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Glue & Adhesives
Glue (or adhesives) are designed to stick
two things together. Technically
speaking,
glues are natural and adhesives
are synthetic,
but for our purposes, we'll call
them both
"glue." Because there
is no "universal"
glue that can stick anything
to anything
in any conditions, there are
several "general
purpose" glues (they stick
a lot of
things to a lot of things) and
a whole bunch
of "special purpose"
glues (they
stick certain things to certain
things).
The best first step when picking
a glue is
to understand
- what you are sticking to what,
- under what conditions do you need it to stick
- how quickly must it reach full strength
- how strong must the glue be
- what properties (clear, sandable, etc) must
the glue have when it is dry or cured
Common Glues
Use the following as a guide,
but read the
manufacturer's direction to make
sure the
glue meets your requirements.
Many times,
companies will offer variations
of a particular
glue in order to bind different
types of
materials.
| Type |
Qualities |
| White Glue |
Non-toxic, odorless, nonflammable and dries
clear in under an hour. Good for paper, wood,
cloth, pottery and more. |
| Yellow Glue |
A higher quality derivative of white glue
that dries stronger and is more resistant
to moisture. |
| Plastic Cement |
Used to join polystyrene plastic. Works by
dissolving the areas it contacts on the two
parts of polystyrene being joined together,
and in these dissolved areas the molecules
from the two parts mix together. |
| Instant (Super) Glue |
Chemical name is ethyl cyanoacrylate and
is an extremely fast bonding adhesive. It
works best on smaller surfaces, using a very
small amount of glue. It bonds instantly
with a colorless and transparent bond that
is very strong (except for shear forces).
Originally for non-porous surfaces, gel versions
are now available for porous surfaces. |
| Pressure Sensitive |
This term is applied to adhesives that bond
on initial contact to most surfaces with
only a little pressure and without any drying
or curing time. The strength of the bond
varies with the formulation. No-lick stamps
and envelops, various tapes, and Glue Dots (TM) use pressure sensitive adhesives. |
| Rubber Cement |
Literally, rubber dissolved in a solvent.
The bond develops as the cement dries. |
| Epoxy |
Extremely tough and durable synthetic resin
that is comprised of two parts that when
mixed together bond a wide variety of materials
in relatively harsh conditions. More information on epoxy. |
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