No matter how naive the reader is with the topic of a glue gun, with a repeated description of recommendations for its acquisition and its further operation, I will still share my improvement of this tool.
Glue gun became popular in Lately because of their opportunities, but for some reason some characteristics of many models want to be better.
A set of glue sticks with a diameter of 3.4mm to 43mm with different composition and different temperatures melting is good. Convenient loading of the rod into the heat chamber, convenient supply of glue to the surface to be glued, light weight of the tool, additional switch, power indicator and detachable power cord. Everything is fine!. But there is one significant detail indicated in the passport data of a glue gun used in everyday life - the magnitude of the supplied voltage and electric power heater.
As a rule, in each model of a hot melt gun, a semiconductor is used as a heating element, or rather, it will be said - a semiconductor resistor. He is a posistor (semiconductor ceramics).
Again, what is there to look for and discuss? Simple, convenient! But not reliable. Why? I'll tell you more.
Hot glue guns are very popular among designers, fashion designers, decorators, in TV and radio workshops, and even in funeral services workshops. They use hot glue for spot bonding or gluing small parts together. At home glue gun not often used. This is true. It's not every day that we glue something. But in some cases, the use of hot melt adhesive remains the only option that is not feasible due to the failure of the heating element, which bursts from overheating, and sometimes breaks a little.
In my practice, several glue guns were purchased in a couple of months, moreover, different models. In the technical passport of each, the supplied (connected) voltage and electrical (thermal) power were indicated, which in no way corresponded to the actual one. At the specified 40wt, the gun could not cross the threshold of 8wt. At 65wt, the heater did not consume even 20wt. Yes. The glue melted, but only on the basis of ethylene vinyl acetate.
Some people were happy with that, but I wasn't. It was necessary to glue long products (skirting boards, baguettes, corners), which were covered with hot glue in 7-12 minutes. The glue at one end was already hardening when hot glue was just applied to the opposite end of the baguette, for example. Not only that, several samples of glue guns 'showed fireworks in my hands' from the burnout of the heater just at those moments when it was glued ceiling tiles, because a professional and classic glue gun is heated up to maximum temperature 220°C. The melting points of polystyrene foam and polystyrene are 240°C, vinyl plastic is 230°C-250°C. failed to fulfill its purpose.
Converting a glue gun from 220 volts to 12 volts.
What has changed in the device of the glue gun.
Determined the length of the cut piece nichrome wire. The wire diameter did not matter. The calculation was made according to standard formulas (Ohm's Laws for a chain section).
- The starting point was the desired electric power of the glue gun. I settled on (≈)34-36Wt. It follows from this: 36(wt) : 12(v) ≈ 3.3(a). Determine the average current consumption.
- Now from I \u003d U / R we determine the resistance of the conductor, that is, the resistance of a piece of nichrome wire: R \u003d U / I. 12(v) : 3.3(a) ≈ 3.6(Ω).
- Using an ohmmeter (tester, multimeter), I determined a piece of wire. The probes of the device were located remotely from each other on the wire, so that the device (ohmmeter, multimeter, tester) would show on the scale a resistance close to the calculated one - 3.6Ω.
Further, everything was simpler and the time I spent on the reconstruction of the glue gun did not take more than 35 minutes.
- Removed the old heating element from the camera and the power cord.
- Turned around the body of the heating chamber.
- I wound several turns of nichrome wire through a layer of asbestos paper.
- I installed a switch in the circuit of the new heater, which I mounted on the handle of the gun.
- The voltage at the battery terminals is 10.5v;
- heating element resistance - 3.6 Ω;
- the current consumption of the glue gun heater is about 3A.
- The temperature in the melting chamber of the rod - 172°C after 1 minute;
- - 197°C after 2 minutes;
- - 222°C after 4 minutes;
- - 262°C after 7 minutes;
- - 268°C after 8 minutes;
- - 280°C after 9 minutes.
Here it is for me! Why wait 7 minutes for a regular hot glue gun to heat up when this one melts in seconds? You can glue in the field, in the basement, in a boat, in a car. The consumption of glue is not 20ml per minute (never exceeded the consumption of 12ml-16ml), but 40ml-50ml.
Glue gun heater temperature control.
