Great fun aren't they? Word of caution. Keep a bowl of ice water in your work area in case of a burn. The glue is extremly hot and you can be seriously burned!

Picture of the hat?

I just heard there’s a cordless glue gun now, I may have to get that.

Oh yes! Burns! I don't think I've ever used one without a burn. Also, I have found that glue does not hold nearly as well as Gorilla Glue or another product.

I wanna see the hat! I have the gun although I haven't used it in a while. There are some things that just cannot be done without it. For one, I have a 20" wreath that I've put out for holidays for about the last 30 years....it's all nuts, a few cones. Poor thing needs a bit of repair each year and the glue gun is perfect for that.

What - no picture of the amazing hat?

Don't use one to repair a gravy boat. Hmmm.

Ha, Ha, Skibby! I will definitely file that away for future reference.

Ah, yes. The hat. I am a dolt for neglecting to post a pic of the amazing hat that I can't believe I created! I will do that in the morning when I can take photos in the daylight.

As far as the glue holding, that's good to know too. In this case, I only need it to hold until the party next Wednesday. I usually use two part epoxy when I want a really strong hold, but that would have been overkill in this case and I wouldn't have had time attach all the embellishments before it started to set up.

Glue gun glue has this advantage that if the glued on thing falls off you can hold the gluey part against the hot tip and remelt the glue and stick it back on. I have all sorts of little resin birds for my Christmas tree with little clips glued on to them to hold on to the tree and every year someone lets go of their clip.

Love my pink hot glue gun! I found some fun colored glue sticks which I use on my halloween spooky bottles to make it look like something is oozing out of the top!

I need to see the hat!

Ooooooh, I like the sound of glue stick glue ooooooze.

The hat has a pink ribbon...just sayin'.

Well, Dawn ... looks like new knowledge can dawn on one even when not expected (and some of us find that the possibilities may be somewhat improved if a bargain may be involved).

Good luck in your future endeavours ... and would you anticipate that these days it's not such a good idea for one to try to be hot stuff?

ole joyful

As men are so fond of saying, the right tool is everything. Be careful though, a glue gun is a gateway tool. Next will be an Exacto knife, then a Dremel tool.

Not crafty, but the very best thing for a burn is-----soy sauce! Yes, I know it sounds counter intuitive, but the People's Pharmacy got many calls confirming its efficacy (one from an army medic), and I use it all the time now.

LOL..ah yeah from my crafting days. Be careful...gluing your fingers together

can happen, too. (and hot!) They are genius tools, though.

OMG! I would've told you if I knew you didn't know! I've been using them for over 40 years. I have two...one is a low temp and one is a regular. They are so handy esp for crafting. But I've even used it on my draperies....it's how I attached the fringe to the valance here.

I've also used a spot of glue gun glue on the bottom corners of pictures and let it dry to make like a 'bumper' which helps keep the pictures stay level after I hang them.

^^^^^ Good idea!

Glue guns are a must have! ok, I'm with everyone else, gotta see the hat!

I used the hot tip to punch holes in a Rubbermaid bin (vermicomposting project). Oh yeah, ya gotta burn yourself every time.

Socks, brilliant!

Annie...that's beautiful! You have such a talent for putting together a classy look!

I attach double piping on upholstery. Glued together little bird houses. Attach greenery on wreath bases. Endless possibilities!

Way back in the day I used to watch Lynette Jennings and she always said she thought she could build a house with a glue gun...

graywings, apparently I do things in the wrong order. I've had (and adore) my Dremel for several years, but am only just now discovering the joys of a glue gun. I can definitely see me adding to my arsenal of tools - tools are a wonderful thing which I am discovering late in life, but better late than never!

Soy sauce for burns, go figure! Making mental note.

Fringe! OMGosh, fringe! I've been wanting to add some fringe to a lampshade forever, now I can! Punching holes, making bumpers, piping - the possibilities are endless!

I will be careful not to burn myself or glue my fingers together, but it's probably only a matter of time until I do.

So, does this secret glue gun club have a secret handshake or a password or somethin'?

Pics coming up shortly - just let me finish my morning tea and I'll get right on it!

Gorgeous hat, you did good !!

Looks great!!

Socks, great idea! I used a regular drill to make the holes in my bins.

I was given a glue gun 8 years ago, and have never used it. I think I finally gave it away. LOL

We don't do crafts of any kind. We got a glue gun some years ago and tried it for a few things. We didn't use it for very long because it seemed like SuperGlue and Gorilla Glue had better holding strength. I think we tossed it out.

