Glues

The props department is often responsible for building and repairing items and having a good knowledge of glues is important. This article needs way more work, please contribute!

Check out thistothat which is a simple resource to figure out what glue is the recommended to glue one item to another.

**Glue Types**

**Chemical Bonding**

These liquids aren't necessarily glues, but act in a similar way. They are solvents that break down the two items of the same plastic material you are wanting to adhere and so that the two items actually dry and bond together. A common version of this is ABS or PVC cement that is used in plumbing.

**Cyanoacrylate**

Also known as super glue, Krazy glue, or CA glue. This is a generally quick curing and because of that and it's excellent bonding ability, it's a very commonly used glue for quick repairs. For even quicker drying, an accelerator, often called "zip kicker" can be used. CA glue can be mixed with certain powders (baking soda, graphite, aluminum powder) to fill small gaps. Lee Valley Tools has this informative video on CA glues that's worth a watch. Here's a tip, don't keep your kicker and your CA glue in the same storage container!

**Epoxy**

Epoxy is generally a 2 part adhesive, although some epoxy glues cure when activated by UV light. JB Weld, or JB Quick Weld is a commonly used epoxy on set. It can also come in the form of epoxy putty which is a very handy product for repairing items with gaps or forming new shapes.

**Glue Sticks**

These are great for gluing paper to paper, but they are often not the strongest bonding glues.

**Hot Glue (Thermoplastic Adhesive)**

Hot glue guns are a very versatile way of creating bonds of differing strengths. Different glue types and different melting temperatures will affect how strong a bond is. Glue sticks are also available in different colours which can be very useful for repairing gaps in props. While usually a hot glue gun requires an electrical outlet to work, models that run off of battery or butane are available and are very handy for on-set repairs. In a pinch, a glue stick can even be melted and used with a lighter.

**Natural Glue**

These glues are probably not going to be the most effective, but if you're working on a period show, it would be good to know about the glues that used to be available, including Casein Glue (milk), Gelatin glue and hide glue.

**Polyurethane glue**

One common example of a polyurethane glue is the original Gorilla Glue. It is a versatile glue that has a notable quality that you should be aware of: it expands as it cures. This is great for filling in gaps, but less great if you weren't expecting the expansion.

**Rubber Cement**

Rubber cement is a glue that generally bonds to itself. A thin layer is applied to each surface and the surfaces are joined. The glue remains flexible and can hold very well on certain surfaces. Barge Glue, and E6000 are commonly used cements in props and cosplay.

**Silicone**

Silicone is a flexible sealant that can act as a waterproof glue. The makeup department sometimes use an expensive silicone glue called Telesis that is removable. It can be useful for a strong temporary bond, for example gluing a blood tube to a rental knife.

**Spray Glue**

Spray glue is an aerosolized liquid glue. Commonly used spray glues for props are Super 77 and 3M ReMount. Super 77, or similar sprays offer a great solution for gluing large surfaces. Remount is a repositionable glue that is handy for creating a tacky post-it like adhesion on the back of something where you may want to reposition it. It would be a good choice for spraying on the back of a photo or document that's being mounted on a murder board for example.

**White Glue**

White glue is a good non-toxic adhesive that works well for a number of craft projects. It's especially useful for gluing things around children or animals. Because it is water based it is easy to clean up and can be mixed with water based paints or dyes to tint it.

**Wood Glue**

As the name implies, this is a great glue for gluing wood to wood.