For a lot of the cards I make, I need to use something stronger than a regular glue stick. For cards that use heavier cardstock or any other kind of material that isn’t paper, I use my handy hot glue gun. Here are 5 tips I’ve learned using one in no particular order.
1. Always have something under your glue gun.
When the gun in on, the glue stick melts and will start dripping out of the gun when not in use. You don’t want hot glue on your table. I use disposable plates or scratch paper I have on hand.
2. Never touch the glue when it’s hot.
This might seem really obvious but sometimes you underestimate the amount of time it takes for the hot glue to dry. It dries quickly but not that quickly. Hot glue hurts my friends.
3. Don’t bother with the strings.
When using a glue gun, small strings of glue can be left behind. Leave them. Hot glue dries quickly and if you take the time to get rid of every little string, your glue will dry before you can even apply the materials.
4. Plan ahead & work quickly.
As I mentioned before, the hot glue dries quickly. So be sure you know what you’re going to do beforehand or you’re just going to have a mess and you’re going to waste time pulling off the glue.
5. Evaluate your materials before using hot glue.
Hot glue doesn’t work for everything. I use it for heavier card stock, twine, and other heavier materials sense a glue stick doesn’t cut it. Hot glue doesn’t do so well with thinner material like tissue paper or thinner, lighter paper. If you try to use it, it’ll bleed through and wrinkle the paper.
I hope these are helpful to some of you! What has been your experience using a hot glue gun?
Crafting Cards with Love 