My Last Posting About GOOP, Maybe.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Tue Jul 20, 2004 9:16 am

I was answering an inquiry about fastening EL wire when it occurred to me that at least once a week I feel compelled to suggest the use of GOOP adhesive for something or other.....As my contribution to consolidation on the Eplaya, I will try to contain ALL of my vast wisdom on the subject in this lone missive.....
GOOP adhesive, AKA "Shoe Goo", is a clear, silicon-like adhesive that I use in bulk for artwork and household projects. It comes in differently-colored tubes marked as "Household Goop", "Camp Goop", "Plumber's Goop", etc., but I have tried ALL of them and see NO DIFFERENCE WHATSOEVER between them. It's Tetrachlorethylene, no matter how you wrap it.
It's a little stinky, and very sticky, but if you wet a fingertip you can smooth it down and make a nice, even bead. Or you can slop in on and then paint it, and it looks A LOT like a weld. On my recycled-aluminum artworks people often mistake glue-joins for welds. You can glob it up inside of one surface and then let it flow slowly and evenly down onto another surface, to join them. A little airflow facilitates curing, as does a little warmth or sunlight. It dries from the outside in, and forms a skin quickly. Unless you put a huge glob on something, it'll be done overnight or sooner.
There aren't many things that you CAN'T stick together with this stuff. Porous surfaces pick it up and create a waterproof bond, so you can applique' weird things onto clothing and even WASH the clothing later, if done gently. Nonporous surfaces bind by surface tension, and can often be wrenched apart later if enough force is applied. It's this property that makes it extra handy for fastening EL wire to things.
It's thick, so not very good for doing Superglue-type repairs to broken ceramics and such, but you can fill gaps with it and that makes it a GREAT sculptural medium. I've made some very strange things by fastening unrelated objects together, blending the joins, and painting. (Yes, it takes paint fabulously!)
Drawbacks? It's not resistant to high heat. some solvents will break it down, over time. I wouldn't use it to repair water bottles or hydration systems where it'd be exposed to water, but only because it may impart a taste to the water. It's highly waterproof, maybe a close second to silicone. It's smelly when wet, (I sympathize!) so ventilation or outdoor drying is recommended. (If you use it enough, it's like aerosol paint stink- your nose "forgets".)
If this isn't enough obsession about GOOP for you, come visit me in Hushville at the Snowman Domes and I'll give you a live demo. I'm gonna go see if I can get a life now.

Icepack · Post by **Icepack** » Tue Jul 20, 2004 11:55 am

Do you think it would work to glue locks shut? I'm assisting someone on a project that may involve welding some chain. However, the idea of using padlocks and Gooping them permently closed.... would this work? Or would the Goop melt in the heat of BM and come undone?

Zephryus · Post by **Zephryus** » Tue Jul 20, 2004 11:46 pm

I seem to recall from my junior high school days that bubblegum is a cheap and delicious substance that will, um, "secure" any padlock until hell freezes over.

Das Bus · Post by **Das Bus** » Wed Jul 21, 2004 10:17 pm

A friend of mine told me about GOOP about a month ago. I finally found it at Home Despot last week, and yes, it's the best glue I've used yet. Of course I was so happy with it that I used it all and must now acquire more!

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 5:47 am

Icepack wrote:Do you think it would work to glue locks shut? I'm assisting someone on a project that may involve welding some chain. However, the idea of using padlocks and Gooping them permently closed.... would this work? Or would the Goop melt in the heat of BM and come undone?

If you skwooged a blob of it up into the works, it would most likely provide permanent disability to a padlock, but I'll confess I've never tried that.....While praising GOOP I forgot to mention that some kinds come with a handy screw-on snorkel tube that allows you to squeeze out a finer portion of Rich Goopy Goodness. Could be handy for that. GOOP won't melt in the heat, guaranteed. Under direct flame it'll soften and eventually FRY, letting off nasty smoke, but that took a blowtorch to accomplish!

