Hot Melt Glue Guns

[Greg Portland]

Glue guns! What is everyone using for their hot melt glue applications? I have had bad luck with both the gun and adhesive and am looking for recommendations. Typically the glue instantly solidifies on the surface and I am unable to get an even bond.

[Dave Lehnert]

I have a cordless glue gun.
Hot melt glue, in my opinion, is not much help in woodworking. Hot melt glue just sits on the service. Does not soak in like a yellow woodworking glue.
Good only to tack things like felt lining in a jewelry box or the like.

[Brian Backner]

Hot melt glue guns can actually do a good job in woodworking, but you have to go with some serious, corded ones. Don't have a link handy, but 3M sells some guns that are upwards of 400 watts that can feed something like 10# an hour of 11" long by 5/8" diameter glue sticks. They look like something out of StarWars and have prices to match.

There are multiple industrial grades of glue sticks and you usually have to buy them in case lots - 10 to 25#.

Brian
Taxachusetts

[Greg Portland]

Thanks guys, I'm considering something like this:

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/200...e-Gun-Kit.aspx

Corded is fine but I want to bond dissimilar materials and have a reasonable open time (45 seconds or more).

[Greg Portland]

Has anyone used the linked product or other options? This would be used for quick and dirty jigs and projects, not fine WWing.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Removed - see below

[Dan Hintz]

A residential electrician using a glue gun in his work? That's a scary thought... can't think of any place useful to use it that would still meet code...

[Rick Lizek]

Regular hotmelt glue has a place. To get a better bond preheat the surfaces with an iron or heat gun. One use is for quick mock ups.

[Peter Quinn]

Its great for gluing plywood drawer bottoms in place so they wont rattle (just a little bead in the bottom corners does wonders), and assembling complex template shapes from small strips of 1/4" mdf. I've used it to template irregular door openings on old work to make scribing a new door to an old opening easier. I'm using whatever basic hot melt glue gun my local true value sells. At work we have a 3M, and it heats and flows faster, but the glue is the same stuff AFAICT. One nice thing about regular hot melt is that it can be undone, so you could hot melt small parts to a larger piece of stock and pass them by a router or perhaps shaper, then heat them with a heat gun and release.

I saw a demo of that hi-pur system at my local lumber yard, and that is a whole different thing. That is a quick, permanent strong bond for a variety of materials, and its pretty expensive. They were using it to glue casings and outside crown miters, even face frame joints. Very strong, short clamp times. I don't use it because I'm cheap and not in a rush, but its a cool system.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Removed - see below

[Paul McGaha]

I'm thinking the electrician is using the glue to glue a plastic electrical box to wooden studs in residental construction.The boxes are ususally nailed to studs and come with nails included but sometimes if two studs are very close together its hard to drive the nails. He's probably removing the nails and using the hot melt glue.

PHM

[Dan Hintz]

I'm thinking the electrician is using the glue to glue a plastic electrical box to wooden studs in residental construction.

A very good possibility, and one I wouldn't have minded using on several remodel jobs... I can't think of anything in the NEC that would specifically forbid such a mount, but then I'm no code expert.

The first thing that came to mind was some sparky gluing wires to 2x4s a few inches from the box instead of stapling, and I'm pretty sure code is a little more specific on that one (though I question the specificity at the moment).

[Rich Engelhardt]

For what ever reason, some chose to interpert earlier comments I made as inferring one of the oldest and most respected businesses in the area would perform shoddy work or work that's not up to code.

That's not the case at all.

Their work and business ethic is above reproach.

[Dan Hintz]

Rich,

Paul had some good suggestions on where the glue gun might be used, solving a difficult problem with a minimum of mess/fuss and staying within code. Do you know how it is being used?

[Paul McGaha]

Rich,

My post was not meant to be negative in any way nor to offend anyone.

I'm an electrician by trade and I am just taking a guess at what they might be doing with the hot melt glue.

I've done similar things to get boxes mounted in difficult situations.

PHM