Well,
maybe I'm exaggerating just a little bit, but without modern adhesives, much of
what we take for granted today would not stay together. Special glues hold our
cars, our countertops, our furniture and our computers together. Adhesives allow
thin things made of different materials to be bonded together in ways that are
impossible with mechanical fasteners. Thin materials most of all demand creative
fastening... and glues are often the best choice.
The words "glue" and "adhesive" are oft used
interchangeably. To set the technical record straight (even though I
still reserve the "creative license" to call an adhesive a glue
and vice versa), glue is defined as:
"...
a hard, brittle gelatin made by boiling animal skins, bones, hoofs, etc. to
a jelly: when heated in water, it forms a sticky viscous liquid used to
stick things together" Webster's New Universal Unabridged
Dictionary
Just makes you want to dance with the chickens, doesn't it? On the
other hand, "adhesive" is any product, including glue, that can be
used to bond two separate objects together. Unfortunately, no one adhesive works
in all situations, though some may be used in all sorts of situations. Fun,
right? The Natural Handyman carries a variety of different adhesives in his bag
of tricks. Here is where you can take a peek inside... just keep these
secrets between me and you. Happy gluing!!