....Das Bus, that you have embraced Da Goop pleases me. When buying more, look for the extra gluing tip ("Household GOOP" and a few others.) and look to pay between three and four bucks. To pay more would be blasphemous. Goop On, My Brother!

diane o'thirst · Post by **diane o'thirst** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 11:43 pm

I've tried Goop and I've tried Gorilla Glue, and then I tried All-Purpose Welder. I haven't looked back since.

A-P Welder is a clear tolulene-based adhesive that comes in a plain silver tube with a black cap. It's got tolulene but it's low-fume, and doesn't bother me (this coming from someone who's passed out cold at the smell of it — I avoid nail salons like the plague). It cleans up with water before it sets and after it sets you can just rub it off your hands or scrub it off with a hand-scrubber and orange cleaner. It doesn't make me break out in a rash like Gorilla Glue and its knockoffs, even though that's a good, strong glue. Contrast E-5000 with its high fume quotient; A-P Welder doesn't smell as bad.

It gets its "legs" almost right out of the tube so you don't have to wait for it to tack up. It grabs hold of whatever you want to stick together within a minute, after a half-hour you can take the clamps off. After four hours you can work with it.

A little of it goes a long way, and the bond is secure secure secure. I've been putting this most recent generation of StickHobs together with it, from wood joinery through to final finishing.

Sculptural? I just go with resin putty or Scribbles paint. Plenty sculpturality enough and they clean up with water.

Side note: Whatever you do, <b><u>DO NOT</b></u> use the spray Elmer's glue! It's crap. Doesn't even bond paper together reliably. Go with Super 77.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Mon Jul 26, 2004 6:20 am

FINALLY! I was hoping that this thread would serve to solicit contributions of new or different adhesives from others! Thanks, Do'T!

Lady V · Post by **Lady V** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 7:32 pm

Anyone used an adhesive on fabric that worked well? I am gluing applique pieces onto the parachute that covers our dome.

I am using a spray, 606 Spray and Fix, which makes the applique fusible, and then ironing it onto the parachute. It hasn't melted the parachute or anything, but it is less than perfect coverage, which means the edges of some pieces are not adhered.

I worry about the winds...

geekster · Post by **geekster** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 8:08 pm

If you are gluing polyester to polyester, I would probably use something like this:

How does the stuff you are doing hold up to heat? If it gets to 105 and then a 30MPH gust of wind hits it, are those appliques going to blow away? I would hit them once in the center with a buttoneer just so if the glue fails, the appliques don't become MOOP.

skibear · Post by **skibear** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 9:10 pm

Goop AKA "Shoe Goo" is great stuff.

Only glue that will fix loose soles on running shoes.

Mister Jellyfish Mister · Post by **Mister Jellyfish Mister** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 9:46 pm

Ah, Robotland. So good to Goop you again. I shall dispense with the Goop poetry in this new thread.

When applying el wire, you only need it on one side, so the side that most people see is not the one with most of the goop blobs on it. The new high bright long life el wire is so bright that it will actually illuminate the clear goop which can change the look of what you are doing.

I like little tabs of that extra sticky green painter's masking tape for setting up the runs of el wire so I can turn it on and make sure it is lighting up the way I see it in my mind. Then it's gooping time!

I like to put on some soft music. Thievery Corporation or Aphex Twins Selected Ampient Works. Then I dab the Goop from the subject material on to the el wire and use that to wipe the end of the applicator tip for a clean bulb with none hanging over. I suck at trying to shape it so I just try to get it right in the application.

Wait 1/2 hour and then remove the tape. It sets up strong enough by then and if there is any stuck to the tape it will release easier than waiting for the full drying time.

