Monday 9 July 2012

Fancy silicone? A review...of sorts.


Mention on WOYWW of my relatively new attachment to silicone glue sparked quite a lot of interest.  So I thought I'd try to summarise some of the comments and my experience of the stuff. 
First, this brand is craft specific and is odourless.  I couldn't use the DIY stuff because the smell is awful and it comes in too large a quantity for me to deal with it without a tantrum.  You can see that the glue in these two syringes is not entirely clear...that's because I leave them on my desk or in a basket in daylight and it does discolour eventually.  Fresh from the tube it's crystal clear.  If you use the glue in normal use it won't last years and you won't notice any change in it.  If you leave it in a draw for a couple years, expect it to smell horrid. It's air drying, so if you lose the lid or the syringe top, might as well kiss it goodbye....or put a blob of blue-tack over it...it must remain airtight.  Unless you like picking at tiny apertures with a pin to remove plugs of oddly shaped glue.......
The manufacturer of this product sells the syringes too...indeed a tube and a syringe together as a starter kit if you feel the need. If you don't have the syringes, you can squeeze the tube and pick the blob of glue off with a cocktail stick or the like. 
It's a great dimensional glue. Does the job of a foam pad, in a slightly more sophisticated way.  If you're sticking onto creased ribbon for example, the glue will take up the 'slack' and fill the valleys so that your embellishment will sit evenly.  Or of course, you can stick things at angles by applying more glue in one area than another.  Useful too if you have shaped stuff to stick..like a few die cut leaves that you've carefully shaped - the glue sticks and holds their shape, and you can dictate the height of overlapping and overall finished height.  Useful.  If you can get used to not squashing it flat - you have to trust that by placing the 'thing' on top of the glue blob, it will stick without having to apply pressure.  It does.  But it is sort of counter-intuitive.
Because it's relatively slow drying, excess glue needs to be wiped off onto a scrap or area that you aren't going to work on, lean on or put food onto.  It tastes awful and feels slimey. If you get the glue onto a section of card that it shouldn't be on...argh..it needs to be removed without panic and finally taken off with something dry.  Go back to foam pads if you're using mirror card.  It shows up every silicone weakness you have and then magnifies it to make you feel foolish. Ask me how I know all these things.
So that's it really...I like it a lot.  I could live without it, but there's about 8 kerjillion things on my desk that I can say that about.  At least this one has a practical purpose.  

36 comments:

Kathy said...

thanks Julia - this is really useful. I think this stuff might make a great companion to my beloved Book Binding glue for when I whnt more dimension - I'm not a great lover of foam pads because I don't trust them! I end up using chipboard between the layers which is fiddly to say the least, so the silicon stuff might be a good alternative

Mummylade said...

well, when it comes to craft stuff I don't really need anything but I want everything =)

Sounds like a good alternative to my hot glue gun since I have a tendency to get it on my fingertips and it's horribly painful =)

My name is Cindy said...

I've been using pinflair for the last couple of years - soooo much better than ordinary silicone glue cos NO SMELL!! The only pain is cleaning out the syringe nozzles 'cos I often leave it in the syringe for weeks at a time and it does get gunked up - not totally airtight obviously!! My friend makes a point of always using her glue to the end so it doesn't happen. FAR too sensible. Little tip, if you do have a syringe gunking disaster, don't try wiping out odd bits that are still wet. Let the whole thing dry (sans cap and plunger) and you can get it out in one go - it kinda doesn't stick to the syringe sides. Agree heartily with all your warnings though - been there, done that!! With regards mirror card, if you leave it to dry completely you can sometimes (not always) remove unwanted splodges or smears by gently rubbing with a finger or one of the glue eraser such as you get with sticky dots.

CraftygasheadZo said...

Interesting review. I must admit I couldn't get on with this glue, found it left grease marks through thinner card even, and was a nightmare to get off, as you say, it's a nightmare when it's in the wrong place! But where would we be without our glue for 3D and sticking ribbon. My personal choice is Collal Glue gel, does the same job but no grease marks! Take care Zo xx

kassa said...

