How do you glue?
How do you glue?
Something I have struggled with in crafting and arts is finding simple lists and breakdowns of the everyday supplies I might need to use. Today I wanted to share adhesives that you might use in collages or mixed media arts.
Adhesives Breakdown
Shared from Creative Collage by Marie Browning, 2008
The base you use and your chosen collage elements determine the type of adhesive or glue for attaching the collage elements. Here are some guidelines:
Glue Stick
For paper basics, such as card blanks, a glue stick works well. When working with a glue stick, work on a gluing sheet to keep the fronts of your images free of excess glue. Wax paper, deli sheets, or pages of an old phone book make good gluing sheets.
Glue dots
Glue dots raise a paper image or embellishment off the surface and give a layered effect to a collage. Glue dots are available in a variety of sizes, from very time (1/8”) to larger (1/2”) in both round and square shapes. Some glue dots are thin pieces of foam with adhesives on both sides, others are dimensional clear dots of glue on a protective paper roll.
Decoupage Medium
On wood or canvas bas3s, use decoupage medium to glue papers. Regular (podge-type) decoupage mediums come in a variety of finishes, including gloss, satin, matt, sepia-toned, and pearl. Apply them to the back of the paper pieces with a ½” to 1” brush.
Craft glue
Thick, tacky, white craft glue is used for adhering heavier embellishments and creates a much stronger bond than hot glue. Specialty craft glues, such as jewelry and wood glues, work better for specific applications, such as jewelry glue for adding embellishments to a metal surface. These glues are white when wet and dry crystal clear.
Thin-bodied white glue
Thin-bodied white glue can be used to attach paper pieces to surfaces. It goes on white and dries crystal clear. Because it contains latex, thin-bodied white glue is used to seal paper pieces before applying a polymer coating. This seal coat prevents the resin from bleeding onto the paper and leaving dark spots. It’s best to apply two thin coats rather than one heavy coat; make sure the first coat has dried before brushing on the second coat, and be sure the seal coat is totally dry and clear before applying the polymer coating. If the glue is just a little bit damp, it will turn white under the coating and ruin the design. Do not substitute a decoupage medium – most do not contain enough latex to seal the paper properly.
