Contact cement question

[Deleted member 19386]

Hello all!

I'm looking at making a Halo Reach suit out of EVA Foam, but I have a question regarding contact cement. I found water based contact cement, since I don't necessarily have access to a well ventilated area year round I'm looking at using that as glue. But I don't want my halo suit to fall apart either. So is the water based stuff as good as the chemical laced one? I got some water based stuff and tested it on some small pieces of foam and the foam gives up before the glue.

Thanks

 

[Lazarus215]

Haven't used contact cement, but I personally really like Loctite Super glue. sets super fast, and the tip is really thin and narrow so you can get into some tight spots. It also doesn't give off nearly as bad vapors (unless you're basically huffing the stuff)

 

[murishani047]

I'm not sure about the contact cement, water-based or not. I use lo-temp hot glue. It's probably a little messier but If you're careful I think it holds up pretty well. I would say the only way to find out is to try it! You're going to be sealing it with plasti-dip/paint anyway so I would guess it would work, but like I said I'm not an expert on it.

 

[FlyinPhil]

I have not used the water based contact cement, but I use the normal stuff for any 2mm foam details. No matter how smoothly you lay hot glue, there will still be waves in the thin foam layer due to the glue not flattening completely. That being said, I use a high temp hot glue gun to bond all of my thicker pieces together (both 6mm craft foam and eva floor mats)

Edit: after doing some very quick research, I assume the water based would be strong enough, but it doesn't hurt to test it out on a few scrap pieces.

 

[PEPAKURA TURTLE]

I would think so, since its ok, but not as good as superglue, and *may cause Stickyness. The only problem with super glue is that it will dry really fast.

 

[Rooster]

I'm not sure whether or not this guy is using water based cement or not, but there is certainly a place for it among foam builders. I doubt you'll have many problems with strength.

 

[FlyinPhil]

I would think so, since its ok, but not as good as superglue, and *may cause Stickyness. The only problem with super glue is that it will dry really fast.

Please elaborate on why it would not be as good as super glue?

I use contact cement for all of my thin foam details, and none of them show even the slightest sign of peeling or pulling apart. The foam tears apart far before the contact cement itself (same with high temp hot glue). As well, the fact that you coat both surfaces and let them dry before sticking together means you do not have to worry about drying time or holding the parts together. The bond is instant and flat.... it doesn't get much better when working with foam.

 

[Deleted member 19386]

I'm not sure whether or not this guy is using water based cement or not, but there is certainly a place for it among foam builders. I doubt you'll have many problems with strength.

He uses Barge cement, which is not available in my region, plus it emits fumes. I actually refer to him when I don't know how to do something

No matter how smoothly you lay hot glue, there will still be waves in the thin foam layer due to the glue not flattening completely. That being said, I use a high temp hot glue gun to bond all of my thicker pieces together (both 6mm craft foam and eva floor mats)

Edit: after doing some very quick research, I assume the water based would be strong enough, but it doesn't hurt to test it out on a few scrap pieces.

How do you know if a hot glue gun is high temp or low temp? And I'm in the process of testing peices, one of which I put water on after I sticked, dried and cured so see what will happen if water gets to the glue (I'm planning on sealing everything with plasti dip once assembeled)

 

[PEPAKURA TURTLE]

I just bought a pack of contact cement to try it out, and to my surprise, it held pretty well...not good for costuming, in my case though, so I just nailed everything together so yeah... Might be different in your case though, I bought the cheap ones from a dollar store...

 

[FlyinPhil]

He uses Barge cement, which is not available in my region, plus it emits fumes. I actually refer to him when I don't know how to do something


How do you know if a hot glue gun is high temp or low temp? And I'm in the process of testing peices, one of which I put water on after I sticked, dried and cured so see what will happen if water gets to the glue (I'm planning on sealing everything with plasti dip once assembeled)

Good to hear you are testing it out! Being in canada and having cold temperatures during the winter will definitely effect when I can use the traditional contact cement, so I'm curious to hear your results!