Pinflair is a must have necessity, I keep a stash so I never run out!!
Kxoxo

Laura said...

I love my pinflair! They say if you aren't going to use your syringe for a few days you can empty it back in to the tube of glue gel (making sure you don't put any air bubbles in to tube) and it will keep it from discolouring.

Di said...

I love Pinflair too Julia :) Ha, ha - you just sent me scampering to the 'glue box' - all syringes empty, present and correct. However did that happen then?! Di xx

KatzElbows said...

Brilliant, thank you. I don't need this, and I don't want it, but without you I would always have wondered!

cheers, rachel

Helen T said...

I too can't be without my Pinflair :)

Helen said...

I didn't know Pinflair was a silicone glue... saw loads and loads of people selling it at Newbury on Saturday (didn't get any, didn't know I might need it...) but your review is very useful. I did however buy a syringe cos I thought that may be useful for applying small amounts of liquid or other wet stuff to places I want them to go....

nerllybird said...

Okay, so that's - Don't eat it. Gotcha. :D

Carmen said...

I keep seeing this and wondering about it! I think I might desperately need it as am not much a fan of foam pads.

Thanks Julia :)

Anonymous said...

mmmm, this is really interesting, I can think of a few uses for this, thanks for sharing,

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the info Julia :)

I tried Pinflair years ago after buying a kit from a Christmas Craft show. They were little bells for the tree, god, my thumbs were sore from pushing in all those pins lol. It's a bit of a blast from the past though, as it was before l had my kids and the eldest is nearly 16!

Time flies xx

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I've never heard of Pinflair. It sounds like you are using something similar to E-6000, but I don't think we have it here in the States. Of course, they don't let us Americans have syringes either. It might be addicting (grin). I DO wish E-6000 was easier to remove from the tube, though. With my arthritic like grip, it can be a pain. Liked your review of sorts.

Redanne said...

Great review Julia, I have to admit I would not use anything else now, I don't like foam pads but keep some for emergencies....A x

Anne said...

Great review - I have been using it for sometime now- your advice is excellent re what to do - not to do. Not tied eating yet!!!:-)Anne x

Elizabeth said...

Hi Julia, I couldn't have put it better myself! I use this gel a lot and wouldn't be without it in my crafting arsenal. Hadn't noticed a problem with mirror board ... probably because I only ever use it for matting and maybe I've never used gel on it ... now you have me wondering if I have. You had me rushing through to my desk to see if my gel had discoloured - something else I'd not noticed ... not an observant person, am I? ... but the dish I keep it in is out of direct sunlight so happily it had not. However, I'm forever digging plugs out of the syringe, and that is despite following instructions to the letter. Oh, I eat most things but not glue gel, so I'll take your word about the taste :)) Elizabeth xx

Leslie Hanna said...

I have all sorts of wet glues, and I'm not sure where this fits in the spectrum. How does it compare to something like Glossy Accents or Diamond Glaze, which are both wet and dry as thick as you put it on?

I think you need to give us a tutorial with pictures of the glue in action. :)

Madame Bizarro/Nan said...

Apparently this is only available in the UK...and is NOT silicone, says right on the tube, "silicon-free," which is why it's odorless.

will keep looking for the US equivalent.

The Scrapbook Lady UK said...

My mam loves that glue - especially for making curled up flowers. jenx

mamapez5 said...

Hi Julia. Interesting to read your views, but personally I think a tube of ordinary silicon glue, applied with a cocktail stick, knocks spots off Pinflair. It dries faster and is easier to remove unwanted bits once dry. Like Zo, I found Pinflair left grease marks that bled through a project and ruined it. I also have little sense of feeling in my fingertips and the syringe was difficult for me to use.
Incidently I have just bought a tube of Dutch silicon glue which says it is 'scent-free'. I haven't unsealed it yet. Kate x

misteejay said...

