff together.
It’s also great for cleaning up frayed ends on ribbons and cordage so they stop fraying and are much more kid-proof. You can use the hot nozzle to even partially melt polyester things or spot-heat unstuck bits of fusible webbing.
Glue guns are perfect for assemblage sculpture - think of it like spot welding almost, and then you can go back and fuss and further secure as needed. It can fill small gaps effectively while maintaining enough flexibility to avoid brittleness. Paper crafts that need some kind of mounting or base support are often very light weight and glue guns provide the right kind of sticking like a bead of hot glue at the end of a wire attached to a mobile component, or a dowel support for a miniature flag.
Hot glue is easier to remove from smooth surfaces without damage than a lot of other things. Since it isn’t water soluble it can be good for things that are likely to get wet, like an outdoor faux greenery display. It can be used to stiffen porous materials selectively, like making a hard edged curved hem on a fabric pouch, or reinforcing tiny details on a felt cutout puppet.
It isn’t good for heavy things or objects being subjected to twisting all the time, and it’s got a steeper learning curve than a lot of people think since glue guns are lumped in with “unserious” crafting hobbies, but it’s an amazing tool.
posted by Mizu at 11:30 PM on November 27, 2021 [8 favorites]
Nothing does a better job of attaching, for example, a smooth thing to a soft thing, like a mirror or bead to felt, or a ribbon to a faux pine garland. You have to be careful and precise and use far less glue than you think you do, and the nozzle of an effective high temperature glue gun can easily melt the components you are often trying to glue, so you have to have a very light touch and commit. But it just boom, sticks stuff together.
It’s also great for cleaning up frayed ends on ribbons and cordage so they stop fraying and are much more kid-proof. You can use the hot nozzle to even partially melt polyester things or spot-heat unstuck bits of fusible webbing.
Glue guns are perfect for assemblage sculpture - think of it like spot welding almost, and then you can go back and fuss and further secure as needed. It can fill small gaps effectively while maintaining enough flexibility to avoid brittleness. Paper crafts that need some kind of mounting or base support are often very light weight and glue guns provide the right kind of sticking like a bead of hot glue at the end of a wire attached to a mobile component, or a dowel support for a miniature flag.
Hot glue is easier to remove from smooth surfaces without damage than a lot of other things. Since it isn’t water soluble it can be good for things that are likely to get wet, like an outdoor faux greenery display. It can be used to stiffen porous materials selectively, like making a hard edged curved hem on a fabric pouch, or reinforcing tiny details on a felt cutout puppet.
It isn’t good for heavy things or objects being subjected to twisting all the time, and it’s got a steeper learning curve than a lot of people think since glue guns are lumped in with “unserious” crafting hobbies, but it’s an amazing tool.
posted by Mizu at 11:30 PM on November 27, 2021 [8 favorites]
Tim Hunkin has a great 50 minute video tutorial about glue: GLUE - The Secret Life of Components. There's a couple of minutes discussing hot glue: Tim says he uses hot glue sometimes for rough prototypes.
posted by are-coral-made at 12:30 AM on November 28, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by are-coral-made at 12:30 AM on November 28, 2021 [2 favorites]
I use hot glue tons for holding bare electronics to wood, which it’s well suited to because of the space filling properties. I also appreciate that it cools and sets fast enough that I just hold it in place with my hands; it’s great for difficult to clamp stuff. I like that you can re-melt it with a heat gun, if you want to remove or reposition something after it’s set, or to repair a broken glue joint.
posted by aubilenon at 1:41 AM on November 28, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by aubilenon at 1:41 AM on November 28, 2021 [3 favorites]
Gluing fleece fabric to fleece fabric was a challenge. A glue gun worked better than everything else we tried. Fleece is obnoxious to glue. Aleene's had nothing to recommend, either.
posted by stormyteal at 2:02 AM on November 28, 2021
posted by stormyteal at 2:02 AM on November 28, 2021
Echoing aubilenon, hot glue is often used to attach large electronic parts to circuit boards. For example, in this Eminence audio crossover.
posted by soundguy99 at 3:00 AM on November 28, 2021
posted by soundguy99 at 3:00 AM on November 28, 2021
I have wood glue, cyanoacrylate, Super 77, and glue sticks. Is there anything I can't glue?
Yes.
If so, could I glue it if I had a glue gun?
Paraffin wax: no.
Teflon, polyethylene, Delrin: maybe, but the joints would be horrendously weak.
posted by flabdablet at 4:12 AM on November 28, 2021 [2 favorites]
Yes.
If so, could I glue it if I had a glue gun?
Paraffin wax: no.
Teflon, polyethylene, Delrin: maybe, but the joints would be horrendously weak.
posted by flabdablet at 4:12 AM on November 28, 2021 [2 favorites]
I'm a stream ecologist, and we use glue guns a lot when improvising stuff to go in the water. As others said, it's great for connecting very different materials/shapes (foam to plastic, cylinder to a flat bottom) and gap filling (to make something water tight), and of course it's not at all water soluble.
posted by hydropsyche at 4:29 AM on November 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by hydropsyche at 4:29 AM on November 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
You could make these cute candy sleighs for Christmas favors. A low temp glue gun would be best here as a high temp gun might melt the plastic wrappers on the candy. The glue sets up quickly and is sturdy enough to hold the sleighs together for normal but careful handling (such as transporting to coworkers' desks) but it pulls apart easily so the sleigh can be disassembled for eating.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 4:32 AM on November 28, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 4:32 AM on November 28, 2021 [3 favorites]
I got a glue gun, a little low temperature thing, as a gift when I was 8 or 9. I still have it. I wouldn't classify this current stage of my adult life as one that requires a glue gun, but that thing comes out a few times a year and I'm always happy I've got it. I don't even remember what I used it for last but it's been in the last 6 months. I've had times in my life where I've used it weekly.
