Black and Decker glue gun (and hot glue for wood)
Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 2:58 pm
I've always been a glue snob and have disdained hot glue as the tool of Christmas wreath crafters. But this last Halloween I needed to make my oldest boy into the Clone Trooper Captain Rex, and sheets of craft foam and hot glue were the only way I was going to get it done.
First:
I picked up the B&D GG500 hot glue gun locally on closeout for $15:
http://www.homeandgarden.co.uk/black--d ... 2856-p.asp
It works very, very well. The base makes electrical connection with the gun when you set the gun down, so the gun stays hot between squirts. It has three tips of various sizes. It also has the ability to pull the cord off of the base and plug it directly into the gun if you need to do something really big and can't be putting the gun back on the base all the time.
I just used the standard translucent glue sticks for the costume. They're sold in bulk bins at craft stores for about $.05 each.
(the costume came out really well, by the way.)
Secondly, and the reason I'm posting this now:
I recently got some of the yellow glue sticks intended for wood at Harbor Freight Tools. These are extra-long 10" ones. They said "Hi Temp" so I wasn't sure if the B&D gun would melt them, but they did just fine.
As a test I glued some scraps of 2X4 together with them, and after they cooled I went after them with a crowbar. Instead of the glue failing, the wood itself tore away.
So for really good projects I'd definitely stick with polyurethane or the old standard yellow wood glue in a bottle, but for quick and dirty stuff, the gun and hot glue work really well and are fast. Ditto for the regular craft sticks; as long as it's not a crit application, just squirt and stick. Done.
Just don't get it on you; it's like napalm.
First:
I picked up the B&D GG500 hot glue gun locally on closeout for $15:
http://www.homeandgarden.co.uk/black--d ... 2856-p.asp
It works very, very well. The base makes electrical connection with the gun when you set the gun down, so the gun stays hot between squirts. It has three tips of various sizes. It also has the ability to pull the cord off of the base and plug it directly into the gun if you need to do something really big and can't be putting the gun back on the base all the time.
I just used the standard translucent glue sticks for the costume. They're sold in bulk bins at craft stores for about $.05 each.
(the costume came out really well, by the way.)
Secondly, and the reason I'm posting this now:
I recently got some of the yellow glue sticks intended for wood at Harbor Freight Tools. These are extra-long 10" ones. They said "Hi Temp" so I wasn't sure if the B&D gun would melt them, but they did just fine.
As a test I glued some scraps of 2X4 together with them, and after they cooled I went after them with a crowbar. Instead of the glue failing, the wood itself tore away.
So for really good projects I'd definitely stick with polyurethane or the old standard yellow wood glue in a bottle, but for quick and dirty stuff, the gun and hot glue work really well and are fast. Ditto for the regular craft sticks; as long as it's not a crit application, just squirt and stick. Done.
Just don't get it on you; it's like napalm.
