Adhesive
Description
Any non-metallic substance used to adhere one surface to another. Adhesives provide a wide selection of properties, solubility, tackiness, bonding time, and bonding strength. They can be used on nearly every kind of surface, such as wood, glass, metal, plastic, paper, fabric, and rubber. Adhesives are usually activated by water, solvents, pressure, heat, cold, or UV radiation. In some cases, surface treatment, abrasion, or an adhesion promoter may be needed to increase the strength or durability of the adhesive bond. Adhesives may be classified as inorganic and organic adhesives. Alternative binding techniques include sewing, mechanical fasteners and welding.
Examples of inorganic adhesives are Water glass, Plaster of Paris and Portland cement.
Organic adhesives may be subdivided by origins into animal (hide, bone, blood, casein, etc.), vegetable (Starch, Gum, Natural resin, etc.) and synthetic (Acrylic, Vinyl acetate, Cyanoacrylate, Epoxy, Silicone, etc.).
Natural Adhesives
| Adhesive | Examples | Earliest use | Composition | Properties | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albumin | Blood glue, egg glue | ancient times | Protein-based made from blood or eggs | Dark color, water-soluble powder that dries to a water-resistant film when activated with an alkali | plywood, masonry |
| Asphalt, Bitumen, Pitch, Tar | birch-bark tar, pitch, bitumen asphalt | ancient times | Thick hydrocarbon-based liquids distilled from plants, wood or oil/coal deposits | Typically dark and viscous, softens with heat, may evolve volatile compounds; water-repellant | boats, water-proofing |
| Casein | milk glue | ancient times | Protein-based made from milk curd mixed with alkalis | Water resistant; tensile strength eceeds most woods, non-toxic | Woodworking, paper glue, fireproofing; glass bottle labels, gilding leather |
| Gelatin | Hide glue, Rabbitskin glue, Bone glue, Fish glue, Isinglass | ancient times | Hydrolyzed collagen made from animal connective tissue and bones; hides are acid-treated, neturalized and repeatedly soaked | Hardens when cooled; may be slightly brittle; water-soluble | cabinetmaking, bookbinding, sizing fabrics |
| Keratin | hoof, Horn | medieval or earlier | Partially hydrolyzed keratin; hooves or horns are fragmented then boiled and acidified. | Hardens when cooled; does not become brittle | gluing and stiffening textiles, cabinet making, glass sealant |
| Mucilage | Agar, Algin | ancient times | polar glycoprotesin and exopolysaccharid etracted from plants and seeds | Viscous; soluble in water; edible; low bonding strength; sensitive to moisture, biodegradation and insects | postage stamps, labels to metal cans |
| Starch | potato, rice, wheat; Paste | 1847 | Starch granules swell in water for form a thick tacky gel upon cooling | Soluble in cold water; become brittle with age; sensitive to moisture, biodegradation and insects | stamps, corrugated board, wallpaper |
| Tree resins | Balsam, Dammar, Gum arabic, Mastic | ancient times | Clear to translucent resins soluble in alcohol or turpentine; insoluble in water | Darken with age | adhere jewels and beads, repair broken vessels |
| Wax | Insect wax (Beeswax), plant wax (carnauba); Mineral wax (Paraffin) | ancient times | Long-chain hydrocarbons | Becomes soft with heat | repair broken vessels; adhere pigments and inks |
| Rubber (natural, vulcanized) | rubber cement; latex | 1830 to WWII | natural obtained from plants, usually dissolved in solvent | Solvent evaporates as it sets; latex may be an allergen; waterproof, discolors and cracks with time | used prior to synthetics |
Synonyms and Related Terms
kleefstof (Ned.); adhésif (Fr.); colle (Fr.); Klebstoff (Deut.); adesivo (It.); adhesivo (Esp.); adesivo (Port.); adhesiv (Sven.); bindemedel (Sven.); mastic; cement; glue; mucilage; paste;
Resources and Citations
- AIC Conservation Wiki: Adhesives for Use Inside Exhibit Cases
- Irving Skeist, Handbook of Adhesives, Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, New York, 1977
- Matte Paint: Its history and technology, analysis, properties and conservation treatment, Eric Hansen, Sue Walston, Mitchell Bishop (ed.), J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, Vol. 30 of AATA, 1993
- Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982
- Theodore J. Reinhart, 'Glossary of Terms', Engineered Plastics, ASM International, 1988
- Wikipedia: Adhesive (Accessed Feb. 2, 2006 and Feb 2023)
- G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 14
- Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993
- The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998
- Multilingual Glossary for Art Librarians at http://www.ifla.org/VII/s30/pub/mgl.htm
- Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000