For those who find it useful, great!

They are useful for do many things. LOVE the hat

Ready for the Kentucky Derby! lol!

My thanks for the kind words about the hat!

HaHa! Kentucky Derby - *snort!* HaHa!

Speaking of valances, I did use a glue gun to attach the fringe on these for my brother's bedroom:

I have made countless cardboard models of new furniture designs, but I refrained from using a glue gun unless absolutely necessary, and there were cases when I had to use it, for stability and durability. I mostly used tape (the 2" clear packing tape) so that I could take them apart easily to make revisions. I also used Elmer's glue whenever possible instead of the glue gun.

When making bridal hats/veils, I always stitched the flowers on by hand, but that is a much more formal situation. For casual hats, glue guns are a good choice.

I've been using glue guns for many years, but they are generally a last resort for me, and so I don't use them that often. Still, they do have value, and I would not be without one. I have been put off by people who use them as their first choice when a different adhesive would have been better, but for crafts they are a good option.

I always use a glue gun that has hot and warm options, but you have to buy glue sticks that are made for dual temperature guns. I almost always use the cooler option, to help avoid burns.

I love your hat, and I think the glue gun was a great tool for making that!

Annie, I love your valance and the view that it frames in that window. That looks like a difficult installation.

Thank you, Lars, not only for the compliment on my hat, but for all of the interesting information about glue guns and other adhesives. One of the things I really like about the glue gun is that the glue dries almost instantly. No holding or clamping the pieces being glued in place until the glue sets. Another thing I like about it is that it has no odor. Some of the other glues I've used in the past (such as e2000) just about knock me over and I'm convinced actually make me a bit high. I'm sure it's not good for my brain cells.

You've reminded me that I meant to comment on Annies and nicole's photos, but neglected to do so in my excitement over posting photos of the hat.

Annie, that is such a beautiful setting especially the way the view is framed in the window. Your fringed valance is the perfect frame.

nicole, I love what you've done with the trim on the chair. You are so good at that kind of stuff.

Lars, I also really like your valances. They are quite striking both in pattern and color (or should I say lack of color?).

Thank you all for opening my eyes to all of the tasks that a glue gun can perform. I have a feeling it's going to become one of my most used tools - right next to the Dremel!

While ironing tablecloths for the party, I've been thinking about this thread and glue guns. Lars reply especially started my thoughts about how I could use the glue gun in some of my jewelry designs. For the last couple of years, I've been experimenting with dried leaves and flowers. They are very delicate and fragile and I have ruined more than a few carefully placed scenes while trying to glue them into place so I could preserve then in resin.

They must be glued down in some way before the resin is poured or they will start floating and moving out of place in the resin before it starts to set. It's very time consuming and fiddly work and waiting for the glue to try while holding the flowers/leaves in place is very tedious.

So my thought was that if I can get better control of the glue gun and expel tiny pin points of glue rather than big blobs, the glue's quick drying action would be perfect for my needs. Maybe something like putting it on a toothpick and then applying would work. The quick drying would also mean that the leaves/flowers wouldn't get wet and saturated from the glue like it does with other types of glue I've tried. Getting wet make the flowers even more fragile.

The other thing I don't yet know is how or if the glue gun glue will react to the resin. Resin can be fussy stuff too. I see a lot of experimenting in my future, but I am very excited about getting in the studio to see what I can come up with.

This pendant took forever and I think the glue gun would have made it a much easier and less time consuming project. The hat was all for fun, but I'm deadly serious about my jewelry and ways to improve my product. Thanks again to Lars and to the rest of you who have given me ideas to ponder while ironing. Speaking of ironing, I'd better get back to it!

That is some hat! and the pendant is lovely & so unique

I once reupholstered my loveseat with nothing but scissors, a staple gun and hot glue! No sewing. No, it didn't really look professional (because I had never done such a thing before, and also kind of rushed it), but it also didn't look like a hack job. It held up for several years, too.

When I crafted for a local shop, hot glue was my best friend. I liked that i could smooth it out and shape it with a wet finger. Just don’t ever drizzle any on your inner thigh. (Working in my PJ shorts, ouch.)

I found out it lets go if you’re gluing terra cotta and the pot gets wet. That was surprising.

Thank you, raee. I'll bet your chair looked great and you saved money by DIY. Yay for glue guns!

Interesting, Flamingo. I wonder if the resin (in it's liquid state) will cause the glue to let go. That's one of the things I'll find out when I start playing around with gun glue/resin.

I will also make sure that my thighs are covered when using the glue gun - good tip!