What glues should I use?
Let's face it, as an artist or crafter, finding the right glue for the task can be a little daunting. In my Facebook groups, I often see questions from members asking about which glue is best for which project.
The answer is: It depends on the material you are working with. I can point you to websites that will give you a decent breakdown of all the pros and cons of each type of glue, but I'd also like to share some of my personal experiences/insider info with you because I think it will save you a ton of trouble and time!
I've encountered most varieties of glues since my foray into art a few years ago, including hot glue, Super Glue, Aleene's Tacky Glue (I love the clear gel version), Mod Podge, Elmer's School Glue, spray adhesives, Gorilla and E6000 (similar properties as GOOP).
I started making seashell mosaics with mostly self-collected seashells in 2017 after moving to the beach. I would spend hours combing the local beaches for coastal treasures! As far as gluing seashells on a substrate (surface), I would recommend using your trusty hot glue gun for the foundation (or first layer of your project), and then reinforce it with a multi-purpose, flexible, slow-drying glue, like E6000 or similar. This will allow for a long term bond! If you're working in several layers, I recommend you let each layer dry first as you proceed.
Note: If you've never used a hot glue gun, avoid burning yourself by wearing gloves or finger guards! High temp hot glue guns cause excruciating burns, be mindful of that! We'll get into hot glue in another segment.E6000
The holy grail of all glues! Not really, but it's pretty good overall. A few things I didn't know about it, including:
It comes in black, white and clear, although it's clear drying
It's NOT the same as Gorilla Glue, which is a Polyurethane glue
It's composed of some interesting ingredients that sound horrific when individually listed
It's SUPER flexible, is considered a multipurpose High Build Epoxy Coating, industrial strength
It should NOT be confused with Epoxy Resin
You can turn in into glitter glue
You can use it on ALMOST anything, except Styrofoam!
Relatively easy to remove, soap and water does the trick!
Has fumes, so use necessary precautions
I would suggest buying the smaller size tubes if you are not going to use a lot at once, as the bigger ones tend to seize up if t's not used for a while
You can find more about the pros and cons of E6000 here: https://youtu.be/b2Dd2_BjEWY
To be continued....
Thank you for following my BLOG! Til next time!
Theresa