Kitebuilder.com

[Progcraft]

Spray Glue Test

What follows is not an in depth nor scientific review. It is merely intended as a guide to help you make informed choices. It was not performed in laboratory like conditions. It was, instead, quite fun to do. 5 easily attainable spray glue products were used to make 35 appliquéd kites. The glues themselves ranged from industrial type, to light hobby craft use, and each had some unique features. What follows is my assessment of them, and how they performed in their assigned tasks.


The glues were used to create appliquéd graphics onto a basic 50cm X 50cm Eddy kite skin. In many cases this allowed each glue to be used multiple times to create the final graphic and thus requiring a certain amount of confidence in the glues abilities. In other cases, a mere constant radius was the only goal.




To start with. Here are the candidates are their related info.

1.
Elmer's
Spray Adhesive.
Can size: 310G (11oz)
$7.20 C (Home Depot)
recommended spray distance: 15 – 20 cm (6 – 8 inches)
recommended drying time for temporary bonds: 3 – 5 minutes.
Not recommended for vinyl materials or automotive headliners
No special features of any kind. It's really more of an industrial use glue. But, It's a good price, easily available, and more then adequate for any hobbyists needs

2.
Design Master
Tack 1000
Can size: 312G (11oz)
$8.61 USD (Kitebuilder.com)
recommended spray distance: 30 – 38 cm (12 – 15 inches)
recommended drying time for repositionable bonds: 1 minute.
Special features: Line up the blue dot *
Overall, it's the most 'expensive' of the tested products. But, c'mon, we're talkin' about only a buck here. But, alas, no bonus points to be given here either.

3.
3m Spray Mount
Artist's Adhesive
Can size: 290g (10 ¼ oz)
$7.98 USD (Dick Blick Art Supplies)
recommended spray distance: 15 – 20 cm (6 – 8 inches)
recommended drying time for repositionable bonds: 1 minute.
Special features: Line up the blue dot *
Bonus Points: It comes with a second spray nozzle Free
Like the DM glue, the 3M glue is specifically designed for light, temporary bonding. And it comes with a spare nozzle.

4.
Surebonder
355 Multi-Purpose Spray Adhesive
#1.99 US
Can size: 312G (11oz)
recommended spray distance: 15 – 20 cm (6 – 8 inches)
recommended drying time for temporary bonds: 1 minute.
Special features: Line up the blue dot *
Bonus Points: The spray nozzle is a vertical fan. That's pretty cool.
This glue seems to fit in with Elmer's as a more industrial use glue. Good bond, but strong.

5.
Krylon
Easy-Tack
$8.50 C (Michaels Craft Store)
recommended spray distance: 20 - 25 cm (8 – 10 inches)
recommended drying time for temporary bonds: (hmm, it doesn't have one. odd that)
No special features, no bonus points, no blue dot, not good for much else either.


*Turn spray tip so arrow points to dot on can rim.





Two phases of testing was performed.
The first phase was a rather diligent implementation of several criteria. Care was taken to try hard to achieve as much uniformness, and fairness among all glues present. Each glue was used to make three kites. The graphic for these kites was intended to be simple and common shapes. Big radius's, long straight and narrow runs, things like that. The goals were to gauge confidence in the glue, and to determine their relative characteristics within similar parameters.






The second phase of the testing was a bit more, shall we say, user oriented. Each glue was used to create the graphic for 4 more kites each. This was to be an on-the-fly, not concentrating on the individual factors test. How did I feel about using that particular product to work on an interesting shape, or design. Did have have second thoughts about using this glue for this graphic? Did I want to save this graphic for a different glue? I found this to be a good way to gain an overall appreciation for each glues qualties.






Phase 1
I decided to use letters, and some very simple designs for this test.
The following categories used are as follows:

A)
Resting time
Apply a thin, constant, light coat. Spray Eddy skin itself (pieces to be cut off), cover unused portions. Start timing at end of spraying. End timing when glue is quite dry, yet slightly tacky-ish and ready to have the other piece applied.

