Glue Gun
Image: Dadcando.com
What's it for?
Joining just about anything, haberdashery and stationery, alike. Examples include gems and beads to clothing, fabric to fabric, leather to fabric, beads to plastic. It's your faithful, familiar jack-of-all-trades.
Good because...
It's versatile.
It's quick-drying.
It's easy to control
Bad because...
It leaves a (very) visible residue
It can be brittle, especially if you don't let the glue heat up enough before you use it
Careless handling causes burns and blisters - owie!
Contact Adhesive
What's it for?
Another one-size-fits-all option, contact adhesive, particularly when it's of the hardware and industrial strength variety, is good for bonding two surfaces. It works best with hard surfaces and leather but not fabric as it ruins and stiffens the fluid texture. It's also a strong , fail-safe option for bonding heavy, stubborn surfaces which are likely to fall apart otherwise. Generally you have to apply it to both the desired surfaces, leave it to become tacky and press the sides together. Personally I'm a big fan of it when it comes to shoes and leathers.
Good because...
Strong, fail-safe option for heavy surfaces and - to my knowledge - wash-safe.
Bad because...
I'm not gonna lie, the waiting's a bit of a pain as some contact adhesives can take as long as 15 minutes
Not very good for fiddly detailing and embellishment. Hello! Are you really going to wait 500 sets of 5 minutes for a set of beads to part-dry before you can cut to the chase?
Gemstone glue
Image: Chookscrapsscrapbooking.com
What's it for?
Bonding gems, beads, sequins and other embellishments - even glitter - to fabrics, shoes and accessories. This is a great, quick-drying option for all your fiddly detailing and also works for gluing fabrics together if needs be.Good because...
Like I said, it's quick-dryingIt's a mess-free, option for tiny embellishments and the best makes tend to be clear-drying so they don't really leave a visible residue (though they may affect the lustre of diamantés if they leak to the top)
It's easy to control and contain within the desired area
It's really versatile and a potential money/ effort saver if you're keen to limit your glue selection
Bad because...
It's not very strong and doesn't really go beyond bonding tiny gems and flimsy fabrics to surfacesAll Purpose Clear Adhesive
What's it for?
As the name suggests, it covers most of your creative bases vis-a-vis material bonding, think gems, beads, sequins and lightweight (but not sheer) fabrics on hard surfaces, such as shoes and bags. It's probably best described as a marginally stronger, harder-drying version of gemstone glue but they're basically in the same sticking category.Good because...
It's clear-dryingIt's quick-drying
It's easy to control (most tubes have a fine nozzle for precise application)
Bad because...
It's relatively weak and best kept to smaller objects like beads
There's not a lot that it does that gemstone glue doesn't do better
Craft Mount
Image: Amazon.com
What's it for?
My sermon on the Craft Mount? Umm, well, it's one of my favourite glues to use when it comes to bonding lightweight fabrics, foil and glitter with big areas to cover as it's quick to apply and use. Just spray away at the desired area and stick your stuff down.
Good because...
It's quick-drying and easy to use
Most types of craft mount allow for repositioning so it's not disastrous if you make a mistake - always check the label rather than assume
It's a fast, relatively economical way to cover big areas
Bad because...
It's messy and hard to contain - always make sure your work area is well protected
One word: Fumes. You need to make sure your work area is well ventilated and that you don't spray too near your face or where you might breathe it in
