What is a glue gun and how to use it?

If you have not yet acquired such a useful tool as a glue gun, you should seriously think about purchasing one. This is a multi-purpose electrical appliance designed for melting polyurethane rods. The molten material perfectly glues various materials, providing a reliable and durable seam that is resistant to water and various liquids.

Thanks to the properties of polyurethane, the molten mass can be used for gluing plastic, metal, wood or for creating various decorative products, design, and modeling. Such tools are widely used by builders, designers, florists; a heat gun is also suitable for children's creativity.

What can be glued with a hot glue gun?

The wide range of applications of the glue gun is due to the versatility of polyurethane. The composition melts at a temperature of 105°C and can glue almost any material that is resistant to such heat.True, there are also high-temperature polyamide rods that melt at 150°C - they should be used if the parts to be connected may be exposed to elevated temperatures, for example, if they are located near a heating device or radiator.

Important!

After polymerization, the composition does not lose its properties and can be re-melted under the influence of appropriate temperatures - this should be taken into account before performing work.

Products from what materials can be joined with polyurethane glue?

• Textiles - leather, cotton fabrics, silk, linen and others, with the exception of synthetics, which may be susceptible to high temperatures.
• Wood of all types - industrial, semi-industrial, firewood, as well as various materials made from wood waste.
• Rubber, many types of plastic, dense polyethylene (including reinforced polyethylene), polymers.
• Some types of ceramics, faience, glass.
• Metal products.
• Paper, cardboard.

However, when working, you should take into account the characteristics of the material itself. When gluing metal, the composition must be additionally heated with a hair dryer, since the base has high thermal conductivity, the applied sticker instantly polymerizes. When working with ceramics, it is recommended to sand the area to be glued, removing the top layer of glaze.

How to use a glue gun?

In fact, using a glue gun is very simple - the main controls are a trigger key, a temperature regulator (if available), a pusher sleeve, and a pistol-type handle.

A polyurethane glue stick is loaded into the gun from the back, the key acts on the pusher sleeve, moving the rod into a two-component thermal chamber made of metal and plastic, where heating occurs. After about 3-5 minutes, the mass is ready for use.

Using a trigger, the remaining sticker is pushed, creating pressure, towards the heat chamber and squeezing liquid glue through the nozzle. In this way, the entire rod gradually warms up, after which a new one should be installed.

Operating rules

How to use a glue gun correctly? The general rules are simple.

• It is necessary to prepare all the necessary materials in advance and outline the connection points of the parts.
• Clean the materials to be bonded from dust, technical liquids or other contaminants.
• Turn on the device or connect it to the power supply, placing it on a special stand.
• Insert the glue stick into the gun. Even if a nipple is installed in the nozzle, the melt will still come out, so you should place a piece of cardboard under it.
• Do not use force when pressing the trigger; the performance of the heat gun depends on its power and the temperature in the heating chamber. Excessive mechanical stress can lead to rapid failure.
• The glue comes out intensively when you press a key, it is applied pointwise or over the entire plane, the main thing is to take into account the polymerization time, which rarely exceeds 15 minutes.
• After applying the composition, quickly connect the elements to be glued.
• Upon completion of work, the nozzle should be cleaned of any glue residue.

During breaks between work, it is recommended to unplug the glue gun - this will reduce the consumption of the adhesive composition.

Using the device in construction

Using a heat gun you can carry out various construction and repair work. For such purposes, powerful models with a large diameter glue stick are best suited. They can quickly distribute a large volume of adhesive over a vertical or horizontal surface.

What kind of construction and repair work can be done with a glue gun?

• Fill cavities, cracks and even small to medium sized holes.
• Secure wires or utilities.
• Connect glass parts or glue glass elements to the base.
• The polyurethane composition qualitatively glues wooden and plastic skirting boards, lightweight polymer structures that will not be subject to heavy loads, plastic panels, hooks, and decorative ornaments.

The polyurethane composition adheres well to almost all surfaces, but you should know when working with which materials its properties are useless:

• concrete;
• brick;
• silicone;
• drywall;
• Styrofoam;
• low density polyethylene.

Using a heat gun to create decorative items

The universal polymer composition is very convenient to heat up and make various piece products from it, perform decorative work or paint with the molten mass of different colors. Often a glue gun is used in modeling, making frames and other structures.

Advice

If the device is purchased for handicrafts, special attention should be paid to its configuration - some models provide a number of different nozzles with different nozzle diameters or an elongated feed spout, which is convenient when working in “blind spots” or recesses.

How to choose a heat gun?

The market offers a wide selection of different models and modifications of heat guns. To determine which one is best suited for certain tasks, you need to clearly define the purpose of the acquisition.

If you need the device for handicrafts, then it is better to choose a tool for small-diameter stickers. Productive models are suitable for repair or construction - they are capable of dispensing a significant amount of melt, which is required for gluing large areas.

Before choosing a suitable glue gun, you should understand its basic technical parameters.

• Power.

In amateur-class pistols, the heater power rarely exceeds 150 W; professional devices are an order of magnitude more powerful and consume 300 W or more. However, this characteristic is only important when purchasing tools for construction work, when the speed of adhesive supply plays a decisive role.

• Performance.

The parameter indicates how much of the composition is released in one minute. The average value is from 5 to 30 g.

• Temperature regime.

Standard rods melt at a temperature of 105°C, but most models heat the composition at a temperature of 170-190°C. The technological solution is being implemented to reduce the initial heating time of the sticker, as well as for convenience - such tools efficiently melt any rods, including high-temperature ones. There are also low-temperature guns with a limit value of 105–110°C.

Functional and design features

Structurally, all heat guns are quite similar to each other: compact dimensions, mains power, trigger key.However, if you plan to frequently work with the tool and perform various operations with it, pay attention to its option.

By the way, the functionality of a seemingly simple tool is impressive.

1. Temperature adjustment - it can be smooth or stepped. A wide range of temperature settings is certainly a big advantage, but such devices are more expensive.
2. The presence of automation - sometimes the temperature is “monitored” by a microprocessor, which independently sets the optimal temperature at different stages of operation (warm-up, application, standby mode).
3. Indicator - will tell you when the mass has melted and is ready for application.
4. Power button – you won’t have to unplug the gun between uses.
5. Inspection window - will allow you to control the remainder of the adhesive mass, as well as monitor the integrity of the coupling (the coupling holds the molten glue, but over time the rubber parts wear out and the composition penetrates inside the body, which leads to more serious damage).

Among the design features, it is worth noting the ability to disconnect the power cable, this will allow you to use the glue gun autonomously for 15-20 minutes.

Models are also distinguished by type of power: mains and battery. Battery operation greatly expands your freedom of action, but in this case, the time you can use the tool is limited by the battery capacity. On average, cordless guns can be used for no longer than 45 minutes before requiring recharging.

What you need to know about glue sticks?

The glue gun is designed for melting polyurethane rods, they are also called stickers. The adhesive composition is classified by diameter, length, color and purpose.The dimensions of the rod are mostly standard: diameter - 7 or 11 mm, length - from 10 to 30 cm. There are other, less common types.

The purpose of the glue is conventionally indicated by color:

• transparent – ​​universal use;
• black – for sealing;
• red – high temperature.

However, this is not a strict requirement; each manufacturer can deviate from the basic rules. The detailed composition and scope of application of the sticker must be indicated on the packaging.

Compositions for universal use are produced in a wide range of colors; metallized and shiny stickers are also available. Thus, the glue gun can be used for creativity and the popular “hand-made” trend today, for repairing, sealing and gluing products of any color.