Tastes of Culture

Adhesives and which to choose for what purpose? There are so many in our stockists. These can be an actual paste or glue that we are able to stick with various surfaces. Which are the strongest? Synthetics glues are very, very strong. They harden easily and wear so well.

Not only this, they can be used on metals, and both porous and non porous materials. They tend to actually set rock hard and do not seem to shrink. They are usually available to buy in tubes.

Polyester resins, when they are hardened, are good for fibre glass. The resin being similar to epoxies, which do not shrink.

Different parts of animals will make up animal glues. Gelatine, used in cooking, is made from hide and bone and also glue cakes. If you want a glue to stand up to high temperatures, a silicone is needed which is waterproof, and often used with cables for electrics.

Designers, in fact, often use the aerosol “Spray Mount”, as this creates an instant bond which you can reposition before it sets. The advantages being that it does not stain, it is clear and is a very fine mist when you spray.

There will be no pitfalls, like very fine paper ripping. No matter how fine the surface, as it is so fine a spray. However, this substance is very highly flammable and you do not want to inhale the fumes. So wherever you spray, ensure the area is well ventilated.

So many glues for so many different purposes! Take “Spray Mount”, this is good for papers of any weight. But if it is fabric you need to stick, you need an animal glue, but this too, will stick paper.

Cellulose glues you can use for card, polystyrene, plastic and paper. Whereas polyester resins are used with glass, plastic and metal. Vegetable glues can be used for all weights of paper and card. You would need an epoxy resin for stones, glass, plastic, wood or metal. Urethanes are ideal for leather, rubber, plastic, metal and wood.

Cellulose is quite a safe glue for children to use. These are not strong enough for fabric, metal or glass. However, they are ideal for paper and card.

Superglues are liquid glues which can be spread thinly on to the surfaces to be stuck together, leaving them to go tacky. The cause of this being evaporation of the resin in the solvent.

Once these have set you, would be hard pushed to move them. So it is easy to see that this is ideal for wood or metal, but cannot be used on glass. If you need an adhesive for metal, glass, or porous materials, stick with polyurethane.

How we all seem to fish out the superglue at the drop of a hat. We all love it and expect it to stick any number of surfaces, and it usually does, including ourselves, to our detriment.

So beware, this can be a pretty nasty experience. Whatever you do, keep these well away from children. So the message is, handle your glues with care. Glues go back to historic times where even beeswax was used and Egyptians used glues from vegetables and animals.