Previous in Forum: Antifreeze for Jet Fuel   Next in Forum: Sodium Hypochlorite pH or Effective Disinfection
Close

Comments Format:






Change Mode
Close

Subscribe to Discussion:

CR4 allows you to "subscribe" to a discussion
so that you can be notified of new comments to
the discussion via email.

Close

Rating Vote:







Add Vote
16 comments
Rate Comments: Nested
anchange
Active Contributor

Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 19

Water Soluble Glue

06/03/2009 2:03 PM

Looking for a glue that's completely water soluble. Something that I can just drop in a glass of water and it will dissolve without agitation, heat, or anything. Preferably something that can be bought in spray can form but anything that works would be great.

All I've done so far is tested random different glues from the hardware store. Tacky glue might work but maybe not. Thanks for the help!

__________________
 I learn most of everything I know from wiki...
Register to Reply
Interested in this topic? By joining CR4 you can "subscribe" to
this discussion and receive notification when new comments are added.

Good Answers:

These comments received enough positive votes to make them "good answers".

"Almost" Good Answers:

Check out these comments that don't yet have enough votes to be "official" good answers and, if you agree with them, vote them!
lyn
Guru

Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 42355
Good Answers: 1693
#1

Re: water soluble glue

06/03/2009 2:50 PM

Poly vinly alcohol (alkoxy) is readily soluable in water, but I don't know if it will bond whatever it is you are trying to bond.

Your other problem is that the solvent will only contact the thin edge of the adhesive in the bond line, typically .001/.005 inch. The drop in water is totally exposed to solvent on all sides, and will dissolve readily.

Good luck!
Register to Reply
user-deleted-1105
Guru
Popular Science - Weaponology - New Member United Kingdom - Member - New Member

Join Date: May 2007
Location: Harlow England
Posts: 16512
Good Answers: 670
#2

Re: Water Soluble Glue

06/03/2009 3:27 PM

it would help if you told us the application.
Most glues which will do a decent job require some effort.
There seems to be a contradiction in terms too...if it's in a spray can, you can hardly 'drop it in water'.
Tell us more and we'll try to help.
Del

__________________
 health warning: These posts may contain traces of nut.
Register to Reply
anchange
Active Contributor

Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 19
#3
In reply to #2

Re: Water Soluble Glue

06/03/2009 6:01 PM

I need to be able to adhere an arrangement of very small plant seeds to a piece of paper and then when watered have the adhesive dissipate.

__________________
 I learn most of everything I know from wiki...
Register to Reply
dkwarner
Guru

Join Date: May 2006
Location: Placerville, CA (38° 45N, 120° 47'W)
Posts: 6215
Good Answers: 248
#8
In reply to #3

Re: Water Soluble Glue

06/04/2009 1:03 AM

Try egg white!

__________________
 Teaching is a great experience, but there is no better teacher than experience.
Register to Reply Score 1 for Good Answer
Go to Next "Almost" Good Answer
Anonymous Poster
#4

Re: Water Soluble Glue

06/03/2009 6:44 PM

I believe you may have a problem on your hands here! Most water soluble glues are supplied suspended in water; this would most likely germinate your seeds sooner than intended. However for such a simple application, i would try clag glue the non toxic tacky glue used in primary school. I think you will also need to factor into your glue the requirements that when applying it to the seeds that 1) you do not germinate them, and 2) you do not kill them using chemicals.

Good Luck.
Register to Reply
2
artsmith
Guru
Hobbies - CNC - New Member Popular Science - Biology - New Member Hobbies - Musician - New Member

Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Canada
Posts: 3523
Good Answers: 146
#5

Re: Water Soluble Glue

06/03/2009 6:53 PM

I would suggest that you simply mix up flour and water to make a thin paste. True it doesn't dissolve that readily once it is dried. But for the plant seeds, it's non toxic, it's biodegradable. It would break down pretty quickly in soil.

For the application, immediate solubility might not be a plus. If the purpose of the arrangement is to distribute your small seeds evenly when planting, it would be a bit of a waste if they're blasted off into randomness at the first watering.

Whatever glue you use, make sure it doesn't engulf the small seeds. I think that would probably kill em, if kept on the shelf any length of time.

__________________
 incus opella
Register to Reply Good Answer (Score 2)
Go to Next Good Answer
2
wcfloyd
Power-User

Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Chester, SC, USA
Posts: 308
Good Answers: 19
#6

Re: Water Soluble Glue

06/03/2009 10:58 PM

Try starch. There are various grades, modifications and viscosity ranges, and you can adjust the solids/viscosity to get something sprayable. Starch solutions are shear-thinning and should spray well. Pearl starch is too high in molecular weight. I suggest an acid thinned or enzymed starch. You can look at various levels of solids and viscosity grades to get the coverage you want sprayed with the least water and fastest dry time. You can also add a % or so glyoxal to get a little temporary water resistance if it dissolves too fast, or some sugar to get it to dissolve faster. Also, starch is "Green", renewable, biodegradable and non-toxic.

