Adhesives, a paste or glue which is used for sticking. There are now so many available on the market, but different glues are used to stick different surfaces. Synthetic resin glues, I would say, are the strongest. They harden so well and are extremely durable.

So now we go to their uses! The synthetic glues are probably the strongest resin. They seem to wear for ever and a day as they set rock hard without any actual shrinkage. Available in small tubes that can be used on various metals and surfaces, whether they be porous or non porous.

Polyester resins are pretty much the same as epoxies, with no shrinkage. When hardened they are good for glass fibre.

Silicones are glues which will take high temperatures and are also resistant to water and are often used for electric cabling. Animal glues are actually made from various parts of animals. Glue cakes are made from hide and bone and ,of course, gelatine is used for cooking.

Designers, in fact, often use the aerosol “Spray Mount”, as this creates an instant bond which you can reposition before it sets. The advantages being that it does not stain, it is clear and is a very fine mist when you spray.

So even very delicate paper can be sprayed, but will not tear. One drawback is that you will need to spray somewhere very well ventilated as it is highly flammable. You will not want to inhale the fumes either.

So many glues for so many different purposes! Take “Spray Mount”, this is good for papers of any weight. But if it is fabric you need to stick, you need an animal glue, but this too, will stick paper.

Vegetable glues are used to fix card and basically any strength of paper. Epoxy resin will fix plastic, stone, wood, glass and metal. Cellulose glues paper, card, plastic and polyurethane. Polyester is used to stick plastic glass and metal. Urethanes will do a good job on rubber, leather, plastic, metal and wood alike.

Cellulose is quite a safe glue for children to use. These are not strong enough for fabric, metal or glass. However, they are ideal for paper and card.

Superglue - You spread finely on the two surfaces to be fixed together, this liquid has to then be left, to get sort of tacky. The resin will then evaporate.

This is a terrific bonding glue as it holds really fast. I would certainly use this for metal and wood. Unfortunately, this does not work on glass. Glass needs a polyurethane, which is also ideal for porous materials and metals.

How we all seem to fish out the superglue at the drop of a hat. We all love it and expect it to stick any number of surfaces, and it usually does, including ourselves, to our detriment.

I can only say this can be pretty awful, and yes, I fell into this trap. You just need to take extra care when using this and do not let children anywhere near it. Glues go back a long way to prehistoric ages where they even used beeswax. Why, even the Egyptians had glues derived from animals and vegetables!