I personally can’t stand hot glue. It melts when you heat shape foam, it reactivates if you go over it with a dremel and I just constantly get burned by it. Hot glue isn’t the superior adhesive for a cosplayer. That’s why we’re going to discuss alternatives to hot glue for cosplayers to use. There’s so many options with adhesives so it’s time to put down the glue gun, and try these instead.
- Contact cement – You can typically find this stuff at a hardware store and it’s the best glue for crafting with EVA foam. It’s easy to work with since you just apply an even layer to each side you want to put together and then wait for it to get a little tacky. Then you can put the two pieces together. It doesn’t require heat like hot glue and is much easier to work with.
- Fabric glue – For fabrics, fabric glue already exists. It’s designed specifically for all sorts of different fabrics and is another option that doesn’t require a glue gun.
- Super glue – This is another adhesive that can work for both foam and fabric. However when this one gets on your skin it can be incredibly hard to get off. It doesn’t burn thankfully but still requires you be careful while using it.
- E6000 – E6000 is almost like a super glue and also comes in a fabric glue option. These are incredibly strong adhesives and also require you be careful like super glue.
- Loctite – Loctite is another brand that creates really strong adhesives. They also have shoe glues and a fabric glue that remains flexible. These require curing time and can also be hard to wash off the skin.
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