glue stick

Can anyone explain to me why when my glue stick dries, it stops sticking and the things I glued down can be pulled off the paper with minimal ease. I bought my glue stick at a discount store. It says acid free and photo safe. Is there really a difference in quality between discount stores and craft stores such as Michael's or Joanne's?

I think the general thoughts on glue sticks is that they are not a very good choice of adhesive for scrapbooking as after time the elements begin to fall off the pages.
I use the Adtech tape runner from walmart and love it. It's pretty inexpensive and very easy to use.

My opinion, for the most part, ALL glue sticks stink! Don't even bother with them in your scrapbooks. Not worth the headaches.

I've never used glue sticks in my scrapbooks. Most of my kids' school projects done with glue sticks have fallen apart.

glue sticks are the worst. I would use some liquid glue or the roll type of adhesive or dots

glue sticks suck- even my students will tell you this as their projects made with them begin to fall apart less than 2 weeks after they're made.

I use the duck tape runner, Xyron x, terrifically tacky tape or vellum tape. I don't even own a glue stick!

I agree. Throw away the glue sticks!

Yep...my glue stick stuff fell off the pages almost right away too.

YUCK to glue sticks!!!!!!! that is what i put my HS album together with (i didn't know any better) but the other day i decided to take it apart (well parts of it) and redo it.....and the pics just came right off!

no glue sticks for me, I hate them!

I'm like the others. I don't like them either.

I don't like glue stick either.

I use the Xyron machines. With the 500 and 900 I run paper and pictures through the machine. The preglued paper is great when I use diecutter machines. Than when I am ready to use them I just peel the paper off the back.

Lately I have been using Glue Dots for some things.

I love my Therm O Web tape runner. It's so easy to apply and not messy at all.

So I guess it is wrong to say that I like glue sticks?

I use the 3M Craft sticks. I haven't had a problem with things falling off my LOs.

*shrug*

• hockeymom72 Said:

I have used glue sticks too without a problem. Hopefully they will hold up. The only reason I have switched products (from glues sticks) is because I have been getting it on the photos a bit here and there. But as I am becoming more familiar I am trying other alternatives.

• hockeymom72 Said:

QUICK throw tomatoes! No, really, there's nothing wrong with using them if they work for you. I think maybe it has to do with the quality of the glue sticks. Dunno- I don't use them because I don't want to have to go back and redo stuff if they come apart.

I think it depends a lot on the quality of the glue stick. I have a kind that my LSS sells (their own brand) and it's awesome. Once something is stuck it's not coming off no matter what you do to it.

I have used though some that didn't hold anything at all. You could glue something and a few days later it'd be loose.

I use an inexpensive tape runner from WallyWorld, Joann's, ACMoore or Michaels. I haven't found a glue stick that I liked, so I gave up and just went to the tape runner.

I'm limiting my glue stick usage to only very tiny stuff or letting kids use them for their crafts.

When I started out scrapping, I mainly used glue sticks. Now everything is coming undone. I don't always use cardstock for my bg papers and as you turn a page in my older albums the photos and embellies are literally popping off. Fortunately the sheet protectors are keeping things together until I can go back and reattach everything.

I know people who don't have this problem because they used cardstock for their bg papers.

Glue stick adhesive gets hard as it dries and by bend the paper, the glue comes undone. Just the nature of this product. I've not tried every glue stick out there so may there's an exception I'm not aware of.

So for me I'll stick to the ATG. Hopefully 10 years from now, I won't be dealing with pages falling about for this product.

first I have to tell you I glued down a bunch of die cuts on Christmas cards with glue sticks and it was very embarrasing to be visiting the people who I sent them too and see the die cuts popping off the cards.

BUT I think glue sticks in combination with adhesive squares is the only thing that will adhere my home printed photos. Adhesive squares by themselves just don't adhere well enough to the photo paper. The photo paper has some type of treatment to prevent the paper from sticking together in your printer.

• Gelidy Gelato Said:

In the case of funky paper like this, I would use staples, brads, eyelets, or even punch holes and use ribbon to keep things together.

Glue Dots will work where alot of other stuff won't. Like trying to adhere to preglittered papers or papers that have some sort of coating.

For cards, I would even use hot glue and crazy glue.

i've used cheap and more expensive ones...they both dry out after awhile. i don't use them a lot anymore. i've switched to mounting squares because they stick better, are less messy on my fingers, and i know they won't dry out/stop sticking in a few months.

I use glue runners. I have used tape runners, and those darn pages are falling apart too! (This was with the Herma permanent tabs.)

Yikes! I just sent out my Christmas cards today and used nothing BUT glue sticks! This was my 1st year to make Christmas cards...hopefully they will hold to their standards. Pun intended!!!