The electrical circuit of the device is simple. At that time, there was no thermostat installed. The melting temperature of the glue was controlled by turning the heater on and off via a switch. It was experimented to connect in series to the circuit of a car potentiometer (dashboard backlight brightness control), an adjustable charger for car batteries. Also convenient. Tried connecting the glue gun to a 6v battery. The glue did not melt as vigorously, but still the heater brought the tool into operation in a couple of minutes. The polystyrene ceiling tiles were installed step by step without delay.
Later, in parallel with the switch, a self-made customizable glue gun temperature controller, turning off the chamber heater when it reaches the set temperature. That is, when the switch was on, the element heated the melting chamber for hot melt freely to the maximum temperature, when the switch was off, the gun worked with low-temperature material (within 175°C-190°C), depending on the setting of the regulator mode.
To create crafts and decorations for the interior, a wide variety of materials and techniques are used. Sometimes completely unexpected materials are used for this purpose, such as hot glue. Photos of hot glue crafts arouse genuine interest and a desire to try to create something similar with your own hands.
What is hot glue?
Hot glue has a second name - thermoplastic glue. The material itself consists of polymers, which, when heated, acquire adhesive properties. Usually hot glue is used for sealing joints and gluing products.
Hot melt adhesive is sold in most construction stores. It is produced in the form of solid glue sticks, which differ in their color, size and composition.
Also available in different colors of glue. To effectively and accurately melt and dispense glue, there are special glue guns into which rods are inserted.
Work technique
Instructions on how to make glue crafts are very simple - buy a glue gun, suitable rods for it and turn on your imagination.
The main thing when working with the material is to be extremely careful and attentive, because the melted glue is heated to a temperature of 200˚ C.
What crafts can be made from hot glue at home? Hot melt glue can be used to decorate vases, photo frames and other interior elements or to create independent decorations.
Candlesticks
The best way to get started with hot glue is with simple tasks, like decorating a candlestick. You can create an imitation of wax drips on its surface or create a unique pattern. For this purpose, it is better to use colored glue or sprinkle it with colored sparkles or glue beads on it.
For decoration, you need to choose wide, thick-walled candlesticks. This choice is due to the fact that exposure to the burning temperature of a candle can adversely affect the glue - the pattern can simply blur.
Before applying hot melt adhesive, it is necessary to thoroughly degrease the surface of the candlestick for better adhesion.
Beautiful hot glue craft ideas can be found on the Internet or you can create your own original pattern.
vase
From hot melt adhesive, you can create a hand-made vase for sweets. Step by step manufacturing with a description for beginners will help you easily create such a craft.
In order to make a vase for sweets yourself, stock up on hot melt adhesive, a glass bowl that will serve as a stencil and fat cream. If you want your vase to be colored, use a glue stick with the desired color, or buy paint of the desired shade in a can.
Apply to outer surface bowls of cream - it will prevent the glue from attaching to the glass when applied. Heat up your glue gun and start applying glue to the bottom of the bowl. Try to evenly distribute the glue - this will help form a flat, stable bottom of your vase.
After applying the adhesive, it is necessary to wait for its complete polymerization. You can begin to separate the glue from the bowl only after it has completely solidified, otherwise the craft may be irreparably damaged. After separating the basket from hot glue, you can paint it from a spray can.
rolling pin
For lovers of working with polymer or ceramic clay, the idea of making rolling pins with patterns will be very useful. To do this, you need to take a new, clean rolling pin. right size, degrease well and draw the necessary pattern on it with a pencil or marker.
Then, using a glue gun, apply glue to the lines of the pattern and wait for it to dry completely. You can also treat the rolling pin with cream or oil before applying the glue - this will allow you to remove the glue after using the desired pattern and apply a new one to it.
New Year decoration
For your baby, you can conduct a master class on crafts from hot glue. Make a large drawing of a snowflake, you can ask the child himself to make a stencil. Then, using carbon paper, transfer the pattern to parchment paper for baking.
Apply hot glue along the outline of the drawn snowflake to make a three-dimensional copy of it. Carefully monitor the actions of the child at this stage - he can get burned from hot polymer.
Wait for the polymer to harden completely and separate it from the paper. After the snowflakes have dried, they can be painted with ordinary nail polish or spray-painted.
