Hot Glue Gun - Cardboard

[mobiledynamics]

I don't own a hot glue gun. Never needed it.
Is it strong enough to keep the bond between cardboard - aka, sealing up boxes ?

Sometimes, even with my heavy mil shipping tape, it ain't sticking like it used to.
I have resorted to putting down some titebond on these. Figured there's got to be a faster way.....aka, me thinking glue gun.
Is this stuff mainly for - crafts- and tack hold....and won't or will hold 2 pieces of cardboard together

 

[RTM]

Beer 12 pk boxes, and the cardboard box they ship beer bottles in, all used to be held shut with hot glue, don’t know about now, been away fir 20 years.

But it wasn’t your off the shelf at the hobby store glue. Poking around for the most appropriate glue should help, and make sure your gun can dispense it hot enough to get a good seal is key.

 

[4xdog]

There are two tons of info about taping boxes in this ongoing thread, @mobiledynamics.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/taping-up-a-shipping-box.488368/

 

[IndyGarage]

I suppose it could be used to hold boxes closed but I would still seal the seams with packing tape.

I've not had any problems with packing tape alone, if you have really heavy stuff you might need a box stapler

 

[Forgottonia]

If packing tape not sticking to box you could try taping all the way around so the overlapping tape would stick to itself. Just a thought...

 

[Bubba Fett]

Good packing tape is worth the price. That **** they sell at the UPS store is worthless.

Speaking of glue guns...

A few years ago, for a Halloween contest, I made a Ghostbusters proton pack with cardboard, bottles, assorted plastic pieces, scrap wire, etc. and used a hot glue gun. It worked pretty well, and was fairly convincing. LOL. I even used hidden hard drive magnets to hold the gun on the side of the pack. It was a big hit at the party.

 

[seber]

If your tape doesn't stick, either you have junk tape or the box is really dirty. Plenty of good tape available on line much cheaper than stores.

 

[mobiledynamics]

Duck HP260/or 27....is my go to heavy mil tape. It's not the tape. Sometimes I will do a triple. Seal one leading seam on the right. Then the left. Then one more down the center..

Just some boxes sometimes, it ain't sticking as - good- as it should

 

[IndyGarage]

If your tape doesn't stick, either you have junk tape or the box is really dirty. Plenty of good tape available on line much cheaper than stores.

This is true. I only buy 3m packing tape. The cheap stuff is junk.

 

[dnschmidt]

The 3M packaging tape available at Costco or Sam's Club is the hot ticket. That's what I used when I was in the TOPTUL business and it never failed me. With respect to glue guns the Ryobi cordless works pretty well. I haven't used it with boxes but when teamed up with the Stanley glue (recommended by Project Farm I think) it works pretty good.

 

[designer485]

I have worked in the corrugated packaging and display industry for over 15 years (Creative Director). We hot melt glue sample boxes and other corrugated components every day with great success. Certain tapes **** for sure, no other way to put it. Thick gauge 3in tape is awesome, especially U-Lines 3in "Quiet Tape". That's all my design team uses now. Thin 2in stuff is garbage.

Large run manufactured corrugated boxes are glued with cold set adhesives, but small run boxes and cartons are hot melt glued.

There is specific hot melts that work great with corrugated board, here is an example:
https://www.hotmelt.com/products/ad-tech-610-packaging-hot-melt-glue-stick

I have used 3M Polyguns for years, they are awesome to use but holy **** are they hot.

 

[will335i]

Why am I not surprised there's a glue gun that runs in the $1000s. Bravo garage journal bravo.

The 3M packaging tape available at Costco or Sam's Club is the hot ticket. That's what I used when I was in the TOPTUL business and it never failed me. With respect to glue guns the Ryobi cordless works pretty well. I haven't used it with boxes but when teamed up with the Stanley glue (recommended by Project Farm I think) it works pretty good.

I was looking at HomeDepot and Ryobi's smaller cordless glue gun caught my eye up until I saw the charger takes a battery and not a wall plug. WTF Ryobi?

 

[GrantCee]

BTDT...what you need is the right glue, but your typical consumer hot glue guns (the kind you find at the big box stores) usually don't run hot enough for it. Your best bet is a gun with adjustable temperature, which allows you to use a wide range of sticks. It won't cost a grand, but it will be more expensive than what you'll find at HD — figure around $100 or so.

Go to someplace like hotmelt.com, where you can get the right guns and the glues for the application.

(No affiliation, just a satisfied customer.)

Edited to add: I see someone else also mentioned hotmelt.com. They've been a reputable source.

 

[dscheidt]

my super cheap high temperature glue gun, with cheap high temp glue sticks, bonds corrugated cardboard well enough that the cardboard is what tears when you pull it apart. Some glossy cardboard does not take glue as well.

 

[mobiledynamics]

Thx. A brief more googling and the linked items as well - there are glue specific apps that will work for the application. Ha, never did it register to me the many boxes I have opened that have been -factory glued. Was just thinking of a faster way then me waiting for the titebond to -set-

 

[Catcher1984]

Strapping tape! it has fiberglass fibers running across it. A little bit more expensive than regular packing tape but it’s very strong.

