glue guns

The History of Glue and Glue Guns

What is a glue gun exactly? When most people think about glue guns, they think about doing crafts or small home repairs, but glue guns are used all the time in hundreds of different ways to make the products we use every day. Both glue and glue guns are essential for many modern applications and that’s because, in terms of safety, accuracy, and convenience, they are such an improvement on how glue used to be applied.

What is glue made of?

A hundred or more years ago glue was commonly made from the spare parts of butchered animals. Horns, bones, hooves, and other tissues were boiled down for the collagen they contain – which works fairly well to stick some things together. This is where the expression about an old horse – “He’s only fit for the glue factory now” – comes from. One problem with this kind of glue is that it is organic and water soluble, which means that in hot, humid places the glue would often break down over time. Some other glues were also made from resins of trees – particularly coniferous trees.

These types of glues were typically applied with a brush. They were heated until very hot and then brushed on. Factory workers often burned themselves using it, and even when they did apply the liquid glue carefully, exactitude was tricky, and the glue took time to dry. Imagine trying to attach Instabind to a piece of carpet with boiling hot Elmer’s glue, and you’ll get the idea.

Many modern glues are not organic, but plastic. Paul Cope invented a thermoplastic adhesive for Proctor and Gamble in the 1940’s, and later in that decade George Schultz invented the Polygun, an industrial glue gun, after seeing workers burned and bandaged fingers at a shoe factory. He is credited with inventing what we know as the glue-stick glue gun today and went on to found the Industrial Shoe Machinery company which 3M bought in 1973.

How does a glue gun work?

The glue in a glue gun is not water based. It’s a thermoplastic adhesive and will hold its shape and grip on a material over time. The glue sticks used in glue guns must be heated to apply. They are fed into a glue gun, melted, and then passed through the barrel of the gun onto the targeted area where the glue cools, solidifies, and sets, creating a secure bond.

The advantages to glue guns over old fashioned glue pots and brushes are many. They aren’t water soluble so they won’t dissolve in humidity. They can be applied in a straight line easily, and the glue cools very fast and makes a tough bond between materials. Also, glue guns are designed to make sure that fingers and glue do not come into contact, making them a much safer option over the traditional brushes.

Bond Products carries a number of different types of glue guns for carpet, craft, or other jobs. They’re a must have in the carpet business or for do-it-yourselfers. Check out our glue and glue gun selection today!

 

 

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