Pick It, Stick It, Flick It - My Love Affair With Elmer’s Tack Adhesive Putty
Written: Oct 08 '05
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Easy to use, never dries out, non toxic, reusable, inexpensive, plethora of uses.
Cons: You can never have enough of it around the house.
The Bottom Line: Sick of dealing with tape, nails, thumbtacks and glue? Give this a try!
|
|
|
| Freak369's Full Review: Elmer's Tack Adhesive Putty, 1 Ounces E625 |
I can’t remember exactly when I discovered the wonders of poster putty. I think it had to have been around the time that I was into Duran Duran and caught hell for using all the tape in the house to hang posters. A friend sent me a pack of poster putty after I mentioned that one of my parental units went ballistic. This was something that I’d never heard of before but I quickly grew to love it. Over the years I have tried all different types of poster putty / wall tack / adhesive putty - what ever you choose to call it and I’ve found that the Elmer’s Tack Adhesive Putty is one of the best for ‘all purpose’ types of things. When my brood wanted to hang posters in their rooms this was what I picked up for them to use, there was no way I was handing them a roll of tape! To me poster putty is poster putty - as long as it doesn’t stain the walls or ruin what ever you are hanging, it’s something that I will buy over and over. I’ve found so many uses for this around the house that it’s become a true staple [pardon the pun] to getting things done, fixed or from tipping over.
Elmer’s Tack Adhesive Putty
Packaged in a one ounce slab, this adhesive putty is truly one of the coolest things to have around the house. It can be used over and over again, it never dries out or needs to be put into a container to keep it ‘fresh’ and in most cases it won’t stain your walls however it might do a number on some types of wall paper. Think of it like this, it’s sort of like a clay that never dries out; it can be molded into any type of shape and you can use as little or as much as you need. I wouldn’t suggest using this to hang picture frames unless they are plastic or are light weight. To use this for pictures take one of the rows and roll it out so it looks like a long thin worm then press it along the middle of the back of the frame. Press it on the wall or where ever you want to hang it and apply a little bit of pressure. Since this is something that can be removed you can reposition it if it isn’t centered correctly or you want to move it to another spot.
What it’s made of is a trade secret so I can’t give you any information on that but I will tell you this - once you try this product out I can almost guarantee that you will love it. While it is great for hanging posters and notes, there are so many things that you can do with it. Since I have a lot of Lego figures and scenes I go through a ton of this stuff. It is the perfect thing to use to keep figures from falling over if you don’t have them attached to a scene or a base plate. I have a huge glob of this on the wall next to my computer; when I need a pen or pencil I know that there will always be one within arms reach thanks to this stuff. If you have something that slides around a lot like candle holders, laptop computers or speakers [shelf style speakers] try rolling up a few small balls of this and placing it under the item. It will give you some protection from vibration but it is completely removable and leaves behind no grease or film residue.
A Million And One Uses ...
I already mentioned that this is great to use for Lego [and Playmobil figures] but trust me, there are a lot of other things that you can do with this product. In the kitchen I use this to hang up recipe cards, notes and grocery lists. It is easier to work with than tape and I never have to worry about having to carefully remove things [notes, index cards etc] from the cabinet doors. As funny as it may sound, this stuff is great to use around window frames. When we moved into the money pit half the windows were new and the other half were old and needed to be replaced. You could stand in front of the one window and literally feel the wind blowing past you. I grabbed this tack, rolled out a few pieces and shoved them into the cracks in the frame. It was a temporary fix but it really put a damper on the draft that was coming in from the window.
About the only downside to this is the color; since it isn’t white it does tend to stick out if you are using it out in the open. So far Elmer’s only makes this in the off yellow color - I really wish they would consider making it in white or something that is a little less eye catching. Even so, most of the time when you are using this, it is going to be out of sight so the color won’t really make a difference. If you are someone that likes to change things around this is a great alternative to double sided tape, foam mounting tape or nails. You can move things around without having to worry about covering up nail holes or trying to get the sticky residue from tape off of a wall. If you need something that will give you a good bond but isn’t permanent, Elmer’s Tack Adhesive Putty is a great thing to check out. It can be used on most plastics, ceramic tiles [for a quick but not permanent fix], holding wires or cords in place, decorations, posting notes or memos, keeping candles from wobbling in a candle holder and a thousand other uses around the house.