I used it to tape up a 80lb bench vise for shipping and it made it in the same condition.

 

[The Cobbler]

specific glue for carton sealing https://www.uline.ca/Product/Detail...-Sticks/3M-3762-AE-Glue-Sticks-1-2-x-12-Amber

 

[mobiledynamics]

It's been a few years since I've been out of the wheel hobby - aka, different wheels on the cars, etc.Flipping wheels/tires like the many shoes the wifey has. Many times I wish I had a strapping gun/tape. Here I am, cardboard between 2 wheels, then cardboard on the outers, on a movers dolly, then another 15 minutes using the large saran wrap and wrapping it After a few coats of saran wrap, I would do a X with the packing tape. Then another 2 more layers of saran wrap for good safety measure ;-/

 

[qwik]

Why am I not surprised there's a glue gun that runs in the $1000s. Bravo garage journal bravo.


The glue is $400-$500 a box too.....

 

[LeonardY]

This is what I use. 3M polygun. The glue comes out like it's water.
I've been using these for about 40 years. They work great but are expensive.

I also have Black & Decker glue gun that I use for gluing foam down. The glue from the 3M gun is so hot it just melts the foam.

 

[rlitman]

This is what I use. 3M polygun. The glue comes out like it's water.
I've been using these for about 40 years. They work great but are expensive.

I also have Black & Decker glue gun that I use for gluing foam down. The glue from the 3M gun is so hot it just melts the foam.

I use the Polygun-LT. The Low Temp version doesn't melt things like that.

 

[mobiledynamics]

I bought me a sure bond 300W with some industrial glue......anyhow, 1st time I've RTFM as I've never used a GlueGun since I was a kid.

What is the point of purging the gun ? Manual states, after 10 seconds of it being off, purge the gun with the stick in the gun for a few . Isn't it all the-same-, or is the curing of the cooler melt different in the -tip-. Or is it just to reduce -drip- with the hop tip and hotter melted material ?

 

[rlitman]

I bought me a sure bond 300W with some industrial glue......anyhow, 1st time I've RTFM as I've never used a GlueGun since I was a kid.

What is the point of purging the gun ? Manual states, after 10 seconds of it being off, purge the gun with the stick in the gun for a few . Isn't it all the-same-, or is the curing of the cooler melt different in the -tip-. Or is it just to reduce -drip- with the hop tip and hotter melted material ?

It's usually not necessary, but hot glue melts better the first time, and less well with each subsequent heat. Also, the more time that stick spends hot, the worse it gets. Purging ensures that the gun cools quickly, and that it starts with fresh glue.

If you're using at least one stick per glue session, then there's no point in purging. If you only need a few drips at a time, then burning a stick every so often may be necessary to avoid a clogged gun (where the glue no longer melts when heated).

edit: I just recalled an incident with my 3M Polygun when it got left plugged in and forgotten for a week (it was sitting on an iron drill press table, so no real fire risk). Without unplugging it, I used a new stick to push out the dark brown tar that was left inside (I had to push pretty hard on that). I then unplugged it, gave it 5 minutes to cool and pushed another stick to remove the last flecks of burnt glue stuck inside.

 

[mobiledynamics]

thanks. RL. concise in ABC. Ha, like typical GJF overkill, but actually this is a plus on this glue gun buy. If I can get away with sealing boxes without tape and using glue, its not a bad thing as well. It's not a daily thing but usually if I'm shipping something, it's important enough to be sealed -well-

 

[mobiledynamics]

I must be living under a rock - hot melt was never on my radar to own/have. Just did a test strip.

Putting on my thinking's cap. Aside from sealing boxes, right now the only other use I see is maybe a starter strip with no face nailing for the wood flooring I plan to redo.

 

[rlitman]

Hot melt comes in handy from time to time. I'll often use it for potting electronics. Low temp glue tends not to damage plastics, and the cure time is far better than epoxy. For example, I have cheap IP65 LED strips. You can slice off the clear plastic cover with a razor, solder your wires to the copper pads, and apply a bead of hot melt over that to re-seal everything.

Back when I was making custom terminated ethernet cables, I would inject low temp glue into the RJ45 ends to better lock the wires into place. It did wonders for connection longevity for me, but nowadays I just buy pre-terminated ends that have injection molded strain relief and anti-snag caps.

My younger one has an ultra low temp glue gun he uses in crafting projects. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YWWRLYU/?tag=atomicindus08-20

On another note, holt melt glue will stick to polyethylene and polypropylene. These thermoplastics are notoriously hard to adhere to. Hot glue may not bond well to them cold, but if you heat the surface up to the point that it is uncomfortable to tough, it bonds incredibly well. Think of it like plastic brazing (rather than welding, where the base material is fully melted).

There are wood bonding glues that I suppose you could use for a flooring starter strip, though I think construction adhesive might be better in the long run. Of course, construction adhesive requires at least 24 hours of dry time. CA with accelerant can be even faster than hot melt, but is quite brittle.

