• Question: Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

    Asked by ellaella to Cat, Daz, Holly, Johnson, Pamela on 18 Jun 2011. This question was also asked by danrumford.
    • Photo: Cat O'Connor

      Cat O'Connor answered on 17 Jun 2011:

      Hi ellaella and Dan,

      well it’s all to do with the solvents in the glue. Within a bottle of glue, you have the stuff that stucks and a gas that keeps the sticky stuff wet. When you put some glue on you art work, the glue only becomes sticky once the solvent has evaporated. I think you know what i’m talking about. If you put your finger in wet glue (and i’m not saying that you should!!) your finger takes a few seconds before it starts sticking in the glue. This is because you have to wait for the solvent to evaporate!

      Hope i’ve answered your questions!

      Cat

    • Photo: Darren Braddick

      Darren Braddick answered on 17 Jun 2011:

      Hi ellaella and Dan,

      Well Cat answered this quite well. Try and think of when you add glue to something – it can work quickly if you blow on it for the same reason Cat mentions. Similarly, solvents are used in various paints, for example nail varnish. This is why blowing on any of these substances causes a quicker reaction!

      I hope that helps!

      Daz

    • Photo: Pamela Lithgow

      Pamela Lithgow answered on 17 Jun 2011:

      Hi Ellaella and Dan,
      Those two do seem to be good answers! I didn’t know the answer to this and I was interested to find out! As they said solvents keep the glue liquid and this evaporates when it is in contact with air.so in the bottle/tube there is enough solvent to keep the glue liquid, if you leave the top off the bottle the glue will set eventually because the solvent will evaporate.
      I hope I added a little something
      Pam 🙂

    • Photo: Johnson Soronnadi

      Johnson Soronnadi answered on 18 Jun 2011:

      Hello dan,

      All the answers are good. I quiet agree that it has to do with the solvent inside the glue container. The solvent is so volatile (easily evaporates on exposure) that it escapes on exposure to air allowing the remaining fluid to contract. So long the fluid remains intact in the container, it will not stick to the inside of the container.

      Hope this helps.

      Johnson.

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