I saw someone on a video have a small Glue stick in their EDC pack and I thought, "Thought could serve a purpose." but didn't really give it much thought. Then I saw someone mention it on here, but not elaborate. Could you guys give some rolling ideas of what to do with a Glue stick for a hot glue gun? I'm asking for rolling ideas because I searched the entire form and couldn't find a single thread on the subject and if someone else searches it would be cool if they could immediately find some good ideas.
Glue stick (hot glue gun, glue stick)
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FYI, so called "hot glue" is not really an adhesive or a glue- its plastic that you melt in a controlled way. Lots of things stick to melted plastic, but its difficult to work with under cold conditions.
For some reason the search never works for me either using keywords, but im a special kinda dumb.
I just use google and SB is usually top of the list for me. If that doesnt work then add the site to the search phrase.
https://www.google.com/search?q=Hot...ot+Glue+Sticks+site:www.survivalistboards.com
or search phrase "Topic" "site:xxx as typed below
Hot Glue Sticks site:www.survivalistboards.com
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Hot glue gun sticks work well in field repair. Set it on fire with your BIC and drip it into place, work quickly as once stiff it looses it's stickiness. Stays somewhat flexible. For a more ridged repair there is ferrule cement used on fishing rods joints and for arrows points and nocks. Set on fire and wipe on the exposed piece. Both have excellent shelf life and can be reactivated with heat.
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Check my sig below. It explains how to use Google to effectively search this (or any) site.
For instance, to search "hot glue stick" put this in Google's search box:
site:survivalistboards.com hot glue stick
You'll find interesting things, including this thread and the one referenced above.
oooooookkkkkkkkkkk.... I've been doing a lot of research..... A **lot**.... And I've actually found people that used hot glue sticks to make all kinds of stuff in the the field.
Carved arrow shafts and glued the arrow heads to them
Knife handle popped off, and glued that back on
Fishing pole tip popped off, glued that back on
Joining random pieces of wood together to make random bushcraft stuff.
Etc
Here's what they all said..... It sucks.
The Glue breaks down almost immediately and things start wiggling, it doesn't bond very well at all and in hotter conditions once initially melted, doesn't really ever solidify like it was before. Making it help break down faster. Good news though! There is something that ***EVERYONE**F agreed works 100% of the time.
GORILLA GLUE!
And quick search shows that it is now sold in super convenient 2oz travel size bottles for cheap.
Original brown formula:
Carved arrow shafts and glued the arrow heads to them
Knife handle popped off, and glued that back on
Fishing pole tip popped off, glued that back on
Joining random pieces of wood together to make random bushcraft stuff.
Etc
Here's what they all said..... It sucks.
The Glue breaks down almost immediately and things start wiggling, it doesn't bond very well at all and in hotter conditions once initially melted, doesn't really ever solidify like it was before. Making it help break down faster. Good news though! There is something that ***EVERYONE**F agreed works 100% of the time.
GORILLA GLUE!
And quick search shows that it is now sold in super convenient 2oz travel size bottles for cheap.
Original brown formula:
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I'm not going to claim this works all the time, and undoubtedly it depends on the items being glued, but what I've found with glue sticks is that heating the items I'm gluing makes it work better. That is, a cold item will cause the hot glue to cool very fast, so fast sometimes that it doesn't want to stick. So I warm up the item I'm gluing, and it works far better.
How do you do that? In my shop, I'll warm up the item with a heat gun or maybe put it next to a light bulb in a trouble light. Out in the field, it's a bit tougher but not extremely so--warm up the item with a butane lighter or a candle; hold the item pieces next to the flame, not above it, and warm them up.
The other thing about glue sticks is that they're somewhat pliable. You don't end up with a hard unmoving bond--it's slightly flexible. If the glue repair requires some flexibility, it's fine.
Like anything else, it has to be the right tool for the job. I don't have any of these in my BOB, but I think I'll toss a couple in--and maybe a couple in my car kits as well. I have some super glue tubes in my BOB--maybe I'll toss in some Gorilla glue too if I can find the small tubes.
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5,316 Posts
You need to understand what it is good for and what it is not.
I've used it to make clothing before, yes, clothing. I used it to make my ghillie suits. It's now 5 years later and they show no sign of coming undone. But if you use it on the wrong kind of fabric it will come undone immediately. That's one of the few instances where it can be used to "bond" things together.
Aside from that, it is more of a "filler" than a glue. If you have something than needs to be reinforced and filled in, hot glue may work well on that. But what it will almost never be good for is glueing one solid object to another.
Gorilla glue...I have seen it but never used it. I'll be sure to pick some up soon.
I've used it to make clothing before, yes, clothing. I used it to make my ghillie suits. It's now 5 years later and they show no sign of coming undone. But if you use it on the wrong kind of fabric it will come undone immediately. That's one of the few instances where it can be used to "bond" things together.
Aside from that, it is more of a "filler" than a glue. If you have something than needs to be reinforced and filled in, hot glue may work well on that. But what it will almost never be good for is glueing one solid object to another.
Gorilla glue...I have seen it but never used it. I'll be sure to pick some up soon.
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Works fine for me.
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If you look at the signature line of some STAFF posts, you may find an answer to your concerns about searching this site.
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Odd, I think I've heard that advice somewhere before.
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