New to all this and still trying to put my materials together.

I'd like to find most of my stuff (glue ruler and paper at least) from Staples. I will soon attempt my first kit (not sure which one yet, but hopefully a TLX) and my purpose is

1)cost efficiency and
2)ease of use

I am new to any kind of paper crafting and not very with "fine" handiwork in general. Quality of the glue would only be my 3rd concern.

I have printed a sample from one of the site's page on card stock (I think it was a riser from a non-TLX set but I am not sure) and glued it with a UHU STIC gluestick-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... _-48035436

I see no wrapping and the bond seems ok. I can't figure if that glue has a low or high water content but it is acid free. Anyway... Anything on the Staples website looks usable to you all?

One example would be:
http://www.staples.com/Staples-Liquid-G ... plesSearch

Thanks!

You can certainly find all your supplies at staples, but they are not the cheapest source.

I always start at dollar stores. I get foamcore and snapoff blades and metal rulers there. Also toothpicks

Card stock comes from walmart $5.50 for 150 sheets.

Markers -crayola 10 pack - any store on sale at back to school sales.

glue - elmers glue sticks and white glue. - any store at back to school sales. The key to using white glue is to apply very small amounts with a tooth pick to avoid wrinkles.

Can anyone recommend glue available from Staples.com (they do not have Elmer's unfortunately)?

And is there a way for me to figure out the water contents of a given glue? They do not seem to display that on any of the glues I found on Amazon.

What are other people's thoughts on this glue: http://www.amazon.com/Saunders-Glue-Sti ... 623&sr=1-8

I have used a couple of sticks of it from Michael's and seem to like it. I am tempted to buy a box so that I am stocked.

Any thoughts? I think I will pull the trigger on the box in the next couple of days if there isn't any response.

UHU glue stick are terrible. Warp city is all I got from them. If you want to use a glue stick I found that the Elmers purple glue stick work great for fold over walls, but not so great on anything else though. For everything else I been using super glue

Just thought I'd share how I glue.

I use an acid free PVA glue called tacky glue. It's really just a Elmers wit less water in it. And I apply the glue with a brush. Works great and it's miles cheaper then a glue pen.

If the bond is damp I press the glue with weights and walls dry under a textbook to keep them strait.

For what it's worth.

I'm putting in my recommendation for the Zip Dry Paper Glue mentioned above. A very good glue, bonds very fast and dries solid, less worry about clamps and the like when using it. The only complaint is that it could use a better bottle and applicator. It's the best I've used across 5 different types of glue.

I tried that Elmer's No Wrinkle glue and the complaints against it are valid, it has a very long time before it gets tacky after applying, so you have to clamp pieces together for a while before it even starts to bond.

Someone just pointed me here, and I have to say, this place and the product are great! I haven't actually started my first project yet; so far, I've just been using tiles. But I was getting ready to dive in, and the glue choice (in absence of the UHU pen that everyone raved about) is pretty daunting. I wanted opinions on the Sakura Quickie Glue Roller Pen and the Pioneer GSP Acid-Free Glue-Stick Pen. I'd appreciate any experience or insight anyone could provide.

TIA

I can whole heartedly vouch for glue runners for TLX walls. No warping, no curling, just fold it and stick it and move on. Cannot beat this thing for these walls.

Some have reported that the old standard UHU Office Pen No.99589 is in short or rare supply out there these days. I myself have had problems finding it locally.
astigmatism

I use the Pritt pen. Works Really well. don't know about availability outside Europe however...

A caution on the Pritt Power Gell - am getting a small number of glue failures on some older builds.

After trying a lot of different glue options, including a variety of tape runners, UHU and Elmer's glue sticks, and Aleene's Tacky Glue, I'm totally sold on Zip Dry. It's just pliable enough that you can manipulate parts after aligning and warps not at all. The applicator tip is a pain, but if you keep a straightened paper clip and piece of paper towel handy, it's tolerable. It bonds and dries quickly so you can be cutting notches just a few minutes after gluing. And, short of cyanoacrylate, it's the best glue I've found for placing anchors. They're nice and secure with just a drop of this stuff.

After reading your post on Zip Glue I tried it over this weekend and I am also sold on it. -D²

I work for the company that makes Zip Dry-thnx for the kind words!

Zip Dry Tips:
Don't toss the flat cap that the glue comes with. You want to use that for storage purposes. The nozzle tip is for application only-if you leave the precision tip on permanently, the glue will begin evaporating and may thicken.

When you are finished using the glue, remove the applicator tip and stick a matchstick or paper clip inside it. You can just pull on the clip or matchstick later and the glue remnants will pull away from the sides of the tip, and you will have a completely clear nozzle.

My personal fave part of Zip Dry is the wipe away feature-if you get excess glue on your project, wipe the excess away with a clean finger, and then rub off any remaining residue. There will be absolutely nothing left on the project.

Thx for using Beacon's glues, and if you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me:
karen@signaturecrafts.com

Wow those are some exelent tips, I'll have to try this!

Quick note on buying Zip-Dry: Examine the contents of the bottle before you actually buy the stuff. Yesterday I bought two tubes from Michael's only to get home and find out that one was half empty due to (I assume) evaporation. When I went to Joan Fabrics (after exchanging the tube I bought at Michael's) I found out that every tube they had (at least ten) had lost half of its contents.

Otherwise it's great stuff, I use it almost exclusively.

I want to comment on ResidentAsylum's comment on the 3M Scotch Quick Dry Tacky Glue. I've picked up 2 bottles, it was an order that Staples had to ship in, as they no longer carry it in the store, but have been very satisfied with it so far. As long as you don't use too much, it bonds very quickly so that you can continue on with your model.

After it dries completely, in about 10 minutes or so, your model is very strong, almost to the point where if you pull on a join, the paper splits instead of the glue. I'm very happy with it and it has increased my model production quite a bit!

I've been using a Bostik Glue Pen which seems to get the job done, bonds relatively quick but it rubs off the fingers really easily. I'm thinking warping may occur down the line, but I've only used it on small objects and placeables. A lot of the glues listed aren't available in the one-horse town I live (I had to buy d20s from eBay -_-) but I'll see if the Elmers or Scotch one is around.

I was just wondering. Has anyone given a glue gun a try? If so, how did that work?

If you mean a hot glue gun, I wouldn't recommend it. It cools quite quick, and by the time you spread it out thinly it'd start losing sticky-ness but the main problem is thickness. I used it when using Pepakura to make a rifle from Halo and worked ok, but it was full scale.

what is that rolly thingy y'all use in the tutorial videos??

If it is the one I am thinking of, it is the UHU office pen, which, to the best of my knowledge, was discontinued several years ago. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

Have to warn the group about Elmer's "No Wrinkle". I bought it because I was unable to find my regular Scotch brand "Clear Glue". It comes in the same style of "fat pencil" container with the fine point and wide applicators. I seem to remember the glue from my younger days. It dries clear, but yellows and cracks later when bent. Already dreading the day when all those Thoumonts walls I just built start to release.

Been so long since I watched those videos, I can't remember ...

Was it a burnishing tool (a rubber roller that flattens two pieces together and helps them glue together evenly and flat)? Is that what you're referring to?

Ah that is probably it...since this is the glue thread, I was thinking a glue pen with a rolling applicator.