I find the Pinflair glue great for attaching flowers as they tend to fall off at times when using the foam pads. It also means you don't have to have loads of different thicknesses of foam pad because you can 'squish' down the gel to the level you want. I don't use a syringe - I prefer the cocktail stick method of applying.

Great review Julia.

Toni xx

Angie said...

Great review ....I used it ages ago ...but with out syringes ...loved it ...then ran out ...and forgot about it ....thanks for reminding me ...must get some when mojo finally returns.xx

Keren Howell said...

I like it lots, find it good for holding heavy bits like glass pebbles. I do get it everywhere, though, syringe or no.

donnalouiserodgers said...

So what it that you cannot live without ( except Him of course?) love that you tested the taste of the silicone for me so I didn't have to,

Dx

Lynn Holland said...

Thank you for the review Julia, I am now going to pass it on to my crafty friends..
Reading other people's comments on it as well is a good insight.
Lynn

TwinkleToes2day said...

Thank you for this info Julia. I have seen several references to this glue and wondered whether it would be worth getting it. I'm no where closer to deciding that but at least I now know what it is, what it does and that it won't be nice for lunch :0)
Thanks to Lynn H for sharing the link to this x

Craftychris said...

I love my Pinflair too but without the syringe - I like using a cocktail stick xx

trisha too said...

Great review--this actually sounds very practical, so even though you could live without, well, why try at this point, right?


:)

Queen Lightwell said...

Thanks for more details! Now I'll have to figure out how this translates to an American product or one I can get a hold of over here. :)I'm thinking the guys at the big hardware store might have some ideas on that front...well, they do *try* to be helpful! lol

Lizzie said...

So then... how Do you know all this stuff? (hee hee..)

Good and useful review. The best thing about it is that it's from a Real User's point of view, rather than one of those "polished up for the press" reviews in a magazine.

It sounds like a useful product and I think I could try it for some of my bookbinding projects. Could be useful... must try it.

Thanks Julia!

Unknown said...

Hi Julia

Some of the comments are interesting - in that I thought everyone in the whole universe had pinflair glue...

you extol the virtues well - but you can get pinflair off - you leave it to dry then 'pick' it off - or rub it. I made a heap of wedding stationery last year that required a bow. It didn't look right tying the bow by wrapping the ribbon around the card then doing the bow cos it would have sat in the wrong direction. I wrapped ribbon then glued the bow on separately. I used pinflair cos it was the only adhesive I trusted to keep the bow in place and from falling off. Nothing else would have done. However - I don't use it for anything else apart from embellishments. Different glues for different jobs. I'd never use it flat to stick card to card - unless it was to create a dimensional look/effect (such a decoupage). Great for larger and or heavier embellishment, so great for altered art projects or off the page projects. I also think that the glue gun has it's virtues too - but that's if I want to create and finish something there and then - if I need instant results.

Thank you for taking the time to review - it appears a lot of people have benefited and learned something from it.

Paula x x x

scrappymo! said...

Must have missed this review earlier this summer. Clicked on the hyperlink in your current post.
Thanks for all the good advice. I have been trying to decide if i should try to track this glue down over here. There are a lot of references to it on the breitish blogs I follow.
To me, it seems that that the foam dots are so visible and this is an good alternative to sort of "hide" the obvious look of popping something up or forwards.

Anonymous said...

[url=http://tretinoinonline.date/]tretinoin cream otc[/url] [url=http://solumedrol.party/]medrol[/url] [url=http://buy-benicar.space/]benicar[/url] [url=http://phenergan.press/]phenergan online[/url] [url=http://phenergan.online/]phenergan[/url] [url=http://phenerganonline.click/]phenergan[/url]

Anonymous said...

[url=http://motilium.press/]motilium[/url] [url=http://nexiumonline.us/]article source[/url] [url=http://trazodonehcl.bid/]full report[/url] [url=http://tadalafil20mg.cricket/]tadalafil online pharmacy[/url] [url=http://buy-buspar.click/]buspar[/url] [url=http://levitracoupon.science/]buy levitra online cheap[/url] [url=http://buymetformin.stream/]buy metformin er[/url]