All About Glue

Types of Adhesives

• Craft/ PVA (polyvinyl acetate) Glue: This includes regular white glue, such as regular Elmer’s glue, school glue and glue sticks. These are great for light-duty projects using porous materials like wood, paper, plastic and cloth.

Set & Drying Time — 1 hour (must be held in place for about 30 minutes)
Curing Time — 24 hours

• Wood Glue: There are many different kinds of wood glue, but the most common type is a yellow PVA glue, and it shares similar bonding and drying properties. The glue becomes rubbery as it sets and solid once completely dry. Wood glue is extremely durable once cured but takes a while to set up, so it’s a good idea to have clamps handy when using wood glue on mid-size or large projects.

Set & Drying Time — Wood glue should be secured/clamped for at least 20–30 minutes while it sets. It dries within an hour.
Curing Time — 24 hours

• Super Glue/Krazy Glue: These glues are also known as cyanoacrylates; they are similar to epoxy glues, but without the two separated parts. They provide strong, durable bonds and are great for metal, glass, ceramics, plastic and rubber.

Set & Drying Time — about 5–15 minutes to set, dry within an hour
Curing Time — 24 hours

• Silicone Adhesives: Silicone adhesives resemble rubber caulking and are often used  in plumbing projects or for glass repair. They are used to create flexible, waterproof bonds for metal, glass, rubber, wood and ceramics. The glue comes in several colors, including black, clear and white.

Set & Drying Time — sets in about 5 minutes and dries within an hour
Curing Time — 24 hours

• Epoxies: Epoxies consist of two substances — an adhesive resin and an activator/hardener — that must be mixed before application. Epoxies are extremely durable and waterproof and work best on rigid surfaces like metal, ceramics and plastics. J.B. Weld is a form of epoxy that works best with metal.

Set & Drying Time — Varies. You can buy some rapid-set epoxies that will set anywhere between 5  minutes and 2 hours. The glue will dry in about 12 hours.
Curing Time — 24–48 hours

• Hot Glue: Heated glue comes in stick form and must be used with glue guns, which come in both corded and cordless and high-temp and low-temp models. High-temp glue guns can heat glue up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit and should be used with caution. Both high- and low-temp guns create moderately strong bonds, making them ideal for lightweight materials and temporary adhesion.

Set & Drying Time — One of the benefits of hot glue is that it sets quite quickly, about 15–30 seconds, and dries in about 5–10 minutes.
Curing Time — 24 hours

• Fabric Glue: There are many different kinds of fabric glue. Some fabric glues are similar to standard PVA/craft glues but provide flexibility and wash resistance. Fusible webbing is another form of fabric adhesive; it comes in strip form and melts under the heat of an iron to bond two fabric surfaces together.

Set & Drying Time — Bottled fabric glue sets in about and hour and dries in about 12 hours.
Curing Time — 24 hours

• Spray Adhesive: Spray adhesives disperse in fine droplets to provide a thin, uniform bonding surface. Spray adhesives work best on lightweight materials, such as paper, fabric and small or thin pieces of plastic, wood, and metal. They come in both high-tack and low-tack varieties; low tack allows you to lift and reposition the materials, while high tack will instantly create a permanent bond upon contact.

Set & Drying Time — Low tack will give you a few minutes before it sets; high tack will set instantly. Dries within 30 minutes.
Curing Time — 24 hours

• Rubber Cement: Rubber cement is made from a mixture of elastic polymers and a solvent that keeps them fluid. The rubbery texture allows you to remove to the material without much damage, which makes it great for mounting posters or artwork or in collage work. It is a fairly toxic substance and should be used in a well-ventilated area.

Set & Drying Time — Glue sets in about 15 minutes and dries within 6 hours.
Curing Time — 24 hours

• Expandable Glues: Gorilla Glue and Zap-A-Gap are popular brands of expanding adhesives. The glues are polyurethane based and extremely durable once cured, making them great for industrial-strength projects and heavy-duty materials including wood, metal, ceramics, glass, plastic and stone. The glue has foaming properties that cause it to expand and fill in cracks within a material. The glue hardens once it dries, allowing you to scrape off any excess with a paint scraper or chisel.

Set & Drying Time — Varies, depending on which type you buy. The standard drying time is about 1–2 hours and about 30 minutes for a fast-dry version.
Curing Time — 24 hours

There you go.....Maybe more than you wanted to learn!  My own toolbox includes:

*The Ultimate by Beacon....It is good for almost everything, and it (eventually) dries clear and hard.
*Quick Grip by Beacon....Similar to E5000, it is less toxic, I believe.  It is quick drying and remains  flexible.
*Zip-Dry by Beacon.....Absolutely the BEST paper glue ever! Paper dries wrinkle free
*Poly Bonder by Lisa Pavelka....Great for anything tiny like jewelry, small charms....Dries almost instantly.
*Fabri-Tac by Beacon...For all fabric! Nothing else comes close

And, no, I am not on Beacon's payroll.  They developed their glues for the airliner and shuttle industry, were discovered by crafters by accident, and pressed into putting their glues up in amounts which they could use.  They lag behind in marketing to them, however, so you may not know about them.  Both Michael's and Hobby Lobby carry them, but sometimes one has to search among the glues which are heavily advertised.