Elmer’s Glue All - The Only Moo In This Glue Is On The Label!
Written: Nov 20 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy to use, non-toxic, tons of uses, great for kids to work with.
Cons: Nozzle can clog if not closed.
The Bottom Line: Elmer's Glue All, the perfect pick for crafts, kids projects and general adhesive needs!
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| Freak369's Full Review: Elmer's Glue-All |
Over the years my boys have done a lot of projects, experiments and activities for school as well as for their own personal enjoyment. Some of these projects required them to really use their imagination to complete them; the one that really stands out was when they were making a nature scene showing what the effects are of a dammed river, why beavers build them and how the surrounding eco system benefits from the dams. They had planned out all the smaller pieces, made the trees and bushes and even added animals – the only thing missing was water for the river. After doing some small tests on mock up models we ruled out Mod Podge and liquid plastics for various reasons but when we tried the Elmer’s Glue All it worked perfectly. A little bit of blue tint added to it helped to make it a little more “water like”, all we had to do was play around with how much we could add to the river at a time – if we added too much it would take forever to dry and not enough and we’d be wasting time. After a day of experimenting the boys figured out that they could add one quarter inch of the tinted glue every three hours. I have to admit, I didn’t think the finished scene would look as good as it did but I was blown away when I looked into the river and saw all the twigs, logs and leaves as well as some fish they added for effect – all in suspended animation within the confines of the dried glue.
Since I just wrote about the UHU Glue Stick and gave it such high marks I might as well review the Elmer’s Glue All. I didn’t mean to sound like I was trashing it in my review of the UHU stick but after I reread it, it did sounds like I was dogging it a little. There’s nothing wrong with either product, nothing at all, but you have to consider what you will be doing with the glue in order to pick the best one for the job and to get the best results. For paper, flat items and things that are delicate / susceptible to moisture damage, a glue stick is the best choice. For crafting items, attaching odd shaped items or having to ‘sink’ something – a liquid glue is your best bet. By sinking I am talking about anchoring something, like attaching pearls to a barrette clip or large items that need glue to surround the edges and hold it in place. For general gluing needs around the house, this is the one that I use most, even with about a dozen other crafting glues in the hall closet, the Elmer’s Glue All is the one that get whipped out.
Elmer’s Glue All
Elmer’s Glue All is probably the most well known type of all purpose glue on the market. Usually found in the kid’s school supply section, this has been something that I’ve used off and on over the years not only for gluing but for general crafting, making my own glitter glue and other applications. It’s one of the best liquid glues on the market and one that is on almost ever school list when the kids get ready to go back to school. But if it was just for the kids it wouldn’t be all that impressive of a product right? I have a few bottles of this around for my crafts and prefer it to the “craft specific” glues like Aleene's Original Tacky Glue. It’s a little less expensive than other liquid glues but sometimes that’s not enough to base a judgment on. Every Christmas I make stuffed ornaments from felt and until last year I used the Aleene’s brand. Cut out the felt, glue the edges, allow to dry, stuff with poly fill and then hand stitch the edges. Simple huh? Well, it should be but when I used the Aleene’s brand the edges got so hard that it was almost impossible to get the needle though it. I tried the Elmer’s glue for this project and it was so much easier to work with. There is a slight problem with it if you over saturate it but if you use it sparingly – just enough to adhere the two pieces of felt to each other – you shouldn’t have any problem. This is just one of a ton of craft projects that I have used this glue for and when it comes to needing an all purpose liquid glue, this is the one that I reach for.
The boys really don’t care for the Elmer’s Glue All for their projects; they say that it’s too messy to work with and warps the paper. Yes, there is always a risk of over saturating paper, cloth or surfaces but if you follow the basic principal of “less is more” and “start small, you can always add more” you’ll get the best results. What I like about this product is that it’s non-toxic; how many times have you squirted this on your hand, allowed it to dry then peeled it off? Well, maybe you haven’t done that but I sure have. In fact, when one of the boys saw me doing this he got the bright idea to try it out and press the peeled off glue against the window so he could look at the handprint. This led to all of them doing it and then comparing the similarities and differences between all their palm prints. That opened the book to them using the glue on different surfaces like plants and bricks to get different textures to compare. So suffice it to say, with a little imagination this can be used for more than just slapping pieces of construction paper together.
