In my opinion, glue sticks are the best pick for basic adhesive needs, especially when you are picking out something for kids to work with. Over the years I’ve tried a lot of different types of glue sticks and never really found one that worked perfectly. I’ve come to really love the UHU glue sticks and buy them in the bulk pack at my local office store. My boys started using these glue sticks when they were replicating one of the Egyptian pyramids and needed a glue that wouldn’t warp the cardstock and poster board they were working with. After a few failed attempts with other glue products, they finally found that the UHU brand was the best for the job. Over the course of the two month project they went through about fifteen glue sticks and when they were finally done with it, it looked incredible. This was the third such type of pyramid mock up they’ve made so far, the other two being made from plaster and Lego blocks. When I say that this is truly a versatile glue stick I mean it; Annabelle uses it for when she makes her little art projects, I use it for sealing large envelopes [or when I make my own envelopes] and I have tubes of this stuff all over the house.
Saunders UHU Glue Stick .74 ounce white glue stick
One of the first things you need to know about this glue stick is that it is the ‘white’ version of the UHU brand; the other one they sell is purple but dries clear. You might wonder why I’d opt to buy the clear one rather than the purple one – truth be told, I own several of both. The trouble with the purple one is that if you apply huge amounts of it or there are globs of it in corners the purple color stays visible for a while. This can create a real problem when you are working on a white surface or need to move on to another section of your project and you can still see that purple glue sitting there because you know that it’s still on the wet side and things can get stuck to it. To some this might be a blessing, that you know which areas still need to dry out and harden up but to me it’s just one more thing to obsess over. I love the fact that this is a non-toxic product; the kids can use it without me having to worry about potentially dangerous chemicals getting on their skin or clothing. Annabelle, the youngest of the crew, really gets into doing arts and crafts and she’s given this two little thumbs up – this was one of the few glue sticks she’s used that she could open and close herself without any assistance from anyone else.
So far I’ve used this on copy paper, cardstock, poster board, construction paper, popsicle sticks, toothpicks, chop sticks [yeah, we do a lot of stuff here with wood] and even sea shells and sand. In a lot of ways this is easier to use than liquid glues or those that come in bottles since you can control exactly where it goes, there is less of a risk of the paper warping and there’s less drying time involved. The downside is that if you have to cover a large area at one time you might find the beginning section is almost dry by time you are done covering the area. This is where using a larger sized glue stick or having several people working on it at once are the best options. The boys have used this on most of their projects and have rarely complained about them; the only time they had a problem with the UHU stick was when they needed to have a softer glue to make ‘water’ out of when they were working on a nature project and needed to simulate water. This was one of the few times that they asked me to get Elmer’s Glue and they ended up going through several bottles of it in the process. When I am making my list for the office supply store, this is the one type of all purpose glue that they ask for time and time again.
Since Annabelle is the youngest person using this, she was the one that I watched the most when she started joining in on the crafts and projects the boys were doing. I tried getting her the “kid” versions of glue sticks, the Crayola Washable Glue Stick, and she didn’t exactly like that, in fact, she really let me have it and said “I’m not a baby” before she threw it back into the craft box and started rooting around for a new UHU stick to use. I started reading about the UHU brand and this stick in particular to see if it was safe for kids to use. At the website I read the MSDS [material safety data sheet] and came to the conclusion that it was just as safe as the kid glue sticks that are on the market. It’s non-toxic, conforms to the ASTM D-4236 [standards and practices that outline safety of art, paint and crafting items], is washable and comes off clothing and body parts easily, has a nice sturdy screw off cap and can be used on a variety of surfaces. About the only thing that this won’t work on is thick metal but I did have a moderate about of luck using this with thin pieces of sheet metal and was able to bond sections together after they were bent into position.
Things To Know
• There are several different sizes of the Saunders UHU glue stick on the market with this one being the mid sized version. The smallest is .29 ounces and is great for kids to work with and the larger one, 1.41 ounces is great for crafters and scrapbookers that go through this type of glue quickly. All three sizes are available in clear and colored glue [the colored versions do dry clear] and can be purchased individually, in multi packs or in bulk industrial packs. They also make one specifically for photos, great for those that are looking to paste up photos to scrapbooks and don’t want to take a chance with the general glue stick [which is acid free].
• Read more about the ASTM / American Society For Testing And Material here: www.astm.org
The Bottom Line
So far I’ve had nothing but great experiences using the Saunders UHU glue stick and highly recommend this for general craft projects, scrapbooking, kids projects, sealing envelopes and even heavy duty jobs that require the use of poster board, cardboard and heavy cardstock. I like the fact that this is completely water soluble and comes off clothing with no effort, just soak it for about ten minutes and wash as usual. I have no problem letting any of the kids use this for their projects and so far they’ve had no real complaints about the product. If you are looking for a great glue stick that can be used on almost any type of paper then I highly suggest checking out the Saunders UHU glue stick. Available in three sizes, colored or white, this is a versatile product that’s easy to use and gets the job done.
Rub-on adhesive in glue stick works without wrinkles on paper, cardboard, photos or fabric. Lipstick-type applicator twists up for use and retracts fo...More at Discount Office Items
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