A hot glue gun is a hand-held device that sticks two similar or dissimilar substances together. Easy to use, this device is an essential component for all mechanics and tradespeople who work in different industries. This guide will help you understand in detail how a hot glue gun works, its components and its various types.
How does this gun work?
A hot glue gun looks pretty much like a gun. It has a long nozzle shaped like the barrel of a gun, a feed area, and a trigger. Load the glue inside the gun by opening up the feed area. This you can do by opening the cap of your glue stick and letting the viscous material flow inside the feed area.
When you have loaded all the glue inside the feed area, put the latch back in its place, and pull the trigger. This action forces the semi-liquid glue toward a heating filament that melts the substance. This molten glue then sprays out of the barrel and falls on the base that needs to be stuck when emerging from the filament.
Since this hot glue sprays out very quickly out of the ‘barrel’, the user should be alert at this stage. Ensure that your sticking surface is aligned closely to the barrel for optimum results.
Hot glue guns are used in several settings, like sticking labels to envelopes, etc. Glue guns come in various types. There are different kinds of glue guns in the market, but your choice depends upon your specific needs. Broadly, hot glue guns can be classified into three kinds; High-temperature guns, Low-temperature guns, and Dual temperature guns.
High-temperature guns
These guns come in handy when you have to bond heavy materials like plastics and wooden materials. High-temperature guns can melt glue-up to 350-degree Fahrenheit, hence the name. Give these characteristics, high-temperature guns can be used in simple DIY projects. However, don’t use these guns where the work is more complex and requires a high degree of expertise. High-temperature hot glue guns are not easily available in the market. They are more expensive than the low-temperature ones and should be kept away from children at all times. More here on where to get your high-temperature hot glue gun.
Low-temperature hot glue guns
These guns also work at high temperatures but only up to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Don’t take these guns as cool instruments; if you aren’t careful, you might sustain serious burn injuries.
Low-temperature hot glue guns are used in simple art and craft projects and are less expensive than their high-temperature counterparts. You can easily get these guns from hobby stores, online or anywhere else. Smaller in size, low-temperature guns are portable and can be carried easily from one place to another.
Dual Temperature hot glue guns
These guns are incredibly versatile but are uncommon, and therefore more expensive. In a dual temperature hot glue gun, you can control the temperature at which the glue melts. This makes your glue-related job much easy. If you have a project with varying degrees of complexity, please consider a dual temperature hot glue gun. Since these guns are uncommon, you may consider buying them online.
While buying a hot glue gun, please be mindful of these factors;
- Manual versus Trigger Feed: In a manual feed, you pour the glue inside the feed using your thumb. Trigger feeds require elaborate hand functions.
- Small versus Industrial Guns: Smaller machines can store lesser glue and can reach out to extremely narrow places. Industrial guns are bulkier and store more volumes of glue.
