Let's Make Robots!

Glue gun: Pros and Cons


sticks well


easy to use



kinda dangerous...got burned several times...

some are very flimsy, so be careful

may be frustrating

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Glue guns like Soldering you must heat up what you’re gluing. Smooth plastics, Plastic coated cardboard …. With a little blob of Glue Dig the Glue Gun Tip in and let it heat up for a minute or so and then glue it.


Here's a glue-gun mod I posted on Instructables to make it controllable using a dimmer switch.

(It still hurts like a b*st*rd when you get glue on your fingers, but not quite so much and for not quite so long. #;¬)

Why not just buy one of these? I've used it to cool a cheap soldering iron in a pinch.

Lamp Dimmer Cord

"...one of these..."? It looks like an electric blanket control. What is it?

It's a "Lamp Dimmer Cord".

You plug the cord into the wall, then you plug a lamp (or soldering iron, glue gun, heatpads for reptiles, etc) into the back of the plug (outlet on the back is not pictured) and then you can slide the dimmer switch. One end of the slide switch is Off/On. Once on, its low. Slide it up and it's high.


Edit: Here is a similar one from Ikea..


Here is a better image of a Lamp Dimmer Cord

Do not that I can only speak for the Lutron Lamp Dimmer Cord. It's the one I have used for several projects.


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