rebecuberduber Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 Me, again, with another question. I've been using wood glue to put my house together, but it takes forever to dry. I read in the instructions to use a hot glue gun because it's faster. This idea is appealing, but I'm wondering if it holds as well as wood glue. What are your opinions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peggi Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 IMHO glue guns should only be used for shingles or to hold things together while the wood glue dries. But I live in the hot and humid south and I know it would eventually fall apart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blondie Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 Don't use the glue gun! I hear they are evil. I use Weldbond glue, which takes about 1-1.5 hours to dry. While I'm waiting for one section to dry, I work on another. I know some people around here use some kind of quick glue. They can tell you about that one because I've never used it. Well, I guess I should say an hour to FULLY dry--like change to clear. It dries enough to stay in place much quicker than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfieldzoo Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 I use wood glue to build my houses. I use the hot glue gun to make dots to hold stuff together temporary. That way I don't have to wait for the glue to dry so much. Warning though, be careful where you put those little dots of hot glue! (if you decide to use it) Sometimes it takes wood with it when you go to pop it off when the wood glue is dry. I also try to assemble as much as I can separate. (like dormers, staircases) then you can glue it all together the next time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minis On The Edge Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 Never....I repeat...NEVER use the hot glue gun to hold the entire house together I use the hot glue gun while building sometimes to hold the wood parts together while the wood glue dries but only in very small amounts in certain areas. I have only done this when I had NO tape to help hold the house together while the glue dries. More recently, I have started using "Quick Grab" glue because it dries super fast and it dries clear and is paintable after it dries too. I buy it at wal mart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfieldzoo Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 What house are you building that it says to use hot glue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue_moon992 Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 What house are you building that it says to use hot glue? I think a good bit of them say to use a hot glue gun. I started using one with my Fairfield....It was my 1st house and I didn't know any better!! ;) I do now though, and I made it here in time to avoid a potential disaster!! I stick with Elmers Carpenter glue. It takes about a half hour to dry, but if you put some on and let it set for a minute, it will adhere pretty quick. I use Tacky glue for windows...I like that it dries clear but don't care much for using it to assemble the actuall house. Everytime I tried it, it snapped off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebecuberduber Posted December 20, 2006 Author Share Posted December 20, 2006 What house are you building that it says to use hot glue? I'm building the Harrison. I guess, ultimately, it sounds like patience pays off. I don't want to risk the dollhouse's sturdiness as I have a two-year-old around, and, well, anything can happen with a two-year-old, no matter how protective I am of the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 Masking tape, like clamps, is something you cannot have too much of for building a dh. In addition, to be able to maximize the building whilst waiting for the glue to dry I bought a Stanley heavy-duty stapler and I staple together the edges after I glue them. Most of the kit instructions mention using hot-glue. The most pointed esample for me NOT to use it was seeing the remains of a hot-glue-assembled, otherwise naked Greenleaf dollhouse (I think it was a Pierce) in an old store window in Sylvester, GA, falling back into pieces almost as I watched, gobs ot "hot-glue" still attached to one piece or another. I have never understood why shops will display almost every other brand of kit completely built and decorated, but the most beautiful kits of all, for some reason, get slapped together & left in their bare plywood nakedness (Lowes used to sell the kits and displayed them that way). Like, I'm going to try to decorate this house that's stuck together with gobs of hot-glue, and especially try to paint window & door trim without getting it all over the acetate inserts? Ha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJEP Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 I use wood glue unless I have a lot of trouble getting something to hold even with masking tape and then I use Quick Grab. I built my other two dollhouses with Quick Grab because the craft store I bought the first kit said that was the glue to use. Wood glue is cheaper and lasts longer so I try to use it when I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uppitycats Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 I swear by Aileen's Tacky glue. Comes in several forumulations, some tackier than others. And I used wood glue for the shingles. The instructions in my Garfield talked about using a hot glue gun, too...but since I'd already burned myself once using the gun for some house project, I did NOT want to go there... so came here instead and was told about Aileen's, and havn't looked back! You can get it at Hobby Lobby for sure, and I've seen it in other similar stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doogster Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 I used hot glue back in wood shop because the teacher swore by it, within 2 years everything had fallen apart. I don't even own a glue gun now. I use a name brand (Elmer's or Loctite) yellow wood glue, and it works great. For the Garf after the entire foundation was made I flipped it over , wet the seams and reinforced the whole shebangabang with polyurethane glue. I used Elmer's but you can use Gorilla Glue if you want to spend more for the same thing. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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