Several years ago..I don’t know where but I know I heard it or read it:
The scientific community does not know why glue sticks and holds.
Does anyone know why ?
Forget about any chemical formulas..give it to me in plain English!
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Replies
3 ways,
Chemical bond...wood glues like hide glue, yellow glue and epoxies form a chemical bond with cellulose, the material in wood. The glue penetrates the pores and attaches itself to the molecules, lots of molecules.
Suction, contact cement...silicone is like a slug, it does not allow air in so the vacuum is maintained...suction.
Some bonds are formed by the glue finding it's way into the pores of the material and hardening forming stiff and tough "fingers", epoxy will do this.
The rest is just magic.
Zano, don't listen to Lee.....
Glue sticks 'cuz it magically concentrates and refocuses gravity, the stuff it is glueing together really weighs a whole lot to each other. That's why glues strength is measured in pounds. Gravity is what it is.
SamT
like Lee said, chemical, vacumn or mechanical. three ways.
And the scientists certainly do know. Somebody was pulling somebodies leg! They'd have had it pulled right off except that it's glued on
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
It's not true--Glue sticks because there are t'ousands and t'ousands of leetle-bitty microscoopic Piffin Screws in saturated suspension in the goop and when you schmear it on something, they just screw themselves in in all directions. (The heat from all that screwing friction is what makes the glue dry, BTW....)
Dinosaur
'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?
When you figure it out let me know, I can't get this Gorilla glue off of my hands.....
"Rather be a hammer than a nail"
Bob
Time or sand paper...
Gloves the next ....HUH...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming.... WOW!!! What a Ride!
Geckos can walk up glass windows, cause their feet stick. The reason is that there are microscopic hairs that are so tiny that the molucular attracting happens between the glass and hair.
I ignored this thread for a while.
I thought it was just going to be MrT talking about taking his underwear off and throwing it against the wall.
After reading the words "screwing friction" in Dino's post, I am still not sure I should have opened the thread. Especially in light of the images it conjures up when taken in reference of what I thought the thread was going to be about in the first place.
I need some brain brillo, please.
.
Hey Bob, that gorilla glue is great stuff, isn't it ?
Think we could get MrT to sit on some of it ?
...Right after he tries his wall trick again ??
"Criticism without instruction is little more than abuse." D.Sweet
I went to http://health.howstuffworks.com to look up glue.
Didn't find anything about how glue works, but I did find an article titled "How Breast Implants Work"
http://health.howstuffworks.com/breast-implant.htm
I thought I had that pretty well figured out...
Why is it that our memory is good enough to retain the least triviality that happens to us, and yet not good enough to recollect how often we have told it to the same person?
>> Why is it that our memory is good enough to retain the least triviality ...
What an extremely appropriate tag to post two days in a row.
I don't REMEMBER posting that 2 days in a row........The denunciation of the young is a necessary part of the hygiene of older people, and greatly assists in the circulation of the blood [Logan Pearsall Smith]
I once queried the guys at 3M about how Scotch tape works. They said that the best evidence was that it was van der Waals force.
Of course with glues it varies according to the glue and the surface. Standard epoxies stick poorly to smooth surfaces because epoxy depends mostly on a mechanical bond. Plastic cements work mostly by dissolving and fusing the mating surfaces.
But most of your gloppy glues work with van der Waals force.
If you're sticking a van on der wall ya better have dang good glue too.Kevin Halliburton
"The Greek comic poets, also, divided their plays into parts by introducing a choral song, ... they relived the actor's speeches by such intermissions." Vitruvious, (Book V)
But most of your gloppy glues work with van der Waals force
Ok, so what is van der Waals force? What I recall from that article was that the scientists don't know why glue holds so well. Many here say that the glue enters the pores of the material, hardens and then holds. But try doing that with molten aluminum, use water and freeze it, molasses, joing compound, plaster, ..they all enter the pores of the material but without greater holding power than glues. Glues are not microscopically smaller than other molecules yet hold the best.
Must be the force you mentioned..we're going to Stars Wars on this! "May the force be with you..when you glue!"
"I'm gonna stick like glue,
because I'm stuck, ah, ah, stuck on you" - The King had it right!
As indicated previously, Van der Waals force is what keeps Geckos attached to the ceiling -until they fall down your neck and bite whatever they can...
Van der Waals forces
The physical forces of attraction and repulsion existing between molecules and which are responsible for the cohesion of molecular crystals and liquids. The forces stem partly from dipole-dipole, or dipole-induced-dipole interactions; however, even nonpolar molecules and atoms exert a certain attraction on one another. Van der Waals forces act only over relatively short distances, and are proportional to the inverse of the seventh power of the intermolecular distances. The forces are important in the mechanics of adhesion.
see also: http://www.chemguide.co.uk/atoms/bonding/vdw.html
DanH,
Thanks for the reasosnable reply unlike others..some stuck on sex and some need to stick to Mr. Wizard again.
The premise is opposites attract..but this well? Say I used some construction glue on a wooden panel and let it dry. Then I applied the glue again to the glue on the panel and it sticks to it..now these are not two opposites..so why the adhesion?
I got to get to the bottom of this..always gotta know the "why"!
