E6000 Vs Gorilla Glue? My Surprising Recent Experience….
E6000 vs Gorilla Glue? Two awesome glues, both of them are solvent based and intended for use with hard nonporous surfaces for a strong bond.but just this recently I had two totally unexpected experiences come up. If you will recall, I had a blast doing this project…I used Gorilla Glue to attach the metal handle to the saucer that was tho be the cover for my birdfeeder.
Now, I have a sort- of rule I follow to the letter….Never use/hang up/display, etc. something I have glued together unless it has set up for at least 5 days. I know that packages on the back always say “24 hrs” but dry doesn’t equal “fully cured”.
Well enough of that preachy stuff about glue…Here’s my story along with recommendations.
My Story of 2 Glues
Anyway when I let my birdfeeder hang outside for the first time…Ok, let’s be fair, we have been having some bad weather….. We’re still having lots of weird unexpected weather conditions which is why I need a good strong glue. I found my birdfeeder had collapsed.
The lid (saucer) was still on the jar affixed but the handle had come off…What the….? That really sucked!
Now I did make 2 feeders and the other one was hanging just find with the same kind of and amount of glue applied the same way, but it remained intact. (I hung it from the gutter) Maybe that was just happenstance, IDK…
I thought about drilling into the saucer and handle and affixing them together with little screws but decided against it,; I feared that might not work (some plastics you do not want to drill through) and it could’ve disrupted the jar too so I decided I needed to try and glue it back together again.
This time I used my favorite old standby e6000. . I did what I did earlier (I usually apply glue to both surfaces), clamped it for awhile and then left it alone to cure. (I was a little worried that the birdseed left in the feeder would attract ants, but oh well, that was the breaks.)
Repeat the curation (may have been 6 days) and this time I took it and hung it up outside (but now from the gutter in the front this time) and so far, it has been 5 days, (and some heavy rain has come through) Well, whattdaya know….
It’s hanging and looking good!
E6000 Glue Vs Gorilla Glue
Now if you’re still with me here and coming to the conclusion that you need to go for e6000 over Gorilla Glue, well, I’m not really biased either way. There’s things I like about both, and a few things I dislike…and that’s OK. Truth be told, I have always used e6000 religiously, but the evening I got the Gorilla Glue I had something that I wanted to fix asap and didn’t want to wait for something to arrive in the mail.
So I looked over at Home Depot but apparently they stocked different types of Gorilla Glue and one other brand so I got it as it looked like it had what I needed to tick off the boxes…clear, work on nonporous objects, no having to mix together two different products…Have you ever done that? That’s a pain….
Gorilla Glue comes in a nice applicator (kind of like good old Elmer’s) so I always have a mess-free application. I get what I need and screw the top back on. And it has hardly any noxious fumes.. There’s one thing I don’t like and that is that you have to mist the area with water first.
Pros and Cons of e6000
With E6000 I don’t have to mix anything, and I don’t have to moisten anything. It’s ready to go out of the tube. And I do mean out of the tube because the second you finish spreading a littler ribbon on whatever object, it’s already got a bead of glue forming right at the spout. I usually have to grab a paper towel and wipe the bead/spout off and recap it back in a hurry because it pretty much just flows on autopilot . Interestingly enough, it doesn’t just squirt out like toothpaste…I take the cap off and get my objects ready and a dab is formed right then and there.
If you’re unsure of how much you will need, you might try to get a small paper cup of piece of wax paper and try to squeeze out a n amount, recap it quickly and use a toothpick to apply it to your surface.
Another negative, it does have an aroma to it. It is a solvent and you will catch a whiff of it. But since you have to recap it quickly you may not be affected that much. When it gets on my skin (which it has -it’s unavoidable) I use a dab of rubbing alcohol to remove it (You can also use acetone nail polish remover too)
But that’s the breaks….It does bind everything with minimal balk or clamping time, dries clear, and will not only be invaluable in crafting, I’ve used it to repair everything, from something that broke to the sole of one of my shoes once. Best of all, it’s a permanent bond and I can go about the rest of my day worry free after putting something together. Now who can argue with that?
Pros and Cons of Gorilla Glue
It comes in differeing formulas and sizes, all of which have an easy on-off cap – no ooze. Also, no odor.
One exception to the “bonds almost everything” rule is plyethelene or polypropol;ene , some type fo plastic.
If you use the Original flagship formula, please be advised you’ll be asked to mist your surface a little due to the expandin g nature of the product. It is funny I don’t think I saw that mentioned on the formula I used (nor anything about using a little mist of water) so for all we know I may have brought that fiasco earlier on myself…
I’ll admit I got a little confused at first, but here’s the skinny: The Clear formula (which I used) is actually labeled as “water resistant” not “waterproof” Which I guess means when it rains and something you fixed is left outside, it could depend on how much rain exposure.
The Original formula is water proof, and tends to expand and fill in gaps so you need to remember to mist your surface first and always apply sparingly. It may form bubbles around the seam, and later on you may be able to remove the exposed residue. This one might have been a better choice for my birdfeeder.
Summary
In short….Both glues are great…I’d recommend Gorilla Glue if you hate foul odors. I would consider the Original brand if it’s important for your project to be waterproof. I would recommend e6000 if you’re looking for a tough as nails adhesive but don’t mind the above minor caveats.
I’d recommend e6000 for hard surfaces, like hard plastic, metal, ceramics, beads, rhinestone gem backs, clay. I would not use it for fabric as it will bleed through and definitely show. Barring that, if you are trying to bind something leather or heavy canvas, you’ll be fine because those are not thin materials.Good luck!
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