__________________
 ...That's why we call it "Research"!
Register to Reply Good Answer (Score 2)
No more Good Answers. Go to first "Almost" Good Answer
DennisWaller
Commentator

Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 93
Good Answers: 7
#7

Re: Water Soluble Glue

06/03/2009 11:03 PM

Hide glue that is used to make musical instruments, e.g. violins, is completely water soluable.

Dennis Waller
Register to Reply
bwire
Guru
Popular Science - Weaponology - bwire Hobbies - Car Customizing - New Member

Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Upper Mid-west USA
Posts: 7498
Good Answers: 97
#9

Re: Water Soluble Glue

06/04/2009 1:49 AM

A sugar would

__________________
 If death came with a warning there would be a whole lot less of it.
Register to Reply Score 1 for Good Answer
Go to Next "Almost" Good Answer
rakesh_semwal
Guru
India - Member - New Member Engineering Fields - Electromechanical Engineering - New Member

Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: India, 200 Km. North of Delhi.
Posts: 1393
Good Answers: 53
#11
In reply to #9

Re: Water Soluble Glue

06/04/2009 2:29 AM

Sweet work
Register to Reply
rakesh_semwal
Guru
India - Member - New Member Engineering Fields - Electromechanical Engineering - New Member

Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: India, 200 Km. North of Delhi.
Posts: 1393
Good Answers: 53
#10

Re: Water Soluble Glue

06/04/2009 2:02 AM

Urea formaldehyde is water soluble and its a very good glue.
Register to Reply
PWSlack
Guru
United Kingdom - Member - Indeterminate Engineering Fields - Control Engineering - New Member

Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: In the bothy, 7 chains down the line from Dodman's Lane level crossing, in the nation formerly known as Great Britain. Kettle's on.
Posts: 32175
Good Answers: 839
#12

Re: Water Soluble Glue

06/04/2009 3:10 AM

Any strong sugar-in-water mix would do the job.

Kitchen-table-top experiments, perhaps?

__________________
 "Did you get my e-mail?" - "The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place" - George Bernard Shaw, 1856
Register to Reply Score 1 for Good Answer
No more "Almost" Good Answers.
Anonymous Poster
#13

Re: Water Soluble Glue

06/04/2009 5:33 AM

Maple syrup?
Register to Reply
Hendrik
Guru
Popular Science - Biology - New Member Hobbies - Musician - New Member APIX Pilot Plant Design Project - Member - New Member Hobbies - CNC - New Member Fans of Old Computers - ZX-81 - New Member

Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Centurion, South Africa
Posts: 3921
Good Answers: 97
#14

Re: Water Soluble Glue

06/04/2009 7:20 AM

But don't dispose of the bottomless dispenser.

__________________
 Never do today what you can put of until tomorrow - Student motto
Register to Reply Off Topic (Score 5)
Anonymous Poster
#15

Re: Water Soluble Glue

06/04/2009 5:48 PM

Years ago we used to build model boats with plain old ordinary white glue. It would disolve and the boats sink. Quite upsetting when you have spent hours building a model sail boat to set it out into the lake only to have it disintegrate before your eyes. (We learned after that to use the yellow glue similar to Titebond which does not disolve) Don't know how your seeds will respond to white glue though.
Register to Reply
bwire
Guru
Popular Science - Weaponology - bwire Hobbies - Car Customizing - New Member

Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Upper Mid-west USA
Posts: 7498
Good Answers: 97
#16

Re: Water Soluble Glue

06/04/2009 6:43 PM

We call it Elmer's

__________________
 If death came with a warning there would be a whole lot less of it.
Register to Reply
Register to Reply
Have a Different Question?
16 comments

Good Answers:

These comments received enough positive votes to make them "good answers".

"Almost" Good Answers:

Check out these comments that don't yet have enough votes to be "official" good answers and, if you agree with them, vote them!
Copy to Clipboard

Users who posted comments:

anchange (1); Anonymous Poster (3); artsmith (1); bwire (2); DennisWaller (1); dkwarner (1); Hendrik (1); lyn (1); PWSlack (1); rakesh_semwal (2); user-deleted-1105 (1); wcfloyd (1)

Previous in Forum: Antifreeze for Jet Fuel   Next in Forum: Sodium Hypochlorite pH or Effective Disinfection

Advertisement

Got Something to Say?
Ask a Question
Start a Discussion

Search this Forum
Chemical & Material Science:
Go

CR4 Sections
Aerospace
BioMech & BioMed
Chemical & Material Science
Civil Engineering
Communications & Electronics
Education and Engineering Careers
Electrical Engineering
General Discussion
Instrumentation
Manufacturing
Mechanical Engineering
New Technologies & Research
Software & Programming
Sustainable Engineering
Transportation

Site Directories
Forum Directory
Blog Directory
User Group Directory
RSS Feeds

CR4 Rules of Conduct
CR4 FAQ
Site Glossary

Who's Online (69 right now)
Show Members
Advertisement