Photo crafts from hot glue
One of the most commonly used tools in various crafts and crafts is a glue gun, or it is also called hot glue. But not many can decide on such a purchase, as for some it may seem impractical. In this video tutorial you can learn how to make such a glue gun with your own hands. It is perfect if you urgently need hot glue, but you don’t have it on hand.
- teflon tape or any other non-stick coating;
- a piece of tin (can be cut from cans);
- copper wire;
- silicone rod;
- wooden block;
- small boiler.
First of all, you need to make a wooden handle. To do this, we measure the free part of the boiler and transfer it to the bar. We measure two such segments.
We divide the bar into two equal parts, round on emery. Inside it is necessary to make a recess for the base of the boiler.
We carefully wrap the main part of the boiler with Teflon tape so that wooden handle didn't get hot or burn out. After that, you can connect both parts with electrical tape or self-tapping screws.
From the tin, we cut out a rectangle with dimensions of approximately 8 x 15 cm. Using a silicone rod, we twist it into a tube. We cut off another small piece of tin and make a kind of bag out of it. We cut in its wide part in several places. We insert the tube into the bag and fix it. The resulting design is inserted into the boiler, and copper wire we strengthen.
connect this device in the video tutorial, it is recommended through the power regulator, since without water the boiler heats up too quickly and may fail.
I accidentally saw a hot glue gun in the store and bought it - it will always come in handy at home.
As it is written on the box, "Designed for gluing joints (seams) of linoleum and plastic sheets, as well as wood, chipboard and many other materials."
The hot glue gun is designed for gluing various details and objects, as well as for creative work, crafts and for decorative design. Thermal bonding is not only a man's business. When decorating or creating any compositions from small things, a hot glue gun will come in handy.
Where can you use a hot glue gun?
When gluing various things (wood, tiles, plastic, ceramics),
when sealing something
if you are a radio amateur, and you always have a soldering iron or a thin screwdriver in your hands,
when modeling and making crafts and souvenirs (crafts from shells, twigs, fixing them together).
Device
The glue gun is sold in such a case.
Equipped with glue sticks
The pistol is simple. The body is made of plastic. Special glue sticks are fed through the hole on the back side, with the help of a trigger, the sticks are fed into the heating part of the gun, in which there is a small reservoir for melted glue. The heating part is heated by electricity. The melted adhesive flows out through the outlet. Glue in a heated state has good fluidity, penetration.
If to do full review pistol, then you need to see what's inside!
Everything is simple here. The only problem - plastic parts. They can quickly fail. This is offset by the low cost of the device. Yes, and broken parts can be replaced with metal ones, if desired.
Glue
Rods from different manufacturers may differ in composition and length, and do not necessarily have a diameter of 11 or 7 mm.
A few drops of the heated melt cool down in a couple of minutes, and a large spot - in a maximum of ten. It will come in handy if the “sewn” part does not experience heavy loads and there is neither time nor desire to fasten it with screws (say, it’s a pity for the surface).
Features of working with a hot glue gun
The surface to be bonded must be dry, free of dust and grease. Only then will the hardened glue “grab” the parts. By the way, it happens that Oil paint over time, it releases some oils, and the glue stain flakes off. It is unrealistic to fix anything with a liquid composition on plaster, concrete and some types of textiles.
But from those surfaces to which the glue adheres qualitatively, it is not easy to tear off the stain. You should beware of inaccurate hits, since along with the “wrong” “blot”, it is easy to tear off a layer of paint or wallpaper.
Despite the fact that the glue “gets up” from one to ten minutes (depending on the volume of the dispensed portion), it retains its main quality - fluidity (and indirectly the degree of penetration) only for ten seconds (for small drops even less) . During this time, it is necessary to have time to compress the parts so that the composition seeps into their surfaces.
Nowadays, there is a huge variety in the world of needlework, and crafts are made from various materials. Basically, these are paper, bottles, plasticine and the like that are familiar to us. Most DIY crafts require glue to hold together, but in this article, we'll show you how to make hot glue crafts with a gun. Such crafts look very beautiful and unusual, and most importantly, they are very simple to perform. Even children of 5, 6, 7, 8 years old can cope with such work. This article provides several crafts with step by step instructions, as well as video tutorials for a more understandable description. So, let's see what can be done with ordinary hot melt adhesive.