If you love goop like we do, please do not ingest or breath the fumes or use it on your hemmoroids.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 5:24 am

Ahhh, Jelly. Thank you for remembering the importance of mood to the GOOPing process. Appropriate music and lighting will certainly produce a superior product!
When I GOOP a run of EL to something I often laze out and do the sloppy-GOOP-tack method you mention, I'll confess...To hold the wire in place I like those ultracheap little plastic spring clamps, which come in tubes of a dozen or so and cost about three bucks. (Also findable at flea markets.) To run a smooth bead of GOOP, which you can then lay EL wire over, blob out a bit and then wet a finger and smooth it over the blob. Depending upon the contours and surface texture, you should have good results. And if you need to glue on a GOOP-resistant surface, try an old heavy translucent nylon VHS cassette box. GOOP doesn't seem to like it as much, although it WILL develop a surface-tension bond.
I recently made some fun light toys by taking clearance flashlight bulbs and wiring 'em up, and then embedding them in GOOP inside some "blister" packaging from some tool or something. These often have interesting shapes, and have flat backs that can then be glued down to keep dust outta the works. Of course you can't change the bulbs or fix wiring problems later, but what the hey.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 10:47 am

Makes good lipstick. Try it.

dragonfly Jafe · Post by **dragonfly Jafe** » Sun Aug 13, 2006 8:20 am

...a new use dicovered for GOOP?

I am using thin sheet aluminum (like thick foil really) and wire mesh for my BioTrak project, resulting in so many sharp edges (and cuts on my hands) I cannot begin to count them. GOOP is an excellent way to cover these sharp edges, and it ends up looking like a weld line when painted! And it remains (kind of) soft, so it is like "padding" for hatchways and the like.

Mister Jellyfish Mister · Post by **Mister Jellyfish Mister** » Sun Aug 13, 2006 8:47 pm

Ugly Dougly wrote:Makes good lipstick. Try it.

I did! Thought I was cool with velcro and a little tube a goop and chapstick on my hat, till I mixed them up!

What Jafe said also applies to snipped-off ends of zip ties. Damn they can be sharp, but a little blop 'L do ya!

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Mon Aug 14, 2006 5:44 am

Ditto that edge-treatment for fabric. The stuff that I've got tons of (from the banner place) is heavy marine acrylic, and can give a fabric cut that makes a papercut a treat by comparison. (Under the fingernail ones are the BEST!) The stuff's ravelly by nature, and GOOP acts as a dandy quick-hem.
As for the simulated-weld phenomenon that Jafe notes- I've had lots of people think that the little beasts and robots that I make are welded. Very convincing. You can get a similar, if blobbier, effect from Gorilla Glue.
Which reminds me- I saw a clever use of Good Stuff foam* the other day- Used to make a quickie yard sale sign, and then painted. Looked like they had carved the letters out of lava. Very nifty effect!

(*I am reminded because Good Stuff and Gorilla Glue are close relatives by makeup, in case you weren't aware.)

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Mon Aug 14, 2006 8:47 am

Bringing in the goop...

Bringing in the goop...

WE shell come rejoicing...

Bringing innnn the Gooop

deviceone · Post by **deviceone** » Mon Aug 14, 2006 3:35 pm

Might this also work as a temporary hold-together prior to welding/ bolting various things, namely aluminum?

dragonfly Jafe · Post by **dragonfly Jafe** » Mon Aug 14, 2006 4:57 pm

deviceone wrote:Might this also work as a temporary hold-together prior to welding/ bolting various things, namely aluminum?

Temporary and Goop should never be used in the same sentance (in your case, "this" is the same as "Goop"). But it works well to glue aluminum sheeting fairly permanently...

Mister Jellyfish Mister · Post by **Mister Jellyfish Mister** » Mon Aug 14, 2006 6:41 pm

The secret to a good adhesive like Goop is: bend not break. When stressed, it provides enough give to hold on and stretch a little rather than crack a seam and follow it all the way down like splintering wood.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 5:49 am

deviceone wrote:Might this also work as a temporary hold-together prior to welding/ bolting various things, namely aluminum?