B)
Ease of separating fabric pieces after cutting.
I found it important to try and use a constant width appliquéd graphic. Some with large pieces which would be easy (relatively speaking of course) to separate with fingers, and small pieces that may require the aid of a pin.

C)
Amount of glue transfer.
What is the relative amount of glue that moved to the other side.

D)
Stink Factor.
Is the glue odiferiously offensive to the olfactory nodes.
All of the glues were quite mild in their scents. Plus, my own sense of smell is not all that great.

E)
Ease of cleaning.
This section was intended to be used with multiple cleaning solvents. However, shortly after beginning with two solvents, cheap-ass paint thinner vs. Acetone, it became quite apparent that the poor man's solution would win hand's down over any other product.
As such, suffice to say that all the glues where very easy to clean, in all situations, with cheap-ass paint thinner. No-name brand. 99 cents a liter. A good chaser after sniffing all that glue. Err, never mind that last statement.

F)
Time to total dryness.
After separating a graphic from the main skin, I proceeded to stick it to the wall. If it stuck to the wall without any hint of falling, it wasn't dry. Every evening at the same time, I'd stick them to a wall. After about 10 minutes, I'd take them down. I did this every evening. After a while, they stopped sticking.

G)
Scrunch test.
I found this to be rather difficult to gage as a test. I found that all the glues failed equaly well. In the end, I opted to just roll my fabric (when it had to fit through the throat of the sewing machine) and combined this category into the overall confidence category.

H)
Confidence
After using the product for a few kites, did I want to use it for more intricate work? Or large, open work? Did I actually look forward to using this glue to achieve the desired result in fabric? Or was I afraid of the almighty wrinkle-factor?

I)
Overall impressions and comments.





Results:

Elmer's Spray Adhesive.
A) Resting time
4 – 6 minutes

B) Ease of separating fabric pieces for cutting.
The Elmer's glue had a pretty strong bond. Very rarely was I able to use just my fingers to separate the pieces. I usually had to use a pin. There was defiantly a lot of grip between them.

C) Amount of glue transfer.
This glue had the highest amount of glue transfer of all the glues tested. Despite applying the glue to the pieces to be cut away, I often had to give a small wipe to the sewed on piece to get it clean.

D) Stink Factor.
The Elmer's glue was also the smelliest of all the glues. However, the difference isn't much.

F) Time to total dryness.
4-5 days.
I found this a bit surprising because this glue took the longest to dry sufficiently for appliquéing.

H) Confidence
Because of the strong bond this glue has, I had great confidence in all the things I did with it. Big circles, long narrow strips, twisty curvy lines. All things were possible with very little concern that the fabric would slip and wrinkle. However, also because of that strong bond, I never looked forward to separating the pieces.

Phase 2
Because I did not overly concern myself with the details like I did in phase 1 of the testing, the overall resting time went up. I found it a bit difficult to get a really light coat. As such, I often had to wait 15 minutes before applying the other piece of fabric.
Cleaning was also a bit more work due to the heavier coat. A small bit of elbow grease with the paint thinner was required.
However, confidence was still high.
The fabric did sometimes get a 'wet' feel to it when I was sewing. It felt like an extra think piece of fabric. The glue added an extra dimension of oddness that I did not like to work with at times. The glued pieces felt thick, wet, and sluggish (make sense?).





Design Master Tack 1000
A) Resting time
1 – 1.5 minutes.

B) Ease of separating fabric pieces for cutting.
The DM glue, being specifically designed for light, temporary bonds, was quite agreeable to separating. Most of the larger pieces were separated by fingers alone. Smaller pieces did usually require a pin. With this glue, separating the pieces was never a pain.

C) Amount of glue transfer.
There was none. Or at worst, very little.

D) Stink Factor.
I found this glue to have very little smell at all.

F) Time to total dryness.
6 – 7 days.
Again, this surprised me because the glue had very little resting time. But, it did not dry out very quickly at all. I was able to stick the fabric to the wall each evening for a week before it lost enough tackiness that it wouldn't stick anymore.

H) Confidence
I have pretty good confidence in this glue. I know that as long as I pay a little bit of attention to spraying an even coat, the fabric will be quite stable through the sewing machine.