Sizes
If you are someone that spends any amount of time in office supply stores you'll have seen some of the larger sized bottles of Elmer’s Glue All. All totaled there are six sizes available: 1 1/4 ounce bottle, 4 ounce bottle, 7 5/8 ounce bottle, 16 ounce bottle and the mega sized quart and gallon jugs. I really wish I would have opted to pick up the gallon sized bottle from the educational supply store when I had the chance; this isn’t the first pick the boys make when it comes to using a glue but it does come in handy for making water, textured surfaces like snow and for tinting. Prices vary on these so try to catch the smaller sized bottles when stores are having the “back to school” sales. The smaller bottles are sturdy and if you are careful when using them and clean them off when done you can refill them over and over again – a great way to save money.
Clean Up
When this gets on clothing or skin, clean up is a snap. Just soak the clothing in water until the glue loosens up, rinse with clean water then wash as usual. Resist the urge to try and pick this off of clothing since chances are all you will end up doing is stretching the fabric. Getting it off skin is easy, just wash it off with soap and water. Most of the time you can just peel it off but younger kids might get freaked out by this and think they are peeling. This did get on the carpeting a few times and I soaked the area with warm water, dabbed it up with a towel, rewet it then used the shop vac on it to make sure that I got almost all the water up. If you are going to be doing crafts inside, do yourself a favor and throw down a plastic sheet or old picnic table cover to catch any rogue glue gobs. Most people will say newspaper is good to throw down but all this is going to do is get the ink all over the place and cause a bigger mess when you go to clean up.
Things To Know
• If the twisty orange cap gets clogged from not being closed all the way you don’t have to take it off and run it under water. Take a paper clip, open it up and slide it down the hole. The hardened piece of glue will get stuck on the end of the paper clip and slide right out.
• For more information about Elmer’s line of products, visit their official website at: www.elmers.com. You’ll get some great tips on how to use the products, ideas and project suggestions and for the teachers out there – an opportunity to join the “Teacher’s Club” to receive all kinds of goodies for the classroom!
• Try adding a little sparkle to your glue with glitter or colored accents; add them to the glue, stir then paint on a surface or over a project. You can also trace out words or images with the glue then pour glitter over it, allow it to harden a little then tap off the excess to reveal the underlying image. It’s cheaper than glitter paint and easier to work with!
• What have we used this on? Listing what we haven’t used this on might be easier! The list … balsa wood, construction paper, popsicle sticks, card stock, collage projects, poster board, glitter glue, toothpicks, plastic, fixing book bindings [cheap books of course], assorted kids crafts, as a paint on glossy coating [not a sealer], making mosaics, making goop and modeling clay [details at the Elmer’s website] and more.
• Elmer’s Glue All is animal free! Glues made years and years ago contained animal parts such as hoofs and bones but Elmer’s Glue All is free of any animal renderings. In regards to my title, ‘no moo in this glue’, I do need to start that it’s actually a bull [hence the horn] but the words “bull” and “horn” don’t exactly rhyme.
Elmer's Products
1000 Kingsmill Parkway
Columbus, OH 43229
[800] 848-9400
www.elmers.com
comments@elmers.com
The Bottom Line
While my boys aren’t exactly crazy about this as a glue, they have come up with a ton of different uses for it. No matter what you use it for or who ends up making use of it, one thing is for sure, it’s something that will eventually get used up – just remember to turn that orange cap and close it up and you’ll have no problems with this drying out. I stocked up on the smaller sized bottles last year at the Target “Back To School Sale” and was a little worried that the bottles would dry out or be too thick after sitting on the shelf for the better part of a year but when I opened one of them a few days ago, the glue flowed out as it always does – thick but not clumpy. If you’ve never used Elmer’s Glue All I highly recommend it for all your general liquid adhesive needs. The fact that’s it’s non-toxic really means a lot to me because I know that all the kids can use it without being exposed to potentially harmful substances. Regardless of what you are trying to stick together – if you need an all purpose liquid glue that will give you great holding power, give Elmer’s a try, you won’t be disappointed!
As always, thanks for the visit …
~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~
© 2004 Freak369
Related reviews …
UHU Glue Stick
Crayola Washable Glue Stick
Recommended:
Yes
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