[DanTwoLakes]

I've been trying out a new kind of glue that is water based. It is called Simalfa 321. It has some good points and some bad points.

The bad points are that it is only available in 5 gallon containers, it requires a different gun, an HVLP that is gravity fed, and because it is water based it has a little longer drying time. It has to be gravity fed, and you can't leave it in the gun without sealing it so that no air gets in when it's not in use. That part is not a big deal......every time I've used the gun it starts spraying immediately. Finally, I haven't tried spraying it on metal to bond anything to that, so I don't know if it would work or not, but spraying anything water based on metal doesn't seem like a good idea.

The good points are that it has absolutely no smell to it, even though the nozzle is a 2.3MM size, it sprays a very fine mist which means I'm using maybe 30% of the quantity of glue I normally use, it is perfect for gluing foam together and for gluing fabric to sew foam. Some foam gluing only requires spraying glue on one of the two pieces you're gluing together. Once it sets up it makes a great bond that won't come apart, and it is rated for high heat resistance. The company that makes it is top notch, and they are very helpful.

The HVLP gun is only around $40, so that's not a big deal. The cost of the glue is around $160 for 5 gallons, and with the usage being less, it's actually quite a bit cheaper than solvent based glue. I don't think I would trust it for an overhead application, although it is being used in aircraft, so it must be pretty good.

[Mr. HMP]

do you know the shelf life dan.
I used a water based adhesive for quite awhile and liked the bond it produced with foam, but on metal and plastics it wasn't very good.
had alot of overspray as well, does this product fill the air with particles?
terry

[DanTwoLakes]

As long as you keep it sealed and at the right temperature, the shelf life is 4 months, but I'm sure it will last a lot longer than that. No, this stuff doesn't produce an overspray, in fact it sprays in a really tight pattern and is easy to control. They have other types that are only recommended for foam applications, but this stuff is supposed to do it all, just like regular contact adhesive. I guess I should just find some metal and try it.

[Coodeville]

Is it better than K Spray?

[DanTwoLakes]

It works as well or better for gluing foam together, but you have to wait a lot longer for it to cure. I just glued some vinyl together with it and it worked better by far. I actually like it better than K Spray, but I hate waiting.

[Coodeville]

Originally Posted by DanTwoLakes

It works as well or better for gluing foam together, but you have to wait a lot longer for it to cure. I just glued some vinyl together with it and it worked better by far. I actually like it better than K Spray, but I hate waiting.

So will you be using both of them or just sticking to the new glue?

[DanTwoLakes]

I really don't think it can replace contact adhesive, but I think it could replace the K Spray. I don't know, the K Spray dries so much faster....... but I love the way this stuff works gluing fabric to sew foam.