How does a household and professional glue gun work?

Now glue gun is used not only when performing construction work, but also in everyday life. The principle of operation, according to which the glue gun works, not only facilitates and accelerates the process of performing work, but also allows to save material considerably.

Diagram of the device glue gun.

Such a gun glues very quickly and practically any materials; therefore, it is used during various construction works, in warehouses, in stores, in doing various household chores and even in the manufacture of handicrafts.

In order to choose the right tool, you need to familiarize yourself with the main characteristics, as well as how to operate the gun correctly.

What is a glue gun and what materials can be combined with it?

Diagram of the main parts of the glue gun.

To learn how to work properly with a glue gun, it is necessary to study the principle of its operation and the main characteristics. If you look at the appearance of this device, you will see that it really looks like a military weapon, which was the reason for obtaining such a name.

In order to start using a glue gun, it is necessary to charge a special cartridge with an adhesive. After that, the device is connected to the electrical network, the cartridge is heated to a temperature of 100 degrees or more. You just have to press the trigger and apply the required amount of adhesive to the bonding surfaces.

The advantage of this tool over adhesives is that the glue solidifies after 10 minutes, after which the repaired items can be used.

This device bears other names: it is called a thermogun, hot or thermo-glue gun. All these are the names of the same tool.

Thus, it becomes clear that the glue gun is designed to join different materials with hot glue.

If we talk about materials that can be connected with a glue gun, then the list of them is very large.

Advantages of the glue gun.

It is easier to say that such a tool can be used to connect virtually any material, including wood, cloth, plastic, ceramics, glass, metal, paper, etc. In order to get the maximum strength of the compound, materials such as metal, wood, rubber and similar, it is recommended to heat up with a hair dryer before starting work. Make a reliable connection with a concrete surface or plaster will not work. Different cartridges with glue can be used to connect different materials. The classic is a colorless glue, with which you can glue any material.

Glue has been used to join parts before, but after the invention of the glue gun, the work can be carried out more easily, faster and at the same time considerably saving the adhesive composition.

Differences household and professional tools

The scheme of work with a glue gun.

There is no clear distinction between professional and household glue guns. Most often, professional equipment includes a tool that has an automatic rod feed, but a manual feed model can be a professional tool.

Automatic feed of the rod is necessary when the gun is used in the factory and works continuously. This allows you to simplify and speed up the work, as well as increase the service life of the tool itself. At the construction site used professional pistols with manual feed.

One of the main differences between professional and household tools is the speed and productivity of work. If funds allow you, and you want to use good tools, even doing homework, you can purchase professional equipment.

The choice of this tool should be based on your needs and capabilities, as well as on how often you plan to use it. It is worth remembering that by buying a cheap tool, you risk, as it can quickly fail, and you have to buy a new gun, and this is an additional cost instead of saving.

The difference between pistols in nozzle diameter and temperature

The set of glue gun includes several nozzles with different diameter nozzles.

Another parameter that distinguishes a professional glue gun from a household one is the nozzle diameter. It can be of two main sizes, 7 and 11 mm, but other sizes are possible.

If the gun will be used only for domestic purposes, then a nozzle with a diameter of 7 mm is enough. If you are engaged in repair and often use the specified tool, then you need to purchase a model with a nozzle diameter of 11 mm. They will be easier and faster to perform large volumes of work.

It is necessary to pay attention to the length of the cartridge inserted into the gun, although in most modern models the longest cartridges can be inserted, which allows longer work on a single refueling.

The heating temperature of the adhesive mixture is one of the main parameters that you need to pay attention to when choosing a tool. Modern glue guns can have a heating temperature from 105 to 200 degrees, and in professional models it can reach 500 degrees.

For a standard rod, heating up to 105 degrees is sufficient. Increasing the temperature will accelerate the work, but if you use the gun only in everyday life, this is not very important.

Power tool and speed

Although the heating temperature of the tool and affects the speed of work, with the purchase should be paid to the parameter specified in the instructions. It can be in the range of 5-30 grams per minute. The higher the speed, the better, but it will affect the cost of the tool.

For domestic use, you should not buy high-speed pistols, as they do not pay off. If you plan to carry out large-scale work and stick large items, then you need to purchase a high-speed pistol. If its speed is small, then you just do not have time to apply glue to the entire surface, and it will begin to harden before gluing.

If we talk about power, it is clear that the power and speed of work are directly proportional to the magnitude. The greater the power, the faster the glue will heat up. The best option is a tool that warms up in 4-5 minutes.

Other elements of the gun

Since the gun is driven by a trigger, it must be comfortable. Triggers are swivel or sliders. More common and convenient are models with swivel trigger.

Battery glue gun more convenient to use.

In the cheapest models, the trigger may not be. In this case, the adhesive is fed by pressing the rod with a finger, this is very inconvenient. The body of the tool must be durable and prevent leakage of glue.

Using an electric tool that works on the network and has a cord is not very convenient, since the cord interferes with and limits the working space. To avoid this, you can use the battery model. After you insert the battery into the tool, you can work it anywhere. But in this case, be prepared to increase the weight of the gun.

You can purchase a gun from which the power cord comes unfastened. It does not have a battery, but by unplugging the cord, you can work with the tool for 10–20 minutes. So you can use the usual model, but if you provide for the release of the cord, then the heat chamber is larger and it can take longer to work with such a tool.

Cheap models have only one nozzle, more expensive models have removable nozzles. They can be elongated to reach hard-to-reach places, or flat to squeeze the glue in a wide layer.

Conveniently, when the nozzle has protection against the formation of a drop, it is arranged according to the nipple principle. Although small droplets may appear, but this is not scary. In the interval between the work of the nozzle must be kept over the paper. To do this, each model has a stand, it must be durable and comfortable. After the end of work, the nozzle must be wiped off.

When choosing an adhesive, if you are not a professional, you can buy an ordinary transparent cartridge, since it is universal. If you are a professional, you need to buy a special glue for each material, as it will ensure maximum bond strength.

Use the tool according to the attached instructions and do not forget about safety, as the temperature reaches 200 degrees.

To ensure a good connection, the surface must be well cleaned and degreased; you can preheat it with a hair dryer.