Hey guys Im working on a puppet  and I heard of gasket rubber now  I got some from lowes yesterday and  and I went to the auto supply store  what I bought is a red rubber  5by 5 inch sheet but what the auto store had felt more like plastic  which  one is the right one?  and I tried to hot glue my felt mouth to the rubber  and its starting to come up  did I get the wrong stuff?  any help you can give would be great  thanks

Hi:

I've not used gasket rubber in the past, but my experience gluing various materials tells me that either the surface is resisting the glue, or you are using the wrong kind of glue.

If its the latter, the glue should pull of very clean and the surface of the dried glue where it pulled away will be very smooth to the touch.  You could fix this problem by roughing the surface of the material with some sand paper.

However, if you are using PVA (Elmers or a similar glue like Sobo....) then the glue choice is wrong for the material.  The surface of the dired glue may or may not have some texture to it.  Never the less, such glues are meant to be used with wood, paper, leather, materials that are fairly porous whereas the gasket material and other plastics aren't porous.

Without knowing the exact materials you are using it's difficult to give a solution.  I would say that you may have more luck using a contact adhesive like Barge cement.  Keep in mind that Barge and other contact adhesives have an organic solvent component that requires good ventilation and a breathing mask with a charcoal filter.  Using it occasionally without the mask won't kill you, but prolonged and/or frequent exposure will give you headaches and can cause kidney and liver damage affecting future health.  Barge can be obtained at some craft stores (Michaels, Hobby Lobby, etc) some hardware and home center stores, and from leather craft suppliers.  Keep in mind as well that the purpose of using the gasket material is for mouth plate flexibility so any adhesive should be flexible as well.

All that being said, wait for Shawn or one of the other members more experienced with gasket material to answer before you proceed.  In the meantime, if you can give us information about the specific materials and adhesives you are trying it would give us a batter basis to answer your question.

Finally, if the gasket material continues to give you problems, consider going to another material.  I've had luck in the past musing Fun Foam, a brand of craft foam sheeting. It comes in a wide range of colors, is very flexible and can be glued with a variety of non-toxic adhesives, some of which clean up with water, a definite advantage.  Fun Foam and the adhesives used to work with it can also be obtained at michaels, Hobby Lobby etc.

Hope this helps.

Marty

I have used Gasket Rubber.  We have a international supplier of ALL types of gasket rubber where I live.  All I can say is there is more types of gasket rubber than you can imagine.  When I walked in the first time I asked what types of Gasket rubber do they sell, I got a look of total terror.  They then quietly guided me to the door that enters into the warehouse and saw a football field of gasket rubber of every type.  However I did help narrow it down with some samples they had.  It is really hard to describe or give colours because there are many different brands in the red colour you described.  But most will meet your needs as long as you are happy with it and it has some flexibility (if that is what you want with using gasket rubber).

One of the glues that works best with foam or fabric with gasket rubber is good old Contact Cement.  I would never use a glue gun for this material due to the same outcome that you experienced....that it does not give a good hold.

However I will give you what I use that works well with puppets.....It is Red in colour I usually go for 1/16th or 1/8th thickness.  They usually come with a smooth texture, however, the one I really like is the brand that has a "Fabric Finish."  I like the fabric finish the best because it has a rough surface so you can grip it better when your hands get sweaty.

Hope this helps......

Daryl H

Good point about the hot glue not working Andrew.  I guess I read over the line about the hot glue.  It's great for some uses, but terrible for others like joining anything to plastic materials.

Marty

Hey thanks for all the help I just looked up fun foam now will this work with  hot glue??    Im staying away from contact  cement  cause Im worried about health hazards  basically Im working on a kermit the frog   its a quest really  Im a huge kermit fan   Im also working on other puppets but Im using  the foam board for them  ( they are the big project puppet  ones )  if I learn how to post pics I will  thanks

Hi:

I agree with you about the health hazards of organic chemicals like those in most contact adhesives.  Two alternatives: 1. Provide proper ventilation and use a breathing mask with a charcoal filter (not the paper dust/mist masks) or 2.  Try Crafters Pick Ultimate.  It's a water based contact that I've used before with foam materials.  Barge would probably be better given the less porous nater of Fun Foam.  You can find Crafters Pick products at Michaels and Hobby Lobby or at their web site, crafterspick.com.

I've never tried gluing Fun Foam with hot glue, but give it a try as Fun Foam (also available from Hobby Lobby etc) isn't prohibitively expensive. 

Glue testing, by the way, is a good practice with any new material.  When ever you get a material you are unfamiliar with simply cut som swatches (and swatches of the material you plan on attaching it to) and do a glue up with all the glues and adhesives you like of have around.  Let the glue set and try pulling the seam apart.  Don't use any of the glues that fail with a slight pull.

I'm checking the threads I'm posting to on a regular basis so if you need more info don't be afraid to ask. 

Marty