You don’t ask kids if they LOVE glitter.
You ask them if they want to be bathed with it!
Glitter is one of the best mediums for kids to have fun with. Whether you want to accessorize a costume, make slime or paint rocks, sparkly glitter glue arts are a really creative way to help express your kid’s emotions.
Glitters have one bad reputation though.
They like to fall off rather than staying up where you stick them on!
The easiest way of avoiding a spill and still keeping the sparkle look intact is to use glitter glue instead. However, anyone who uses glitter glue can relate to the fact that it takes way too much time to dry up.
Do you have the patience to wait for that long?
Or would you like to know how to make glitter glue dry faster with some of the hacks we have compiled in this article?
We all know the answer already, so without any further ado, let’s get started!
What Is Glitter Glue And How It’s Used?
Glitter glue is basically one kind of adhesive that’s widely used for embellishing crafts.
Whereas glitters tend to scatter everywhere, glitter glue is a more decent alternative that comes with the sparkle already inside the adhesive.
What’s more, you can also use it as a regular glue as well. It helps bind objects just like white adhesive does. However, its adhesive property isn’t that much strong for heavy-duty projects.
How Long Does Glitter Glue Take To Dry?
The amount of time it takes glitter glue to dry properly depends on a few different factors.
Most adhesives dry by dehydration.
So, there will be 2 main factors that will affect the drying process.
- The amount of the moisture that’s present on the material.
- The temperature and humidity of your environment.
If there’s less moisture and the temperature is warm, the gluing process works in a faster way.
Under normal circumstances, glitter glue tends to dry out within approximately 30 minutes to 24 hours. Most of time all types of glitter glue dry within 30 minutes.
Different Ways You Can Dry Up Glitter Glue Faster
Now comes the fun part!
Let’s find some ways to dry up your projects faster and enjoy the finishing products a lot sooner.
1. Let The Sun Do The Hard Work!
This method is particularly good for large-scale projects.
- Choose a sunny spot in your garden. You may also do it indoor.
- Leave your project in the sun for several hours.
- If you are doing it indoor, then pick a room with windows and let the air pass as freely as possible. Also, make sure that a particular spot gets continuous sun for at least 25-30 minutes.
- Keep track of the weather and close all the windows/bring the project inside from the garden if the weather becomes a bit damp or rainy.
2. Use Hair Dryer
If you want to dry up a small area of adhesive really fast, then a hair dryer is the best option.
- Find a power source nearby and plug in the hair dryer.
- Turn up the heat setting at low or medium temperature. Too much high temperature might mess with the wet glue and destroy the design completely.
- Hold the drying machine about 10-inch away from the object’s surface. If the hair dryer is held too closely, it might warp the adhesive in between the drying process.
- Keep waving the nozzle of the dryer back and forth over your project until it’s sufficiently dry. Holding the machine still might result in uneven texture. Once the adhesive turns clear, you know it’s done!
3. Increase The Room Temperature With A Heater
Do you have a heater in your house?
Turn it up and let the glue dry a lot faster with this device!
- Pick up your project and put it in the same room as the heater.
- Tune the heater in a warm, comfortable temperature.
- Shut any door/windows that are open and let the heat work its magic on the adhesive to dry it up quickly.
4. Turn DOWN Your Fan’s Speed
Yes, you heard it right!
Instead of speeding up, your fan needs to slow down a little bit in order to make sure all that sparkles don’t get blown away before you even start working!
- Secure your project on a stable surface (e.g. table, floor) with a paperweight/clothespin/magnet.
- Turn the fan on medium/low speed and keep it pointed to your crafts.
- How much glue you have used? Depending on the quantity, you may have to wait around 10-20 minutes before the glue turns clear and becomes hard to touch.
5. Get An Electric Blanket To Warm It Up
We recommend getting an old electric blanket for this purpose.
No matter how careful you are, some of the adhesives may get on top of the blanket by mistake and you will regret it if it’s a particular one you are fond of having!
- Lay an electric blanket on the ground.
- Switch it on and put your project on top of it.
- Leave it like that until the adhesive has dried up completely.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Does Glitter Glue Dry Faster In Freezer?
Answer: Faster doesn’t necessarily mean better.
Putting glitter adhesive in the freezer isn’t a good idea as it won’t cure correctly at that low temperature. As a result, the bond will break down quickly and the atmosphere will add some moisture inside the project at the same time.
2. Does Glitter Glue Dry On Plastic?
Answer: Technically, it doesn’t! Glitter adhesive is hard to put on plastic material and even if you do manage to stick it on, it will peel off after some time.
The best way to make sure the adhesive stays on correctly is to put some primer on the area before applying the glue.
3. Does Glue Dry Faster In Hot Or Cold Temperature?
Answer: Glue is a water-based adhesive.
Therefore, it dries better in warmer air rather than in cold temperatures. Also, if the base material is porous (e.g. fabric, paper), then it will dry even faster as the liquid gets a chance to evaporate more easily that way.
4. Does Old Glitter Glue Still Dry The Same As New Glitter Glue?
Answer: Yes, it’s supposed to work in the same way.
However, if the old glue has thinned/thickened up for some reason, the drying time may vary a little accordingly.
5. Can I Dry Glue In The Oven?
Answer: Glue dries up faster in warm conditions.
However, if the craft you are working on is made of plastic or such other materials, then that product might melt off as a result of extreme temperature.
So, considering all things, it’s best to let the project get cured naturally or use one of the techniques that we have describes in this article.
Wrapping It Up
Love glitter, yet don’t like the mess?
You will LOVE using glitter glue for your DIY projects then!
Glitter glue is an easy way to decorate your craft life.
Depending on the glue formation, amount of glue used on the material, temperature and humidity, the drying time may vary for each of your projects.
Hopefully, our article has given some easy insights on how to make glitter glue dry faster and helped you add some sparkly things to your kid’s collection at the same time!
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