Phase 2
I enjoyed working with the DM glue. Quick resting time made this easy to work with. The fabric rarely felt unusual in anyway. There was one test when I applied way too much glue, and it felt wet and thick when sewing. But otherwise, the glue did not add much feel to the fabric when sewing.
There was never a graphic that I was afraid to use this glue on. It's a very good, all around glue quite well adapted to appliqué work.



3m Spray Mount Artist's Adhesive
A) Resting time
1 – 1.5 minutes.

B) Ease of separating fabric pieces for cutting.
The glue has a great tack, but this did not impede separating the fabric. Like the DM glue, most larger pieces were easily separable by fingers alone. Smaller pieces often needed a pin.

C) Amount of glue transfer.
Very little to none at all. On one or two tests when I sprayed a bit too much, then there was a small amount of glue transfer. Nothing a quick wipe with paint thinner couldn't fix.

D) Stink Factor.
Again, this glue had very little smell and it dissipated very quickly.

F) Time to total dryness.
6-7 days.
Also like the DM glue, the 3M glue would retain a minimal amount of tackiness for an extended period of time. But, not being designed for permanent, strong bonds, I guess this isn't all that surprising.

H) Confidence
I love this glue. After the initial tests, this is the glue I chose to use for the more difficult graphics. I knew that it would hold well, not slip, and always provide a great bond. And I knew that separating the pieces would not be chore.

Phase 2
Great glue. I liked working with this one a lot. Quick resting time, high confidence, never a wet feeling to the fabric. Roll the fabric, unroll it, still a good bond. Even a bit of scrunching didn't have adverse affects.






Surebonder 355 Multi-Purpose Spray Adhesive
A) Resting time
5 – 6 minutes.

B) Ease of separating fabric pieces for cutting.
Difficult. This glue has a strong bond. I always had to use a pin.

C) Amount of glue transfer.
Similar to the Elmer's glue, the Surebonder would transfer to the other fabric a little bit. If I was doing multiple layers, I tended to clean up one layer before doing the next otherwise I noticed a bit of stickiness going through the sewing machine.

D) Stink Factor.
I think overall, this glue had the strongest odor. Not offensive by any means, but strongest.

F) Time to total dryness.
5 – 6 days.

H) Confidence
Well, the glue does have a strong bond, but I just didn't like this glue all that much. It almost always gave the fabric that wet, thick, heavy feeling. Not pleasant to sew with.

Phase 2
Phase 2 testing with this glue gave me a very good indication of whether I would continue using it. It is defiantly a glue to use when no others are available, but never will be a first choice. Longest resting time, thick and wet feel, difficult to separate fabric. The glue is sufficient for most uses, but didn't give me that 'I want to use it' feeling.




Krylon Easy-Tack
A) Resting time
None. Really, just spray and go. But, spray LOTS!!!

B) Ease of separating fabric pieces for cutting.
Easy as pie. Too easy. Way toooo easy. It's like there wasn't even a bond there at all.

C) Amount of glue transfer.
Zippo, zero, nill.

D) Stink Factor.
I don't think this glue had any smell at all.

F) Time to total dryness.
2 – 3 days. (on a really wet application).
A couple hours on a light application.

H) Confidence
Very little. This glue does not have a very good bond. It is meant for very light craft use and that is it. Most pieces I sewed together slipped and wrinkled. Not happy. Really poor performance on large radius's. Quite annoying really.

Phase 2
To get a bond that I was comfortable sewing with, I had to use a lot of glue. This stuff is very low tack, and very dry. It's quite surprising just how dry it is. Put it this way, where I used less then ¼ can of 3M glue for the entire testing, I used over ½ a can of Krylon. I found that during phase 2, I wanted to do only the most basic of graphics and did not want to do anything more complex.
Avoid this glue.