For me, it's a thing that takes up almost no storage space and I've enjoyed almost 20 years of "man I'm glad I have this" moments.
posted by phunniemee at 5:32 AM on November 28, 2021 [5 favorites]
For me, it's a thing that takes up almost no storage space and I've enjoyed almost 20 years of "man I'm glad I have this" moments.
posted by phunniemee at 5:32 AM on November 28, 2021 [5 favorites]
Oh I remember, I was assembling a piece of cheap flatpack furniture and some of the peg holes weren't machined well. A plop of hot glue down in the peg hole filled the gap and kept it from wobbling. Could I have done that with wood glue? Sure, but I'd have had to wait several hours for it to dry, and also I don't have wood glue. I just needed something to increase the friction fit in the peg hole.
posted by phunniemee at 5:38 AM on November 28, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by phunniemee at 5:38 AM on November 28, 2021 [3 favorites]
The folks at flitetest use glue guns to make airplanes out of foam board. It would for other foam board projects too, of course.
posted by SemiSalt at 5:58 AM on November 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by SemiSalt at 5:58 AM on November 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
This question seems very odd to a New Orleanean. Hot glue guns are the best tool for everything to do with Mardi Gras. Irreplaceable for the creation of costumes, decorations, and throws. Craft and hardware stores across town literally sell out of hot glue sticks every February.
posted by CheeseLouise at 6:25 AM on November 28, 2021 [15 favorites]
posted by CheeseLouise at 6:25 AM on November 28, 2021 [15 favorites]
I just bought a Ryobi 60w cordless glue gun. Not having a cord is great, and the real trick is to get the right glue sticks for the higher temperature gun. You can quickly attach stuff that is almost permanent. I mean, I have nailed door moldings that are peeling away that were supposed to be permanent, and I am going to go glue them right now because of this thread.
posted by mecran01 at 7:57 AM on November 28, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by mecran01 at 7:57 AM on November 28, 2021 [2 favorites]
I also use glue guns for science crafts - making insect cages out of a Petri dish and a plastic cup, gluing mesh over an air hole and a syringe for feeding. Gluing Petri dishes together to have a pool of water for humidity in the bottom without the sample I’m incubating sitting in it. Gluing mesh together to make bags (like a half-assed impulse sealer). Gluing mesh over PVC pipe for cheap sieves. Sealing things shut for demos. Anything where the pieces don’t have nice flat nonporous surfaces to glue together. Anything where quick and dirty is fine.
Agreed that the low temp stuff is pretty worthless unless it’s necessary for safety.
posted by momus_window at 8:00 AM on November 28, 2021
Agreed that the low temp stuff is pretty worthless unless it’s necessary for safety.
posted by momus_window at 8:00 AM on November 28, 2021
> A glue gun must be the right tool for some job. What is that job?
Another edge case: my daughter wanted to be a mummy (the Egyptian kind) for Halloween, so we wrapped her in bandages stained brown with tea, attaching pieces of bandage to each other with a glue gun.
posted by anadem at 8:15 AM on November 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
Another edge case: my daughter wanted to be a mummy (the Egyptian kind) for Halloween, so we wrapped her in bandages stained brown with tea, attaching pieces of bandage to each other with a glue gun.
posted by anadem at 8:15 AM on November 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
Steve Roberts recommends a hot glue gun for assembling the cardboard part of cardboard-core composite structures.
(I borrowed one from my local Tool Library recently with the idea of trying this. Was able to stick the cardboard together nicely, but didn't get around to the composite covering part yet.)
posted by sibilatorix at 11:54 AM on November 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
(I borrowed one from my local Tool Library recently with the idea of trying this. Was able to stick the cardboard together nicely, but didn't get around to the composite covering part yet.)
posted by sibilatorix at 11:54 AM on November 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
Hot glue sets "quick" which means "seconds" - it's really quick. Even super glue (cyanoacrylate) asks you to press the parts together for 30+ seconds. JB Quick weld is 5 minutes.
It's not long-lasting; it can't take high heat, and it seems to poop out a few years later under normal conditions. Not sure about UV radiation tolerability.
posted by soylent00FF00 at 6:28 PM on November 28, 2021
It's not long-lasting; it can't take high heat, and it seems to poop out a few years later under normal conditions. Not sure about UV radiation tolerability.
posted by soylent00FF00 at 6:28 PM on November 28, 2021
A glue gun + steel shot is the fastest and cheapest way of adding heft to 3d printed models that need to stay put on a desk
posted by scruss at 11:06 AM on November 29, 2021
posted by scruss at 11:06 AM on November 29, 2021
Oh another good point is the quality of the glue sticks matters a lot. In our escape room we've used about a pound of Arrow AP10BP sticks. They work a lot better than random cheapest-possible from amazon or whatever.
posted by aubilenon at 11:37 AM on November 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by aubilenon at 11:37 AM on November 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
I bought a hot glue gun specifically to re-adhere some hard plastic brackets to my stair runners, to help them keep the shape of the bullnose.
posted by sm1tten at 5:19 PM on November 29, 2021
posted by sm1tten at 5:19 PM on November 29, 2021
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by wesleyac at 7:53 PM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]