When I found my dad’s hot-glue gun in the toybox … I mean tool box, I didn’t know for what project I would use it.
Then I saw that old HO scale, MDC zinc casting of an 0-6-0 switcher on the corner of the workbench just waiting to be stuck together.
I put two and two together to yield a messy, but fast clinging result: hot glue gun glue sticks (for now) to zinc. I also used small drops of the melted glue to place a 1mm LED for a headlight and smooth a custom lense over top of it.
So far, the glue seems to hold on freshly cleaned zinc, sticks also to some brass. It cools rather quickly, though and the strings that it leaves behind need to be trimmed,shaved and sliced. I am satisfied with the effect, though – especially with the LED headlamp trick.
Let me know if I’m running on dangerous ground or what other work hot glue gun uses there are.
Just went out and bought one myself–a low-temp WS gun with the WS low-temp glue sticks. I’ve got about a TON of Cripplebush rubber rocks coming in this week, and it’s recommended that I use a hot glue gun to attach them to the scenery. Never used one before, so it’ll be interesting to see what it’s all about. I hear that once it sets up, it’s like Iron, so I’ll be looking forward to seeing how it works, myself.
I have a feeling that we’ll both get a lot of helpful advice on this thread. [:D]
Hot glue has no tensile strength - it will crack off with a sharp impact - example, to glue Corian countertops together, you hot glue blocks to two pieces and use the blocks to clamp the halves together, after the Corian epoxy sets, remove the clamps and a sharp, but not hard, rap with a hammer will break the glue blocks right off. It’s also not recommended for long-term application. The low temp is good for styrofoam but I would not use the other stuff for any application subject to motion/impacts - such as locos & rolling stock. [:)]
I use one to glue my lichen and furnace filter material onto the trunks when I build my trees. Use it to glue my card board and screen together when doing mountains too.
Got to agree with Ivenhen though. Tried it for some counter top work and it failed miserably!
I wouldn’t think it would work on metal much better.
I was going to call my railroad “the Hot Glue & LiquidNails Railroad”. I’ve used hot glue (both hi and lo temp) to attach all kinds of things on the layout, everything from benchwork, sub roadbed, foam, foamcore buildings, scenery, tunnel portals, plate girder bridge sections to plywood cores, rocks, trees,…,I’ve even used it create track elevation supports (instead of shims) by putting the nozzle between a couple of ties and squeezing in a blob until it comes up to the bottom of the ties.
If you don’t want something to come apart, like wood to wood (or other porous materials) use Hi-Temp, for foam and most other scenery stuff use Low-Temp. Hi-temp and wood joints are permanent, you can bang on them all you want and you’ll just end up breaking the wood, not the joint.
Best buy is Walmart, get a bag each of 8" sticks (one Hi, one Low), (craft department)…
The hot glue gun is the only way to go for attaching small stuff that doesn’t like to stand on its own while the glue dries… like trees and people. Zap 'em once and they’re in place and straight for good. But I find the cobweb-strings still lurking months later.
Thank you for the information. Now maybe I can get rid of that droopy forest I’ve got near Middle Fork. NOTHING seems to work. I’m really sick and tired of looking at 45-degree angle pines.
I agree that hot glue is best for scenery elements, since it seems to be used mostly for craft applications anyway. This is the first I’ve heard of anyone assembling a locomotive with it. Doesn’t the kit screw together? Hot glue generally leaves gaps between parts when it hardens, especially on cold metal castings.
If you ever want to break a hot glue bond, use Bestine. It makes it crumble almost instantly.
I never thought that I would use a hot glue gun for any MR application. There has always been a few of them in my house with my wife and kids doing floral, craft and school projects.
As mentioned, I wouldn’t use it for frames or bonding metal that will have to withstand any stress. Epoxies and other adhesives would do a far better job for this.
When the hot glue was reccommended for the Cripplebush rubber rocks, I still tried other methods to adhere them. Liquid nail and Ceramic tile mastic work, but applying these large rubber pieces really need that instant/ quick hold to continue setting. So it was, I ended up using the med. and low temp sticks in the gun. The strings are definatly a pain and some of the hot glue that needs to be used almost like a caulking at seams showed. I had planned on painting the exposed glue, but some of it actually looked like water creaping through the rock and left it.
The counter top application as mentioned is to tempararily place clamping blocks and it will pop right off plastic laminate or granite. The method used now is vacuumn clamping with threaded pull clamps for Corian and granite epoxied seams. Love to watch these craftsman do this on all my kitchens.
Tom, good luck w/ installing those rubber rocks. Just make sure the backside is cleaned. I found out the hard way when they needed to be reglued.
I learned my lesson about glue guns in high school. We were assigned a project that involved constructing a bridge out of toothpicks and glue. There was a contest to see how much weight it could hold. We were given weeks to do this project, I chose to do it the night before it was due! My bridge hardly held any weight compared to the bridges constructed with wood glue or epoxy. The glue failed on my joints almost immediately. The bridges built with superior adhesives didn’t fail until the actual tooth picks buckled. They held almost three times the weight. This was a lesson on the practical uses for glue guns! I got a C on the project by the way!
I agree with others here that hot glue does not seem to be a good way to hold metal castings together. I use it to hold layers of foam insulation together. It occures to me that I dont know if its low temp or not, just hot glue. Burns my fingers if I get working too fast.