As for the hot glue gun, I purchased my Stanley dual temp hot glue gun from home depot. It is both high and low temp, and has a switch to allow me to choose either. As far as I can tell, the high temp actually melts the foam a slight amount, allowing for a very strong bond. It also uses larger style glue sticks (not the mini ones), which are far better than using a small glue gun with mini sticks. You can actually lay down a solid bead of glue on a long seam without trying to pump the darn thing 37 times and going through a bunch of those tiny glue sticks, and realizing that the start of your bead is already dry haha.

I just bought a pack of contact cement to try it out, and to my surprise, it held pretty well...not good for costuming, in my case though, so I just nailed everything together so yeah... Might be different in your case though, I bought the cheap ones from a dollar store...

Sounds like you aren't using actual contact cement, as I've never seen it at the dollar store. I usually get it from home depot in a small tin for about 8 bucks. You brush it on to each piece that will be bonded together, let it dry for about 10 minutes, and then stick the parts together. It's fantastic stuff!

 

[Deleted member 19386]

Good to hear you are testing it out! Being in canada and having cold temperatures during the winter will definitely effect when I can use the traditional contact cement, so I'm curious to hear your results!

My results are, the contact cement forms a stronger bond than the foam itself. On a perpendicular test peice and end to end peice the foam ripped before the contact cement gave up.



As for the water droplets, the contact cement changed colour a bit in the area where the water was and the seam started to seperate a bit. I'll have to do more test peices in order to see if water was the cause of the seperation or if it was just a bad stick to start with.

 

[hopkins77]

I have used both solvent base and water base contact glue in my line of work. I prefer solvent base products, but the water base will give you just as good of a bond if it is applied right. The solvent base glue is rather dummy proof as long as you don't try to stick the pieces when its still wet. Now the water base glue can be moody, if the room temp is too low, or if there is too much moisture in the air it wont stick right. Using the water base on foam will work just fine, but be clean with the application. If you use water to clean it up before it is fully cured ( usually 4 hours depending on the brand) it will dilute the glue and not give you a strong bond. Mostly because the foam will soak up some of the water that you are using to clean with.

 

[PEPAKURA TURTLE]

Good to hear you are testing it out! Being in canada and having cold temperatures during the winter will definitely effect when I can use the traditional contact cement, so I'm curious to hear your results!

As for the hot glue gun, I purchased my Stanley dual temp hot glue gun from home depot. It is both high and low temp, and has a switch to allow me to choose either. As far as I can tell, the high temp actually melts the foam a slight amount, allowing for a very strong bond. It also uses larger style glue sticks (not the mini ones), which are far better than using a small glue gun with mini sticks. You can actually lay down a solid bead of glue on a long seam without trying to pump the darn thing 37 times and going through a bunch of those tiny glue sticks, and realizing that the start of your bead is already dry haha.



Sounds like you aren't using actual contact cement, as I've never seen it at the dollar store. I usually get it from home depot in a small tin for about 8 bucks. You brush it on to each piece that will be bonded together, let it dry for about 10 minutes, and then stick the parts together. It's fantastic stuff!

I actually bought one from a "dollar store" kinda like a cheap store here...not a store brand or anything, but its named Price Bargain (the store name) here in Westminster, Ca we have...

 

[mandoman247]

I've heard the DP brand of contact cement works quite well. This is what I will be using on my foam armor build.

 

[Deleted member 19386]

I contacted a few professional costume builders, their opinion is to not use water based contact cement. That being said I'm building my costume and gluing it with water based contact cement.

When I compare how it sticks with videos online, the solvent contact cements seem to be better suited for costuming.

As for my costume, I'm going to use a high temperature glue gun on the inside of the armour to get a double safety. The rest of the armour I'll be using solvent based glue. All I have to do is find a fume vent system now...