Glue Guns?????????

[Vicki S]

Hey

I'm gonna make my fur babies some home made toys.

I was gonna use PVA glue then someone recommended Glue Guns as they dry quicker (sorry if your reading this I forgot your name :oops: )

Soo for you peeps that use these contraptions which do you feel is best for the job?

Cheers in advance


Vicki

[Angelhamster]

I've no idea but make sure once you've made your toys you take pics and post them! Good luck :-)

[Vicki S]

I will do and thank you :)


Vicki

[Lougarry]

I just bought one from Hobbycraft this week, but I haven't used it yet so not a lot of use to you! It was expensive, though, so I'm sure you could get it cheaper (I'm in a rush as my daughter has to make a Jubilee themed hat for a school competition).

[Vicki S]

I will probably have to order online as the craft shops near me don't sell glue guns :(

Oh and good luck for your daughters hat you should post a thread of her wee hat :)


Vicki

[Lougarry]

Ha ha, depends how it turns out!!

[SpiritHam]

If you are like me and are a little accident prone then pva is the better option. I prefer glue guns, but always manage to burn myself.

[Faerydae]

I use a glue gun whenever I make toys and the fact that the glue dries pretty much instantly makes things SO much easier, using PVA glue you have to hold each part together and wait for it to dry, was just too slow and tedious for me! haha

[KitchenZoo]

i have a glue gun I bought off ebay, I use it to make toy/dummy holders but have used it to repair all sorts of things around the house, it was around £6 and came with a pack of glue sticks. I wouldn't be without it now.

[bugginz]

Hello
A glue gun is fine but don't use the generic glue sticks that come with them. They dry with a rubber texture and are very easy for a hamster to chew through and swallow. Your hamster will either chew it and whatever you have made will fall apart OR your hamster will swallow it.
Really you want to use PVA because it dries hard and smooth. Also PVA doesn't have much of a smell when dry so the possibility of your hamster finding it is low. GOOD NEWS you can buy PVA sticks for a glue gun. See how you go with it though, I very rarely use glue guns because they tend to leave strands and the glue tends to dry in beads. If you just use a stick to apply the PVA, the finish will be smoother and you have more control. Or you can buy adapters for the glue gun to make the application a bit smoother but these tend to be for the more expensive professional glue guns. Sometimes its worth waiting a bit longer for glue to dry because you get a better finish. A good rule to go by is "the longer a glue takes to dry, the longer the glue will last". I own a small tub of very expensive costume glue that costs an arm and a leg and it takes over 48 hours to dry. BEST GLUE IN THE WORLD.

[bugginz]

What material are you planning on gluing? Sometimes its not about the glue you use but HOW you use the glue. If you plan on using regular PVA on wood I recommend mixing the PVA with a very small bit of sand. What this does is make it more like a cement and you can just use a lollypop stick to apply it.
Also people tend to slap PVA on two things and hold them together until it dries. You can only get away with this if you are going to use a stronger primary hold such as nails or screws. The best way to use PVA as a primary hold is to apply it separately to each part and leave it to dry slightly. When the glue is tacky and sticky then put the two sides together and you should get an instant bond. If you use the sand mix PVA on one side and a regular PVA on the other then the bond is even better.

[Vicki S]

Was going to use it on ply wood which was my next question is if ply wood is safe for hammies?



Vicki

[mangoandmimi]

Should be fine, i'd plastikote it to be on the safe side. I've always used plywood, as the hamsters haven't chewed. if they did, i'd be much more careful with what i make.

[Vicki S]

Thank you can't wait to get my wee thread of there homemade toys going up :)
once I get my glue


And is plast kote the same as PVA glue?


Vicki

[mangoandmimi]

No, it's a ham-safe paint. It just prevents wee from soaking into the wood so it can be cleaned easier

[Vicki S]

Thank you i will have a wee look for some can you get in different colours? Is that a really stupid question :oops:



Vicki

[mangoandmimi]

Yeah, comes in different colours including clear. You can get it in tubs to paint on with a brush, or theres spray cans. spray cans work out cheaper but apparently it can start to peel, though so far it's been fine for me.

[Vicki S]

Cheers I think I have found there website the purple looks awesome and has anyone used the metallic version?

The only prob is I seem to err don't know how to order it I have clicked on it and all and put in how many m2 it's needed to do but can't get any further than that



Vicki