Glue Gun Recommendation

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Paul920

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Hi all,
Looking to buy a glue gun. Never used one before, want to have a little play around with some woodworking projects, shelving, cupboard doors etc. Really I want to see how strong the bond is, how it finishes, and how long it takes to go off. All I can see is that they come in 7mm and 11mm, the latter is probably what I want, but what else should I look for? Are there different grades of glue? Haven't really found the info on the web. And I would think twice about spending anything over £40. Any tips and recommendations gratefully received.
Thanks, Paul
 
I was just about to make a similar post, as I struggle to see what makes the difference between a £10 gun and a £100 gun for what are basically the same thing - a heater and a trigger.

Here's what I've found so far.
11mm sticks are more 'professional' and there is more variety in glue types
A bigger gun with a bigger trigger is more comfortable to use
There are variable temperature models but I don't really know what value this

That's it really.
 
Paul920 said:
Really I want to see how strong the bond is
Click to expand...
Not very!
Paul920 said:
how long it takes to go off.
Click to expand...
Within a few seconds, literally as soon as it's cooled down, which happens very quickly because the two surfaces you are glueing are at room temperature. If you need/want more time, you have to warm up the two items first.

I wish my cheapo one heated up quicker, that can be annoying, so more watts is better.
 
^woody^ said:
I was just about to make a similar post, as I struggle to see what makes the difference between a £10 gun and a £100 gun for what are basically the same thing - a heater and a trigger.

Here's what I've found so far.
11mm sticks are more 'professional' and there is more variety in glue types
A bigger gun with a bigger trigger is more comfortable to use
There are variable temperature models but I don't really know what value this

That's it really.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's pretty much where I'd got to. I think the more expensive guns may have a steadier, cleaner glue feed, and actually I don't know anything about the different glue types, except you can get different colours. Any more info on the glue?
 
Paul920 said:
Yeah, that's pretty much where I'd got to. I think the more expensive guns may have a steadier, cleaner glue feed, and actually I don't know anything about the different glue types, except you can get different colours. Any more info on the glue?
Click to expand...
If you search on something like 'professional hot melt adhesive' you will find various info on professional grade glue from the main makers such as 3m and Henkel.

I found out that there is a "high temperature" melt glue which is for things such as glass, metal and plastics and non-absorbent materials. It can be a bit expensive (relative to the common stuff you see advertised) but it does appear to work well. But what type of gun this needs I'm not sure as it may well work in a high watt basic gun.

There is specific wood glue too.

I can't see it being easy to change the type of glue for different uses, so that does seem to be a case of using a general purpose glue or having several guns for specialist glue with different materials.
 
Generally, consider glue sticks to be made from polyethylene or its close derivatives.....colourings and thickeners such as talc are used too.
It's non toxic at normal use temperatures and doesn't absorb into most materials apart from cloth and loose particulates.
For sure, hot glue has it's uses but doesn't give you much time to cramp up or whatever.
I use it generally for reinforcing plastic items that have fractured, where a good web or layer of adhesive can give more strength.
John :)
 
rsgaz said:
so more watts is better.
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I second that. It's frustrating having to wait for the stick to melt. If you need to glue a largish area, the first bit of glue on the workpiece can go solid before the last bit of glue is applied.
 
Glue is gun is a not really for strong permanent fixing. The stick size is for modeling or bigger sticks for workshop larger projects. Some use glue to temporary hold wood projects, so you use wood glue and then glue gun to hold with fast setting hot glue. This holds and sets in about a minute so you can crack on building. Mostly used for craft work or temporary holding as can be brocken apart, unless you add wood glue at the same time
 
Thanks for all the replies. I actually got interested watching this dude doing this... No screws, biscuits or dowels, he just butts it in.
 
^woody^ said:
If you search on something like 'professional hot melt adhesive' you will find various info on professional grade glue from the main makers such as 3m and Henkel.

I found out that there is a "high temperature" melt glue which is for things such as glass, metal and plastics and non-absorbent materials. It can be a bit expensive (relative to the common stuff you see advertised) but it does appear to work well. But what type of gun this needs I'm not sure as it may well work in a high watt basic gun.

There is specific wood glue too.

I can't see it being easy to change the type of glue for different uses, so that does seem to be a case of using a general purpose glue or having several guns for specialist glue with different materials.
Click to expand...

Interesting, thanks, I'll investigate further.
 
If you need to stick large pieces of wood together permanently then I can recommend Lumberjack glue 5 or 30 mins setting times.
 
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