Daily Uses

Hardly a day goes by that we are not affected by one of the many types of adhesive. We use them for everything from repairing broken or torn items to bonding materials as varied as metal, plastic, wood, paper, and so on. Did you get or mail a letter today? Both the stamp and the envelope have glue on them. How many post it notes do you use in your office? Everyone, including children as well as adults use adhesive all of the time. We glue, tape, stick, bond, seal, and so on and so on to make our lives better, more efficient and more organized. Here are some things that you might find interesting about those things we use to hold our lives together.

Since Early Civilization

If you think that adhesive is a fairly modern invention you are wrong. Since early civilization the inhabitants of Earth have used substances found in nature to stick things together. These include beeswax and resin, and glue made from animal bones, rubber, and animal skin. These substances are still used in some of the glues and pastes that we use today. This shows in part, how useful they are, but also how effective they are.

New Uses

But, with the increase in scientific knowledge and technology, now we are able to use more synthetic materials in our adhesive products. Masking tape was invented by Richard Drew as an answer to the problems that auto workers were having with painting the popular two-tone paint-jobs. The glue that they had to use was taking the paint off of the cars. He also invented what we call