Glues

Types of glues

Wood Glue
pros: very strong, ideal for porous materials such as wood and cardboard
cons: takes hours to dry

water soluble
and waterproof
not suitable for gluing paper onto a backing

Spray Glue
pros: ideal for gluing paper (photos, signs or posters) onto a backing
cons: smelly, overspray causes a mess (requires a dropcloth)
beware of air bubbles

Hot-Melt Glue
pros: very fast and easy
cons: not very strong

Plastic Glue
pros:
cons:

Rubber Cement
pros: ideal for gluing small paper items (photos, signs) onto a backing
cons:

Glue Sticks
pros: good for glue small paper items, fast and easy
cons:

Cyanoacrylate Better known as SuperGlue
pros:
cons:
filler beads or baking soda

RTV/caulking
pros:
cons:

Epoxy
pros:
cons:

A two-part glue, consisting of a resin and a hardener that must be mixed prior to use. Squeeze equal amounts of resin and hardener onto a piece of scrap cardboard and mix thoroughly with a toothpick. Apply to the parts and secure until the glue cures, which depending on the variety could be anywhere from 5 minutes to 24 hours. The mixture hardens through a chemical reaction, not the evaporation of a solvent as most glues do. The chemical reaction does produce heat, so epoxy (especially the 5-minute variety) shouldn’t be used to glue things that will be damaged by high temperatures.

A special mention is deserved for JB Weld, a brand of epoxy that is especially good for gluing together metal parts, or patching holes in metal parts.