Adhesives, Loctite, paste or glue, are materials that are used as sealants. Adhesives are instrumental in our everyday life. It is almost as if daily activities will be paralyzed if these adhesives are not available.
There are kinds of adhesives that are available on the market. You should not find it any difficulty locating them for your purchases. What you need to remember, however, is that different adhesives are designed for use on different surfaces. What is more, the different adhesives that are there have varying levels of strengths.
And of all the adhesives, synthetic resin glues are considered the resilient. And long-standing. They harden without a problem. They can be used on different hard surfaces, including metals. Synthetic glue can also fix both porous and non-porous materials. They also become hardened and would not shrink at any one time. If you need them for your sticking; you can always find them in tubes.
Then there are the polyester resins. They are almost like the epoxies but will not shrink easily. When they hardened, they are ideal for glass fibre.
Another widely used adhesive is the silicone. Silicones work best in high temperatures. They are resistant to water and are commonly used in electric cabling.
There are also adhesives that are obtained from various animal parts. Common ones are the glue cakes that are made from the hides and bones. Then there is the famous gelatin, an adhesive that is even used for cooking. The animal adhesive is useful when used on fabrics, cards and even papers.
Then there are adhesives that are designed to be used as aerosols. They are available in low or moderate viscosity. They are designed to be applied or sprayed on the surface quickly so that the droplets land on the required surface before they dry up. Majority of these aerosols, adhesives are dispensed with the help of a spray gun or an aerosol can.
Designers often make use of these aerosol adhesives to cause an immediate bond on the surface which they can reposition before it gets sticky. One great advantage with the aerosol adhesive is that they are clear, stainless, and are very fine mist especially when they are sprayed. Even such a brittle paper can be sprayed, and it will not tear. One major disadvantage is that you need to spray in a ventilated area as the substance is highly flammable. You also need to be cautious not to inhale the fumes – you will expose your health to hazards.
The polyester resins are applied in the glass, plastics, and metals. Cellulose adhesives can be used in polystyrene, plastics, card, and paper. Urethanes can be used to stick metals, rubber, leather, wood, and plastics. Lastly, the epoxy resins can be used to fix metals, stones, glasses, plastics, and wood as well. Vegetable glues will glue papers and cards.