Temporary is such a subjective term.... On a NON-porous surface like smooth plastic or metal GOOP will hang on like gangbusters BUT can be peeled off by getting under the edge with a sharp knife and then just Pulling Like Crazy. For a stronger bond, drill holes in both surfaces to allow the GOOP to flow through and expand to form a "rivet".
It is NOT advisable to temporarily tack pieces together with GOOP, or any other adhesive, and then weld them. Not only does the heat cause the release of toxins in the glue, but the bond is weakened as well and the pieces will then slide out of contact, spoiling your weld. Best to clamp.

One of the qualities of GOOP that I enjoy the most is its molasses-like slow flow, which allows you to do what I call "blind bonds"- Squirt the GOOP up into one piece, and then slap the other piece in place and situate to best take advantage of gravity. GOOP is an aerobic adhesive, so be sure that it can get some fresh air even if it means drilling a few discreet holes. Even DAYS later, unoxygenated GOOP will NOT set. Leave alone overnight. Ta-Daaaah! A little experimentation will get you to expert grade on this technique. (Just used it last night, to glue a blinkylight to a plastic artifact. After posting this I'm headed for the studio to test the results!)

Mister Jellyfish Mister · Post by **Mister Jellyfish Mister** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 8:32 am

I've had some challenges on the Mantis project using Goop to attach to Micocell sheets, AKA craft foam. It just sits on top rather than soaking into the foam to grab it. Any way to add a thinner to it?

Hot glue gun does a better job but is not the least bit playa worthy.

dragonfly Jafe · Post by **dragonfly Jafe** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 8:47 am

someone earlier posted about using that 3m spray glue as a "primer" for plastics that are hard to paint. You could try that...

benenergy · Post by **benenergy** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 11:21 am

Is goop good to gluing El wire to the side of my art car? I need to be able take the EL off for other purposes at the end of the week. Will the goop come off of the el wire? Will it come off of the car (which has been spray painted.) Is there a better adhesive to use? Last year we taped in on with clear tape which worked ok. Also, should I glue along the entire length or only at intervals and bends in the EL wire. Thanks.

Mister Jellyfish Mister · Post by **Mister Jellyfish Mister** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 8:52 pm

Intervals and bends. Can you tell my sex life is improving.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 5:25 am

benenergy wrote:Is goop good to gluing El wire to the side of my art car? I need to be able take the EL off for other purposes at the end of the week. Will the goop come off of the el wire? Will it come off of the car (which has been spray painted.) Is there a better adhesive to use? Last year we taped in on with clear tape which worked ok. Also, should I glue along the entire length or only at intervals and bends in the EL wire. Thanks.

GOOP should be just fine for tacking your EL to the car. Don't use too big of dabs of it at a time, or else gravity will kick in. Hold the wire in place with masking tape until set. Make sure to clean the surface before gluing! You will be able to (carefully) remove the GOOP from your EL afterwards, especially if you take pains to avoid embedding it in the GOOP too much. When removing it from the car avoid pulling on it, to avoid breaking those little teeny @#!! wires. Allow slack if you pass over any moving parts, like doors/tailgates, and reinforce these spots to prevent kinking. Avoid wire runs over areas where someone might miss them in the dark and get a limb tangled.
If you have several sets of hands, you can probably do all of your car decorating in no time on a warm, sunny day. Warm metal is a lovely platform for GOOP, and it should set firmly enough to hold in only a few minutes.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 9:15 am

I thought GOOP ate craft foam anyway?

Mister Jellyfish Mister · Post by **Mister Jellyfish Mister** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 9:31 pm

Nope. Just does not cling to that particular pourus surface on it's own. I'll try the pre-spraying of Super 77 first next time. Sounds like it's worth a go.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Fri Aug 18, 2006 5:08 am

I learned that pre-spraying of Super 77 also helps clear packing tape hold onto silkscreens.

Maybe poking holes in the craft foam will aid the bonding?

deviceone · Post by **deviceone** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 2:58 pm

I must must testify to the power of the Goop, which I have now witnessed in all its glory.

Thank you all, for inriching my life, with this mysterious and powerful substance that must be a gift from god herself.