Original vase for sweets
Making a vase will give you pleasure, because it is a creative process. You can put sweets in such a vase, decorating festive table handmade craft. To make a vase craft, see below for a full description with detailed instructions.
You will need:
- hot glue gun
- Paint (preferably in a can)
- Glass bowl for base
Progress:
- We apply cream on the outside of the bowl so that the glue can be easily removed later.
- When the glue has warmed up, we begin to apply it to the bottom of the bowl in an even layer. Thus, we will get a stable bottom.
- Next, starting to move from the bottom of the bowl, apply the pattern with glue. The drawing can be anything, as long as you have enough imagination.
- Let the glue dry completely.
- When everything is frozen, carefully remove the adhesive base, starting from the edges.
- When you have removed it, you get an almost finished basket, all that remains is to paint over it with paints. In this way, you can make not only a vase, but also other containers.
Videos hot glue pot
Hot glue bracelet
Such a beautiful bracelet can be made with your own hands very quickly and simply. Such decoration will not leave anyone indifferent. How to make such a craft, we will tell you with full description every step. 
You will need:
- Can of Coca-Cola
- Hot glue
- Jewelry for a bracelet
Progress:
- Apply glue to the jar in horizontal stripes. The width of the bracelet will depend on the number of strips.
- When the glue is completely dry, carefully remove it from the jar. This will be the base of the bracelet.
- On this base you can glue various beads or applications, it can also be painted with paint.
hot glue butterfly
A beautiful butterfly from ordinary hot glue will become good decoration flower pot. The craft is quite simple to perform, so you can do it together with your child. The following describes how to make a butterfly with your own hands. 
You will need:
- Hot glue
- Glass
- thin wire
- Rhinestones
Progress:
- Apply cream to the glass so that it is easy to remove the glue afterwards.
- First, with glue, draw the outline of the wings on the glass, then fill in the middle with a zigzag.
- In the same way we draw the torso and antennae.
- When everything is dry, remove our blanks from the glass.
- With the help of glue we collect our butterfly, then we attach it to the wire.
- You can decorate our butterfly with rhinestones or beads.
Decoration for the new year "Snowflake"
A hot melt snowflake will be a wonderful decoration for the New Year's interior. Even a child of 4, 5, 6 years old can cope with such a craft, because it is very simple to perform. We will tell you how to make a beautiful and bright snowflake with your own hands with detailed instructions. 
You will need:
- Hot glue
- Stencil
- glitter
- parchment paper
Progress:
- Take a stencil and put parchment paper on top.
- Apply glue on top of the translucent pattern.
- Pour a little glitter onto a piece of paper and dip a still warm snowflake into it. Our bright and festive craft is ready.
Videos new year snowflake
Convenient pencil case
Hot glue can be used to make not only decorations, but also useful items, such as a pencil case. No one will have such a pencil case at school, because it is made by hand. To get started with our crafts, read the step-by-step instructions, or watch the video master class. 
You will need:
- Hot glue
- Lightning
- Wide aerosol can with paint
- decorative butterflies
Progress:
- Lubricate the bottle with cream.
- We start applying glue with circles at the edges.
- We make two vertical stripes the width of the corresponding zipper.
- Then we continue to draw horizontal stripes in a circle (receding arcs from each other by about 1 cm), while not going to the line for the lightning.
- On horizontal stripes we draw a pattern similar to a Christmas tree, or a zigzag.
- When everything is dry, remove the balloon, and substitute the cap from the balloon into the side parts one by one to apply the pattern.
- We apply the drawing with a frequent mesh so that nothing falls out through the holes.
- When the whole structure is dry, insert the zipper, fixing it with glue.
- We paint over our pencil case with paint and glue it to decorate the butterflies. Now you can put whatever you want into it.
Video how to make a pencil case with your own hands
Amazing roses
Beautiful roses will be a wonderful decoration for your interior, or you can use them as a gift to family and friends. To make it easy for you to understand how to make a rose craft with your own hands, we made detailed description crafts with step by step instructions. 
