My first work with a hot glue pistol was quite simple, I glued some decorative stones to a wooden photo frame. I gave it away as a gift and now, 3 months later, the person I gave it to tells me that they fell off! What could be the problem? Will my other work be "lost" as well? I made some towers made out of little stones, all glued with a hot glue pistol and I really don't want them to crash into pieces... What are your experiences with hot glue pistols?
John2014-03-07T13:47:38Z
Favorite Answer
Hot glue is pretty strong for crafts. Your stone towers shouldn't come crashing down as long as you don't drop them or whack them off a table. Sometimes hot glue can't get a nice, strong stick to some surfaces (maybe rock to wood) but it should hold up. Hot glue is mainly used for gluing craft materials like cardboard and googly eyes. That frame must have been dropped a couple times over those 3 months. Your towers shouldn't spontaneously collapse and if some rocks fall off, clean me up and clue them back on with hot glue or a different, stronger glue.
I don't like hot melt glue - it works for things I don't do much of like cloth on wood, plastic, or small light items and when I have tried it the materials - metal or glass - cooled the glue so quickly it didn't get much of a chance to adhere. But all glues require at least a clean surface and if glossy, a slightly scuff sanded surface. If you hot melt glued onto painted or shiny surfaces that you had handled, the oils from your fingers would weaken the joint - cleaning with alcohol deals with this.