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Everything You Ever Wanted Go Know About Hot Melt Glue

Hot Melt Glue Gun
A hot melt glue gun is a must-have for any general handyman took kit. I take one with me on every small handyman job because the glue sets so fast you finish a job in a couple minutes and be done. It is also great for gluing dissimilar material. Is also great because is help fill while it glues. The viscosity of the glue is perfect for filling holes up to ½ inch without flowing back out. Hot melt is also useful because it is not sensitive to humidity as some wood glues.

Hot melt glue Properties The biggest down side to hot melt is the strength. The typical strength of hot melt is about 200-300 PSI. The strength of high-strength wood glue is around 4000 PSI. This is stronger than many woods so the glue will be the last thing to fail. If you are gluing wood to wood and have the time to let yellow glue dry then it is the best options Epoxy glue can be even stronger than wood glue but it has a shelf life and requires special care in mixing and cleanup. All three types of glue have their niche but when speed is a major criteria, hot melt is the leader. Typical melting point is around 175 to 205 degrees C. (350 to 400 degrees F). Typical working time is about 30 seconds to full strength. This is why hot melt is so great. In many applications you can simple hold 2 pieces together with your hand until it hardens. Hardened hot melt glue can be cut with a knife for shaping. It is easier to cut than soft wood because it is flexible and rubbery. Be careful when using hot melt on plastics. Some plastic will soften at 400 degrees F.) and the work piece may be permanently damaged.

Here are some cases where hot melt saved the day: · I did not have the correct drill and countersink that would allow me to screw together 2 pieces of very hard oak. I hot melted them and was done in a few minutes. · I need a spacer to hold magnet where it would be aligned with a metal latch. I build the spacer from several layers of hot melt. Then on the last layer I inserted the magnet and closed the door. The magnet floated into alignment with the metal catch and then the hot melt cooled. · I am installing molding but there is no stud in an area where the wall bows in. The trim will be stained and I don?t want to use caulk to fill the gap. I hold the molding to the sheetrock for 30 seconds and the job is done. · The hole attaching an armrest on a chair has opened up where wood glue will not properly span the gap. Using hot melt accomplishes both gluing and filling. · I could go on for days.

Hot Melt Glue Guns Holt melt glue guns are made my Loctite, Ad-Tech, Bostik and Arrow. The Arrow (shown in the picture) is available at Home Depot and Lowes for around 10 dollars. Go ahead and buy extra glue when you buy the gun. It goes fast.

If you are looking for a hot melt for a special application then there are tons of more expensive application specific glues. Here are some of the application where specific hot melts have been formulated: Carton Closing Paper, Styrofoam, Plastics, Softwood Wood, Paper, Foam Sand Cores, Porous Clear General Purpose Clear General Purpose Paper, Fabrics Paper, Fabrics Best general Purpose, Plastics Ceramic, Porcelain Rubber, Plastics Polypropylene General Purpose-High Strength General Purpose-Low Temp. Flexibility UL94V-0 Fire Retardant General Purpose-High Strength-Low Temp Potting, Encapsulating For more advanced users you can get colored glues and bulk feed glue guns.


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