Edited 7/9/2004 9:05 pm ET by Zano
As the old Bobbie Vinton song says , "Glue on glue, heartache on heartache..." This can only lead to trouble this...this fooling around with layering of glues. You are messing with certain orders and laws of the universe which when not properly lined up, jump into the vortex of the theoretical. Now...since you've crossed the line, I will tell you that although these two glues are theoretically the same and thus not opposite (they came from the same tube, yes?) they should not stick. But they aren't the same, the state of the first one is not the same as the fresh glue just out of the tube. The first one is dry and doesn't stick, it's no longer glue as we know it...glue is sticky right? They are now opposites, they now attract. Don't do this again. If you're gonna use glue, then use it once, otherwise...well Mr. Vinton knows.
well Mr. Vinton knows
"Roses are red my love,
violets are blue,
sugar is sweet my love,
but not as sweet as glue"
It's really kinda complicated. When you press two surfaces REALLY close together, the electrons in the atoms of the adjacent surfaces repel each other. This sort of ionizes the atoms so they attract each other. This is van der Waals force.
I've had it explained to me a couple of times and even worked through the math a bit to see how it works, but I can't say that it's really "intuitive". Like you, my intuition tells me that the surfaces should repel each other.
It's really kinda complicated. When you press two surfaces REALLY close together, the electrons in the atoms of the adjacent surfaces repel each other. This sort of ionizes the atoms so they attract each other. This is van der Waals force.
I think we're getting somewhere now..glue is a part of Quantum Physics..the crazy world where anything is possible. Did you know that under the laws of Quantum Physics you can walk through a concrete wall..it may take almost eternity for that occurance to happen..but it will in due time.
I think that glue is part of it or at least somehow connected. yes, all atoms have electrons that are connected to the nucleus by electro magnetics thus it is possible to interfere with the elctro magnetic forces that bind them.
Getting back to that article about why they don't know why glue sticks so well..sure it's a chemical or a atomic process but the scientist still don't know why it happens. Lot's of things are sticky or guey (sp.) to a degree..so I'm thinking that glue is in The Construction Twilight Zone..in which the obvious on further inspection is not explainable.
When I have time I'll do a little research on this..thanks all for your input!
"unlike others"
Zano, how long have you been posting here ?
That's a rhetorical question, just like "how old are you" ? Once answered, you would say, "then act like it".
You know what to expect when you make a post here. You have been one of the "others" just as often as anyone else.
You did not make a point at any time that all you wanted were serious answers. In fact, you did some kidding yourself. Why get yer knickers in a knot now ?
Of course, I know what your problem is.
You aren't getting enough sex.
; )
"Criticism without instruction is little more than abuse." D.Sweet
You aren't getting enough sex.
So ya wanna stick it to me?
---
I was reading the other thread about teaching oral sex and noticed that all the gals were posting but none said hush about "why it sticks" here. Is Jen a gal per chance? I tell ya when it comes to sex you and the gals shine bright ;-) Without flopping to the other thread, I'd say we teach 'em masturbation..these kids are so dumb dumb even instinct is not a good teacher!
Note: I read an e-mail once on another forum that read "Why bother to post if you can't offend the recipient".
LOL
Not a chance, bub. You gotta look elsewheres fer that !
; )
I expect it's because they haven't read this thread. Or that nothing truly offensive has been said.
Yes, Jencar is a gurl.
You wouldn't be asking that if you'd ever seen her picture.
; )
Nobody has ever told me I shine bright about sex before. Um. Er, I mean, yeah ! I hear that all the time.
he he he
: )
"Criticism without instruction is little more than abuse." D.Sweet
Check out the link. It might help; an extra layer of defense.
magnetism , all glues are actually a metallic monomer..the ionization in a polymorphic constrapulation attracts the postive nueticles and protoplasmic pepticles..with addition of negative ionic pherometers the resultant conglormifacation causes adhesion in levels rivaling the Blew Dress..
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
"in levels rivaling the Blew Dress.."
Ah.
So your answer is... it works by suction ?
"Criticism without instruction is little more than abuse." D.Sweet
Furthermore it is very well known that opposites attract. The two items to be joined are usually opposite eachother and with the infusion of certain glues to certain materials there is an uncommon chemical protolific reaction totally depending on the viscidity arch open at the time, this opposition force only becomes enhanced sometimes to the square root of 8! This is known as the 'O' force factor, (opposite force), much like the ' G' forces we experience on the old #4 train between 14th St and Times Sq, only the opposite you see. Oddly enough these glues can become very volatile at certain times most notably when your pee freezes before it hits the snow or when the Southern Star is in line with Detroit, the glues have been known to implode because of the (again) strong opposite attraction. I have it the military has something to do with this, or at least they should. Always take caution and wear gloves.
Now I understand.
SamT
ps got yer mail.ST
The glue principle is closely related to the refrigerator bulb theory.
"How do it know"
Never serious, but always right.
Same as for the thermos theroy...
"How does it know"
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming.... WOW!!! What a Ride!
Exactly, I don't believe any addition explanation is necessary. Another Forum success story.
Never serious, but always right.
"You got me goin' round in circles.." Since a while ago FHB had an expose on glues in construction..they said it's the future..just wanted to know why the sticky stuff sticks!
Edited 7/9/2004 9:04 pm ET by Zano
FWW had a good article 'bout two issues back..FWIW
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.