Hot glue
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. This article has been tagged since January 2007. |
- Glue gun redirects here; for the band Glue Gun, see Glue Gun (band).
Hot glue (or hot melt glue) is a form of thermoplastic adhesive that is commonly in solid sticks designed to be melted in a special gun. The glue comes in cylinders of various lengths, and is pushed inside of an electric hot glue gun. The gun contains a heating element to melt the plastic glue. Squeezing the trigger will push the stick through the heating element, ejecting molten plastic. Directly after leaving the gun, the glue is so hot that if it is applied directly to skin, it will often cause damage such as blisters. The glue cools to harden, so it is commonly used when quick bonding is desired, generally in less than 1 minute.
[edit] Glue materials
A common material for the glue sticks (eg. the light amber colored Thermogrip GS51, GS52, and GS53) is ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer.[1] The vinyl acetate monomer content is about 18-29 weight % of the polymer. Various additives are usually present, eg. a tackifying resin and wax. Other base materials may be based on polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide, or polyester, or various copolymers.[2]
[edit] Specifications and usage
Glue guns are typically classified as low-temperature or high-temperature. Low-temperature glue guns usually heat up to about 250º F (120º C), and are well suited for delicate work such as lace, cloth, or children's crafts. High-temperature guns generally heat up to around 380º f (195º c) and are used for heavy duty projects. Dual guns have a switch and are capable of operating in either temperature range.
Sticks come in several diameters, and usually a single gun can handle two (similar) sizes. The most popular stick sizes are 10 centimeters in length with a diameter of 11 millimeter, or roughly 0.45 inches. This is the only size commonly sold in British DIY stores, while on the continent a 7 millimeter caliber is on sale.
Due to the heating differences, high-temperature and low-temperature guns may use different glue sticks, but many sticks specify dual usage.
There are many advantages to using hot glue guns, such as the fact that they are one of the best glues for filling in gaps with. However, they also have their disadvantages, as they cool they are harder to bend so one has to work in margins of time. It is very awkward to spread without use of tools as one cannot touch it with one's hands when it is hot and when it is cold it is impossible to spread. For larger areas, spreading the glue using a glue gun and then melting it all at once with eg. a heat gun may be an option.