Summary.
The 3M glue most definitely tops my list for this test. Constant spray made it easy to get even, light coats. Great bond without being difficult to separate fabric. Long last bond so there is no hurry to get done. (I even left one piece glued overnight then sewed it the next day with full confidence).
The Krylon bites. Nuff said.
In a pinch though, I think most any spray glue will make your appliqué easy, steady, and will give you the confidence to make those more detailed, or bigger pictures. Hot-tacking, glue-stick, water, and all the other options have their benefits I guess, but spray gluing is the bomb. I mean, it's easy, non-smelly, high-confidence, very little wait time, and easy to clean.
The glues specifically made for light bonds are the best. But, when used sparingly, even the industrial glues have good performance. The best quality that spary glues have is that they provide a constant bond over the entire surface of the fabric. This allows you to be a little rougher in your handling of the fabric without fear of splippage. Hot-tacking, glue sticks and water just can't give you that.

The finalists:





I'd like to give a big and special thank you to Harold Ames for supplying the 3M and Surebonder glues. And, to SteveF and Kitebuider.com for donating the Design Master glue and all fabric used in the testing. It is because of the fact that all materials were donated that I decided Crazy Eddy would be the best way to present this test. Crazy Eddy is kite arch built and contributed to by many people all over the world. It's only fitting that this newest addition to the arch also comes from the good will of others.

Cheers,
Terry Thillmann

Addendum:
Sewing machine used: Kenmore 27 stitch model
Thread: Guttermanns plolyester
Needles: Klasse #80 Sharps

An interesting note is that at no time during the testing of any of the glues did I encounter 'gumming' on the needle. I used no oils or lubricant on the needles or thread. Some people have reported that various glues have caused a gumming on thier needles, and you may in fact encounter this yourself. But, in my own testing I did not see this at all.
_________________
There is no box.

[mhartzel]

Excellent article Prog
I was looking for a spray glue for some ideas i have running around in my head and your article helped me make a descision.

Thanks
_________________
Mark
Sand, Street or Sky... I love to fly.
- Take back the web.

[smarties]

Looks scientific to me. Wow. well documented test. Thanks for sharing the results.

This is probably the longest post of this forum.
_________________
Smarties
http://smarties42.webpal.info/index-en.html

To boldly go where no imagination as gone before!

[Doug LaRock]

Thanks for all the good info Prog . Someday I 'm going to try applique and am trying to remember all the threads that will be useful.

Doug

[KiteSquid]

Progcraft,

You are welcome for the donation of the cans of glue I sent you.

Your article is well written and a great additiong to the knoledge base here a Kitebuider forums!!!!!!

Your finings that 3M's Spray Mount came out on top does not supprise me. It is GREAT adhesive!!!!!!

Thanks for your donation of time to do the testing and writing!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Big round of applause for you!!!!!
_________________
VR/
KiteSquid
AKA TakoIka
AKA Harold
King George VA


P.S. Yet another post by the Squid..... Doesent he ever shut up???

P.P.S. The wind is like the air, only pushier.

[jamescrumley]

Thank you, Progcraft, for conducting the test and sharing your results.

My only experience with applique work has been with hot tacking and as you mentioned, it is not very satisfactory. Now I shall be trying the 3M Spray Mount adhesive.

Good job and greatly appreciated.

Jim

[CJQ]

Hey thanks much Prog . We now know why it took so long , It was quite extensive and very helpfull. Check is in the mail (your old address) T-HE.

Thanks again,

CLIFF

[300M]

Very good review. Thanks for your time and sharing the results!
_________________
John M

[KiteSquid]

BTW, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place kites made me smile!!!!!

Nice touch!!!!
_________________
VR/
KiteSquid
AKA TakoIka
AKA Harold
King George VA


P.S. Yet another post by the Squid..... Doesent he ever shut up???

P.P.S. The wind is like the air, only pushier.

[Mountain Man]

super report Prog .... but you may have overlooked one very good one that the wife here swears by ! 505 design for machine embroidery ! we buy it at both local Fabricville and Atlantic Fabric ! their site is

[url]http//odif.com[/url]

its odorless colorless stainless spotless and does not gum needles no CFC
it create a temporary bond in between 2 layers of fabric or two applique pieces ......super stuff ! Peggy swears by it !

price is 16.99 for a 159g can

hope this helps !
_________________
Bernie
the Mountain Man
Paint the sky...
"Fly a Kite!"