E6000 Vs Gorilla Glue? A Tale of Two Glues and My Experience

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 after it passed the smell test (cured for 5 days)..So far, so good. But then one day….I went outside and 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!

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.)

Now I did make 2 feeders and the other one was hanging just fine with the same kind of and amount of glue applied the same way, but it remained intact. (I hung it from the gutter – the other one from a shepherd’s crook) Maybe that was just happenstance, IDK…

How I Recovered

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.

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….

Pros 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 little ribbon on whatever object, it’s already got a bead of glue forming right at the spout.

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 an amount, recap it quickly and use a toothpick to apply it to your surface. I prefer the skinny tip (center) as it’s more precise and doesn’t ooze out of the tube as much.

E6000 5510310 Craft Adhesive Mini (4 Pack)E6000 Craft Adhesive, 2 fl oz Clear – Skinny TipE6000 230010 Craft Adhesive, 3.7 Fluid Ounces

The line is expanding a little to include different formulas…for example, did you know E6ooo comes in black, and white, and now there is a formula for beads and jewelry too? I didn’t know that, either, until I did some more exploring further. Guess I learn something new every day!

E6000 Multipurpose Adhesive, Black, 2 ozE6000 237040 Craft Adhesive – 2 fl oz WhiteE6000 Jewelry And Bead Adhesive With 4 Tips

Cons 

It can be messy – 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.

Another negative, it does have an aroma to it (except that ONE formula above) It is a solvent and you may 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.

Pros of Gorilla Glue

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. It comes in differing formulas and sizes, all of which have an easy on-off cap – no ooze.  and no odor.

Gorilla 4500104 Clear Glue 1.75 Oz., ClearGorilla 5002801 Original Glue, 8 oz, BrownGorilla White Gorilla Glue, 2 oz, White

If you use the Original flagship formula, please be advised you’ll be asked to mist your surface a little due to the expanding nature of the product. It is funny I don’t think I saw that mentioned on the “clear” formula I used 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.

Cons

One exception to the “bonds almost everything” rule is polyethelene or polypropolene , some type of plastic.

The Original formula is waterproof, 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.

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?

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, and happy gluing!