Are instant glues as dramatic in bonding power and versatile on all surfaces as their advertisers claim?
The Consumer Council has put 10 models of instant glue to a laboratory test to assess their gluing performance, durability and appearance of the bonding materials as well as ease of use and product labelling.
The test was conducted in association with the International Consumer Research and Testing (ICRT) on 7 specific materials, namely, wood, metal, glass, PVC (polyvinyl chloride), PS (polystyrene), leather and rubber.
The results revealed that not all glues were effective on all these tested materials.
The fact is that quite a few of the instant glues actually do not work well for bonding certain types of material, notably, metal and leather.
In the test, the glued pieces are subjected to a series of stringent action of shearing, tension or peel off so as to measure the force needed to separate the glued areas. The greater the force the better the gluing performance of the sample.
Among the 10 samples, the majority (9) made the claim to be able to glue metal material. However, it turned out that one sample performed comparatively poorly in bonding metal pieces together. And 3 other samples were judged to be fair in gluing metal.
These 4 samples, however, did disclose on their label that they are not applicable on precious metal (such as gold).
Further, 8 out of the 10 instant glue samples made the claim that they are applicable on leather material. Two models, however, were far from effective in bonding leather pieces.
But other than metal and leather, most instant glues in the test can strongly bond a diverse range of material - wood, glass, PVC, PS and rubber.
In general, different samples possess their own merits. Consumers should bear in mind the materials they want to glue, and choose accordingly the right product for the job.
All instant glues were considered satisfactory in both durability and appearance of bonded material.
In durability, the test included (a) soaking the glued pieces of PVC in warm water, and (b) washing the glued porcelain plate in a dishwasher. All samples remained intact afterwards.
High transparency of the glued areas, without affecting the appearance of the glued material, was also observed with all samples.
On product labelling, one sample was found with labelling in neither Chinese nor English, but only in Japanese. The product was referred to the Customs and Excise Department for follow-up action deemed necessary.
As a matter of safety precaution, consumers are advised that as instant glue can strongly bond skin in a moment, they must never try hard to pull the stuck areas apart. Soak in warm water or warm soapy water, or nail polish remover, and wait for it to soften then gently and slowly peel off from the affected areas.
Some tips to use instant glues:
- Keep good ventilation upon applying the glue.
- Check the applicable materials and gluing performance of the product. Choose the right one for different material. If possible, conduct a trial in inconspicuous area to check performance in gluing and appearance.
- Ensure surfaces to be glued are free of dust, oil and grease or dried glue by applying ethanol or diluted detergent; wait to dry the surfaces before application.
- Applythe glue on one surface (not both surfaces to be bonded) as excessive amount may actually adversely affect the gluing performance.
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