Foam Glue Sticks.... Any experience?

Sooo, Hot glue hasn't been working very well for my EVA foam build. I was told to look for Acrylic glue sticks by a friend. During that search online, I came across these: Deprecated Browser Error

Foam glue sticks. Glue specifically meant for foam, and other delicate materials.

I was wondering if anybody had any experience with Foam glue sticks. Do they work well? My costume needs to be tough, as I am planning on dueling with it (LED saber dueling)

If they do not work well, does anybody have any other suggestions for a glue? Preferably something affordable, yet tough.

I goto ACE and get the ones that are yellow in color (High temp glue stick) and they worked extremely well on my foam halo suit.

you weren't having much luck with regular glue? ive found the normal stuff pretty fine, but to each their own. that specialized stuff seems interesting however

My degree is in Marketing, and this looks like a "Marketing Product." i.e., the same as regular hot glue, but just packaged and named differently, and probably for a higher price.

But, I could be wrong, and this could also be some fabulous new product that I've never heard of

You do not want to use low temp glue sticks like those. The AdTech MultiTemp 10" glue sticks from Walmart and a high temp glue gun work great for me and EVA foams of all kinds. I have used them with Michaels, Walmart, Hobby Lobby and Harbor Freight foam sheets and it worked great with all of them.

Perhaps you can expand a little bit on what you meant, specifically, by hot glue not working very well for you.

Anything 'high temp" should work. I have the same experience as German. I use hot glue FOR EVERYTHING. I have tried 5-6 brands and I have not been able to tell a difference. I usually just get the cheap stuff.

German said:

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You do not want to use low temp glue sticks like those. The AdTech MultiTemp 10" glue sticks from Walmart and a high temp glue gun work great for me and EVA foams of all kinds. I have used them with Michaels, Walmart, Hobby Lobby and Harbor Freight foam sheets and it worked great with all of them.

Perhaps you can expand a little bit on what you meant, specifically, by hot glue not working very well for you.

It simply doesn't stick very well. I can pull the pieces glued together apart easily. But, maybe I'm doing something wrong. What could I possibly do wrong when hot gluing?

Since everybody is saying High Temp glue, I'll probably go with that.

Thanks everybody!

Ill post pics soon

Darth Yega said:

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It simply doesn't stick very well. I can pull the pieces glued together apart easily. But, maybe I'm doing something wrong. What could I possibly do wrong when hot gluing?

Sounds like maybe you are trying low temp glue? I have never used low temp but it makes sense. Any time I have ever tried to pull apart foam with high temp, the foam tears before the glue lets go every time.

Just got a 24 pack of 10" AdTech Multi Temp hot glue sticks. We will see how this goes!

quick question... do you plan on only using hot glue stick (high temp) or are you open on using other adhesives?

If you're open on trying other adhesive medium, I would suggest you try to use contact cement (sometimes called rubber cement)... it adheres very well on EVA... its what our local shoe/slippers maker used... ACE hardware have this stuff...

That's also what we used on our foam gauntlet... you may check it out... http://www.therpf.com/f24/ironman-fo...pulsor-131101/

cheers!

pRoJectEarth7 said:

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quick question... do you plan on only using hot glue stick (high temp) or are you open on using other adhesives?

If you're open on trying other adhesive medium, I would suggest you try to use contact cement (sometimes called rubber cement)... it adheres very well on EVA... its what our local shoe/slippers maker used... ACE hardware have this stuff...

That's also what we used on our foam gauntlet... you may check it out... http://www.therpf.com/f24/ironman-fo...pulsor-131101/

cheers!

Well, I was planning on using just one type of glue, but if the occasion calls for it I'll use another. Ill look into contact cement. It looks strong, and very affordable. My only concern is how long it would take to dry. When working, I generally need something that will dry relatively fast.

Yes you're right... it is really strong and very affordable... it dries quite fast too...

Here's the technique:
1) Prepare all the parts that needed to be glued (make sure the surfaces are clean, free of dirt/dust)
2) Apply the contact cement using a paint brush (or in our case, just our fingers... lol) on BOTH surface to be glued. Just a thin even coat will do.
3) Let it dry for 2~5 minutes
4) Then carefully align and press the 2 surfaces to be bonded together. It is important that you apply a good pressure on the parts to be bonded (some even use a rubber mallet to hammer it down for a more strong bond)

And basically thats it...

Dont worry about this gooey stuff sticking on your fingers, you can easily peel it off when it dries.

One more thing... this must be done in a well ventilated area... Im sure you dont want to get high from the solvent fumes it contains... lol

Any other concerns, just let me know and I will answer it to the best of my knowledge...

cheers!

I have also seen Gorilla Glue work well on EVA. Me personally, I enjoy burning my fingers all the time. : )

I also like hot glue cause it sets in 30 seconds or so you can keep assembling parts once you have all the foam cut.

I'll second the user of contact cements for foaming. While just toying around with pep and foam a few weeks ago I was all for crazy super glue but did not like the way it solidified after setting.

There were others who suggested shoe goo and e6000 etc but did not like the length of the drying times before things would setup and hold together.

Picked up some Loctite contact cement from meijers (SP?) last week and really like the way it is holding up. I've not been able to pull apart a seem that was glued together and it remains nice and flexible.

Dean

Rubber cement has been used to bond this stuff for years. It's cheap, readily available, and easy to use. For the best bond, make sure there is a "This product is flammable" warning on it. Flammable = quality
Use it outside, or in a ventilated area.

Hmmm, I may have to look into this. I may use this contact cement (rubber cement) for pieces I don't have to work on right after I glue it. Ill tell my friend about this option (he is making a foam EVA build for the first time like myself.)

Here's a new addition to the already mentioned glues.

Flexible super glue! Picked some up from Rockler the other day and it works very well also. It was $12 for 2.5 oz (70g).

Dean