Glue guns

Anne Lane <alane [at] InfoAve__Net> writes

>Two questions: my glue gun, an el cheapo, died recently and I have
>borrowed a Sears cordless model from another department pending
>purchase of another for ours.  My concern is this--I am using a
>rheostatically controlled outlet, and with the old model I used the
>lowest heat I could get away with, since I am mostly working with
>ethafoam and Volara.  I used a higher heat for the Corrulite
>corrugated polyethylene I use to construct boxes and supports.  The
>new gun only functions at maximum heat, and it generates fumes
>enthusiastically.  I am in a basically airless workroom, with little
>venting and almost no air circulation.  I am using the hot melt glue
>sold by University Products.  Am I frying my brain?
>
>The other question is, when I do buy a new glue gun, what should I
>buy?

The temperature which a glue gun is designed to produce should be
matched to the glue you are using. Cordless glue guns produce their
design temperature until the battery is almost exhausted. The
temperature produced by glue guns which plug into a 120 volt
electric line can be raised or lowered somewhat by using an
autotransformer (e.g. Variac). A rheostat is not recommended.

Production of fumes suggests that the gun temperature is too high
for the glue that is being used. Please do not work around fumes
from a glue gun, whether or not the space is ventilated.

I like the Sears Craftsman industrial model 193-270290 (about $30).
It is designed for high temperature glue, but its temperature can be
reduced by a Variac or a dimmer switch. It has far less leakage of
melted glue than most el cheapo models, and its tip is shielded with
rubber to reduce the likelihood of burns.

Rupert

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 11:80
                   Distributed: Friday, April 3, 1998
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