Adhesive
For a general and scholarly article about Adhesives see Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adhesives
Adhesives By Purpose
Wood
- PVA
- Animal
- Resin
- Polyurethane
- Acrylic
see Wood glues
Metal
- Epoxy
- Polyurethane
- Contact
Plastics - PVC, ABS
- Solvent glues
- Solvents
- Household gloss paint will glue pvc
Plastics - hard
- Epoxy
- Polyurethane
- ...
Plastics - polyethylene, nylon
- no glue can stick these directly
- flamed polythene and nylon can be glued
- melting the surfaces together also works, if both materials being joined are the same substance.
Fabric
- Latex, eg Copydex
Paper & Card
- PVA
- Gum
- Glue sticks (eg Pritt-stick) (PVA or PVP)
- Spray-type photo fixing etc
- Wallpaper paste
- Starch
Oil lines
- Red hermetite
Plaster
to consolidate & stabilise loose plaster:
- dilute PVA
- limewash
Adhesives By Type
cyanoacrylate (superglue)
2 part epoxy ("Araldite" etc)
- Tough
- chemical resistant.
- Some types are heat resistant, some not. The ones that aren't may claim they are on the basis that they survive heat, even if they do lose all strength when hot.
- Car accessory shops sell tougher epoxies than Araldite.
- Available as liquid resin tubes, putty sticks, or in standard building cartridges with automatic mixing nozzles.
- The quick setting types are much weaker
- Heating the mix (in tinfoil on a low ring) until runny makes it set very much faster. Don't overheat it.
- vulnerable to uv
See also:
hot-melt glue
- Almost instant setting
- Handy for creating structures where glue needs to set at each stage before the next can be glued
- not the strongest most durable glue
- Most common hot melt glue stick chemistry is amorphous polypropylene plus tackifiers and fillers. Several other chemistries also exist.
- Polyethylene requires temperatures above those of standard retail glue guns to work, if you put polythene in an ordinary glue gun it will just soften enough to block it.
Pdf hot melt glue datasheets: http://www.bostik-us.com/products/index.asp?fa=categories&divisionId=3&categoryId=54
PVA
PVA has a wide range of uses in building and DIY.
- There are White and yellow types of PVA
- A good wood glue
- Reduces permeability of cement mortar & increases adhesion
- Use as a plaster size
- softens when wet
- Exterior grade PVAs available, but are not waterproof
Acrylic mastic type
(e.g. "solvent-free Gripfill/No-more-nails/etc")
Caulk
Caulk is a flexible acrylic formula
Paint sticks to caulk
Solvent based building adhesives
(Gripfill etc)
? type
"Sticks like SH!T" etc
Polyurethane
Polyester resin
- tough
- sticks a wide range of materials
- used in fibreglass work
- available in clear or colours
- car body filler is polyester resin plus fillers
See also:
Silicone
- Silicone sealant is a satisfactory glue in shear, but has little strength in tension.
- Silicone is used to glue glass aquaria together, but this is a tougher formula than builders' silicone sealant.
- Building silicones are RTV, room temperature vulcanised.
Solvent cements
eg perspex in acetone
Tile adhesives
- Cement based most popular
See BAL Adhesives guide for information on different types
Wallpaper Paste
how long will it store once mixed?
Starch
- Glue for wallpaper, card & paper.
- To make starch glue, boil some starch (eg flour, oats, etc) until it changes from white to semi-clear. Add a little alum to prevent mould if you're not using it immediately.
- To make a starch gluestick, parboil a potato. Suitable for gluing paper, just wipe with the potato and press together. Will not store.
Adhesive Selector Grid
Which adhesive is best for any 2 given materials?
http://www.elessar.org.uk/adhesives.pdf
Preparation
In the great majority of cases, to obtain a good bond surfaces should be prepared so they are:
- clean
- dry
- loose or flaky material removed
- degreased
Moulding tools
Sometimes adhesives need to be moulded.
Fugee & Fugenboy
PTFE
Polythene
Fillers
Fillers are used in gapfilling adhesives to reduce cost. They do affect the adhesive properties to some extent.
Suppliers
- Builder's merchants
- diy sheds
- car accessory shops
- http://www.cfsnet.co.uk/
See Also
Book: 'On boat construction' by Gougeon Brothers is an expert guide to use of epoxies.
BAL Adhesives tables