[blparent] Hot glue gun

[Steve Jacobson]

Hi,

Hot glue guns are not the easiest things to use but are usable with care and practice.  Whether they are worth it depends upon what one is gluing and how much practice time one wishes to invest.

One thing to remember is that there are glues now that are not hot that can be just about as dammaging to ones fingers than hot glue.  Super glues, for example, can be very runny and really do a job on one's 
skin to a point where it can burn.  Other glues that I have tried I have also found to burn the skin chemically on contact.

The biggest issue with a hot glue gun is not getting the glue on yourself when it is hot because it sticks.  It is not unlike getting hot candy on yourself when it is at the boiling point.  Those of you who are cooks 
already know that anything that is very hot with a high sugar content can really burn because it will cling to your skin.  However, when one pulls the trigger of glue 
guns I have used, one can feel the trigger move as it pushes glue through the point.  One can learn to tell how much glue is coming out by how far the trigger has moved.  I would suggest that if one whishes to 
use a glue gun that one spread out a piece of aluminum foil and just experiment to see how much pressure on the trigger results in how much glue.  Once it cools, perhaps after a couple of minutes, the blob of 
glue that came out will feel like a sort of soft plastic.  Also, if one is quick, it is possible to put a drop of hot glue on a 
surface and then place the other item to be bonded on it after removing the blue gun but before it cools.  This avoids getting one's hands burned.  Also, some kind of thin rubber gloves might be useful.  I have 
done some soldering, and the hot tip of the soldering iron can be touched quickly without burning oneself.  Also moistening ones finger before touching a hot surface can buy one a little time as the water absorbs 
the heat.  This strategy can work for the tip of the glue gun as well, but there is always the risk that there is just a little glue on the tip that could stick.

Frankly, the results I have gotten with a glue gun have not been as good as I expected.  If you use it for something very specific that calls for it, it's probably the best way to go.  However, as a general approach, 
other glues can be more effective depending on the surface.  Still, with practice, one could learn to do a reasonable job with it.  For example, I've put a little inside a cane tip and then put the tip on my cane when 
it was still hot.  It worked great, but the glue wore away pretty quickly so it was not a permanent solution as I had hoped.  The first time I tried that, I put too much in the tip so some of the glue squirted out while 
hot when I put the tip on my cane and landed on my hand.  While I wouldn't recommend that at all, the burn healed without any real problem, but obviously you would not want to be where the glue could hit your 
face.  There are likely others who may have additional techniques.

Best regards,

Steve Jacobson

On Fri, 30 Jan 2015 17:55:24 -0600, Shelby Young via blparent wrote:

>Hello,
>I personally would not recommend it. My sister who is blind used one and burned her finger really bad. I have never used one but I think it would be pretty difficult.

>Sent from my iPhone

>> On Jan 30, 2015, at 10:51 AM, Tara Briggs via blparent <blparent at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 
>> Hi, does anyone know how to use a hot glue gun without site? Thanks for any help!
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
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