 

[GrantCee]

Among other things, I use hot melt to make equipment case inserts using closed-cell foam. Hot melt bonds that stuff quite well; I have inserts that have been in use for years with no separation.

 

[mobiledynamics]

I've been doing my annual/ yearly purge of stuff to be sold.....hobbies, stuff, etc. When sealing boxes of $$$ items to be shipped, being able to glue them shut, and still using heavy duty tape just to cover the seam. Wowsers, it has taken my box packaging presentation to another level ;-)

The recipient might find it either incredibly annoying or just might appreciate the extra level on the packing

 

[mobiledynamics]

Triple Boxing a 100lb item. Item to be shipped in primary box. Insulating/foaming the entire perimeter with 2 boxes (double boxes) acting as the shipping container. Looking pretty good and sturdy sofar....

So here I am, with some rememnents of foam. I'm like let's use it lup so so I decided to put a dob of glue on all 4 corners to glue another piece of foam to make it thicker. It melted right through and it was never on my radar. We'll it's on my - live and learn WIKI now

 

[CGarage]

If your tape doesn't stick, either you have junk tape or the box is really dirty. Plenty of good tape available on line much cheaper than stores.

This.

Buy better tape!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mobiledynamics]

I'm using Hp260 tape - 3 mil goodness.
And for this , it's not even really used to seal/hold the box. Im covering the side handles with 3 Layers (9 mil tape thickness) as I'm trying to discourage the delivery tradesman to attempt to hold it via the -corrugated- prepunched hole.

I seal all the edges as well.

Any opening or even where a hand can get under a flap is a handle for a delivery man...

 

[rlitman]

I'm using Hp260 tape - 3 mil goodness.
And for this , it's not even really used to seal/hold the box. Im covering the side handles with 3 Layers (9 mil tape thickness) as I'm trying to discourage the delivery tradesman to attempt to hold it via the -corrugated- prepunched hole.

I seal all the edges as well.

Any opening or even where a hand can get under a flap is a handle for a delivery man...

Sounds like your box needs tensioned strapping.

 

[e36jon]

Just another up-vote for hot-melt.

There are specialized glues for just about every application (seriously, it's crazy.). If you have an adjustable temp gun for 1/2" sticks you should have access to everything you could ever want. My only issue with the 3M guns is that it limits your selection of glues/sources somewhat.

An aspect of hot melt that hasn't been mentioned yet (I think) is that the glue doesn't shrink appreciably as it cools, unlike RTV/Elmers/Etc.

Trivia bit: I worked in a pet food factory for ~3 years and the labels on the cans and the flat style cases were all done with hot melt.

 

[gungatim]

If your tape doesn't stick, either you have junk tape or the box is really dirty. Plenty of good tape available on line much cheaper than stores.

LGR!

 

[mobiledynamics]

--likely won't either---
Gungatim. U read my mind on my recap post ....

Im going to have to take a deeper dive on all things hotmelt. Just buttoned it and off it went for shipping. I believe the box may have had some coating on it ?

Yes, rlit - don't own a strap strap nor do I need one. My days of buying wheels/tires/constant changing on the toys are done (I think). And this 100lb is a rare size or weight I am sending. I have considered a strapping setup more than a few times and everytime, I said I would ever not need one again after this thing ships

I'm not a hot glue pro and have only really hot melted less than a handful of boxes with the industrial glue - Surebond 735.
On this particular box, turns out even hot melt wasn't setting up - curing within a minute. I knew it wasn't cured as the flap wasn't feeling fully bonded - lifted the flap, still semi fluid/tacky. Decided to just squeeze more glue. And thinking maybe I might have over compressed - bleed out, I was just pressing down with slightly less force. Eventually some glue did set, and some did not fully bond.

Anyhow, I suppose the cardboard could have some coating on it. In retrospect, after seeing the failed attempt, I could have -scuffed- it but I was rushing to get this done as I was heading out.

 

[mobiledynamics]

For the Wiki, should any one else stumble across this in research.
Root cause : recycled box material

Quick Read I Found while researching
The structure of the box fibers.
Take, for example, a brand new corrugated box. Here, virgin kraft fibers are used to create a top sheet that is porous, providing areas where the adhesive can be pressed down and entangled with the fibers, the staple length of which are longer and more entwined than recycled fibers. With recycled cartons, the fibers have been chopped up and repulped. This results in smaller fibers that must be packed tightly together with fillers to create a top sheet. These tightly packed fibers create a less porous surface, which makes it difficult for the tape’s adhesive to penetrate.

So in doing more research

Recycled Boxes = Different Tape Recommendation from 3m.
3M 3073 is supposedly slated for this application.
Did not see one on Duck, which is just a preferred brand I've used forever since it works for every app I have used.

Did a dive into other glues but the 735 being discussed, is their high strength industrial rated glue already.
I was recommend another brand of it being their highest strength, with the disclaimer that YMMV when dealing with recycled boxes.

 

[sz0k30]

Ran into this a while back and found an answer on this website. I forget the specific details, so do some searching, but there is a difference between: shipping tape, storage tape, moving tape.