Where Not To Use It
There are some things that you won’t want to use this on. Some painted surfaces might turn a little if this is left on for a long period of time. The only trouble I ever had in this regard was on a satin finish, I used some of the putty to hang a small picture frame and when I went to move it a few months later, there were some discolored spots from the putty. Wall paper is another iffy thing; you might not get a great bond to start with and if you do, the glue that is under the paper might cause a reaction with the adhesive properties in the putty. This is something that happens over a period of time, not over night or after a few days so it is almost impossible to know if this is going to happen unless you try. Common sense should tell you that this shouldn’t be used for clothing or on pets. This isn’t messy to work with so there’s no chance of it getting wadded up in your hair but if it gets in the carpeting just rub an ice cube over it to get it out. The ice will help it harden, after that it’s just a matter of picking it out piece by piece. This isn’t really a major issue unless you step on it or it gets smashed in to the carpeting.
When Elmer’s says “... and it won’t damage walls” they really need to make that statement a little more clear. It won’t damage walls the way nails will but as I said, there is a small risk in it discoloring the paint. This is a great thing to have for minor repairs or when you need to keep something from moving around but it isn’t something that is going to be able to work like Krazy Glue or permanent bond product. This is super easy to remove from walls, posters, picture frames and where ever else you choose to use it. Just take a small amount of left over tack, press it over the section you want to remove and pull it away. If you don’t have any left over putty, just push it with your finger to work it off the surface until it is all off. There is no smell to it so you won’t have to worry about a scent lingering on your fingers but you will want to make sure you wash your hands before and after you work with this. Excess grease from your fingers can make it dry out over a period of time but this type of ‘drying out’ has nothing to do with the actual product - it’s from the finger oil / grease mixing with it.
This doesn’t need to be stored in a special container to keep it active or fresh. The only reason I keep it in a container is to keep it from getting dust, dirt and lint on it. A small amount of dirt won’t hurt it or dry it out but if you are using it to hang posters or papers, these little bits of dirt can cause bumps that you’ll notice after you’ve pressed the item in place. Since I have a couple different types of poster putty I keep them in different containers - because they are all different colors I could wad them up into balls and keep them in one large container but I am way too anal retentive for that. There’s no way to give a shelf life on a product like this; it could last a month, it could last a year - it all depends on what you are using it for, how much dirt and dust it comes in contact with and the surface you are using it on. I had a few rooms with very old flat paint on the walls, when I used this on it the putty got extremely dry and hard to work with in a matter of months. It got so dry that I had to use a putty knife to get it off - even when I rolled a huge wad of the putty over it, it wouldn’t come off. So the lesson here is don’t use it on old or flat paint for more than a few weeks at a time.
Price
You can get this at most major stores like Wal-Mart and Target as well as certain office supply stores and home improvement stores. The average selling price is $1.39 to $1.69 depending on where you shop. It comes package in a flat slab in strips but you can roll it up to store it in a plastic bag or small plastic container if you like. This costs a few cents more than some of the other poster putty products on the market but it is worth it. It is easier to work with [meaning it doesn’t need kneading], doesn’t have a smell to it and it’s made by a well known company that is dedicated to your satisfaction. If you don’t like this product you can contact them about getting a replacement or refund.
The Bottom Line
If I have a choice between Elmer’s and another brand I go with Elmer’s because I’ve never had any problems with it. As I said, poster putty is poster putty but this is a little nicer to work with in the long run. It’s a great alternative to using nails to hang things and can be removed from most surfaces in a few seconds. You can use this for kids crafts, hanging odd shaped things, holding items in place and for posters but once you get this in your house I am sure you will find a ton of uses for it. Above and beyond all that, it doesn’t have an odor to it nor does it pick up odors over time.
As always, thanks for the read!
~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~
© 2005 Freak369
Other adhesive product reviews ...
Krazy Glue ‘No Run’ Gel
3 M Scotch Magic 810 Tape With Dispenser
Avery Permanent Glue Stic
Saunders UHU Glue Stick
3M Scotch Removable Magic Tape
Borden Elmer's New Formula Instant Krazy Glue
Scotch Foam Mounting Tape Squares
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.