Selley's (spelling doesn't look right but you know the brand I mean) Contact adhesive.

Is Selley's the one in a tin that is thick brown goop? Way back when the first contact cement me and some friends tried was like that - thick brown horrible-smelling goop - and it was absolutely terrible to work with. Great stuff for building with, not so great for olfactory senses. Even working outside we had to have our hands over our mouths!

Hmm foam glue huh (No I didn't go to bed, I'll regret this tomorrow) Is it a wet bond glue or contact? For curved surfaces you really need a contact or fast cure glue or the "spring" in the foam pulls it apart you'd need an awful lot of pins to keep a whole head in shape long enough with all the edges meeting properly... does this stuff come off the pins easily like pva? I'm intrigued given my recent disappointment with water based Contact...

It is a bit of a pain to work with initially. You do have to pin it together, but it could be the way I work: if you stick them together intitially, then pull apart, it creates a bit of stickiness and tends to dry easier - although still requiring pins.  

It does tend to rust the pins/foam if you leave them in too long; so removing the pins after 1 to 1.5 hours is a good idea.

The other downside is that it only comes in small bottles. One or two of them do fine for a whole puppet, depending on how complicated you make it.

Here's the URL:
http://www.helmar.com.au/products/products_df/foam_glue/

However, I do like the final product: nicer, less noticeable seams, easier skinning with fabric once the foam is constructed together, it's cheaper than glue guns (see comments below), and so far I have not found that it can't be used in exchange for some other glue when making other things. I use it with shadow puppets. I use it with felt or fabrics. I use it with decorations. I use it with foam core... etc. Obviously, not in exchange of super glue though

Na, I don't know about you but I have never given myself a burn that gave more than a slight red mark for ten minutes with the glue gun. I wouldn't let my kids near it but dangerous? No worse than an iron, a kettle, a stove, a toaster, a sandwich press, a ...

True, it's no worse than those things, and many many others. (Oh, the horrors of many venues I've worked in, not to mention many festivals!)

However, risk management is all about avoiding or reducing the risk where you can. Why use a tool that raises the risk when you can use something that does just as good, or better, job which is lower in risk?

I have actually burned myself many times, so you obviously are better at me when using it. I started off making muppets with a glue gun, but once I found a good contact cement, I avoided it. I would use so much glue in one puppet that it was cost prohibitive, and I always seemed to have little leftover bits of the sticks that I just couldn't use. (I inherited a glue gun that didn't have a trigger) The contact cement costs maybe a quarter of what I spent on glue sticks.

Still there is one thing I do with my glue gun, and that's to attach the rope inside the puppet arm to the wire of the puppet wrist - see The Foam Book for an explanation of the technique, it's a bit long to describe here. Anyway, the hot glue makes for a good permanent way to keep the hand attached to the arm, and to replace the costuming/hands/make repairs, all I have to do is use some pliers to cut away the glue. If done right, there's no damage to the puppet at all.

You don't leave it on you have water standing by and you use it carefully on a clear bench. Basics. Even in direct brisbane sunlight i doubt you'd get the temperature needed to really make it melt (something in the order of 130 Degrees C for Low Temp gun more like 190 for high temp) if you mean UV breakdown, ok perhaps but inside a puppet?...

The temperature thing I learned from many of the puppeteers here. I've seen it written a few times, I'm sure a search will turn up previous discussions of using hot glue and why people tend to avoid it. Another thing I forgot to mention: for some reason, the foam on the puppets I have made with contact cement are more flexible and reactive to movement than the ones with hot glue. The latter glue seems to be stiffer in the long run.

I can certainly see it might be less durable. "Fully toxic" yellow contact glue will stick the foam stronger than the cohesive bonds of the foam, so it can not be questioned for durability. If you glue with that stuff and try to pull the bond apart the foam will tear before the glue comes apart!

Oh, I agree totally with that! I've done it myself a couple of times and kicked myself for accidentally pulling apart the foam. Fortunately you can glue the rips together

I'll chime in with my hot glue technique. I too burned my fingers several times when I first began using my hi temp gun. Now I wear a type of cotton work gloves when I use it and I've never burned them again. Of course the gloves get all gobbed up with glue and it can be tricky making sure they don't get caught up in the joint I'm gluing but I've gotten pretty good at it. They're a kind of work gloves that are pretty inexpensive and I've been using the same pair for quite a while now.

Also I've taken to using my heat gun set to hi speed with no heat to cool the joints faster. As foam is an insulator it really holds that heat so it can take quite a while for it to cool on its own. Anyway I'm really happy with the results I'm now able to achieve with my glue guns. For me the toxic fumes and clean up hassles of the contact cements and spray adhesives make them less appealing. It's fortunate there are so many different kinds of glue for so many different preferences!

Forgot to mention: the "Foam Glue" is not only non-toxic, but it doesn't smell either...

Forgot to mention: the "Foam Glue" is not only non-toxic, but it doesn't smell either...

Huh. I'll have to see if I can find this stuff stateside. Sounds interesting. Always happy to play with new puppet making "toys"!

Could be: they have info on their website. Apparently you can get it at Joann's and Hobby Lobby.
http://www.helmar.com.au/products/where_to_get_our_products/retail_outlets_usa/

Yep Foam Glue can be found at Joann's and Hobby Lobby. I've used it before for some things. I do use pins when I use it. You can also pick up Fabric Tack at those stores and it like it also. It is clear. Again you sometimes have to pin.

if you stick them together initially, then pull apart, it creates a bit of stickiness and tends to dry easier

I call that burping and I do it also with contact cement. It does help with both. It can make little "spider webs" that can be messy if you don't clean them up but that is not to hard to keep up with. Side Note: Did you know that scenic artist use the contact cement in a spinner machine to make cob webs on sets?

I use the glue gun pretty sparingly. I like it for some things but try not to glue foam together with it for the reasons mentioned by others. The biggest is that the foam really does hold the heat. Never thought of cooling it down with a blower. 

I am not really sure that one glues bond is better then another. It really is a matter of preference and conditions you have to work under. Availability can be a big one for me sometimes. If it is midnight and I run out of my preference you can bet I'll move to the next option.

I did not know you could do spider webs with it. I never get to that point of 'stringiness' I guess. Now you've done it! My whole workspace is in a mess, but I just HAVE to try some Halloween gluewebs.

I tend to agree on preferences first, 'better' is always more of a myth. But in this case, I just think Foam Glue is plain cost effective. I can remember spending $60 on glue sticks just for a few puppets. Compare that to the $15 per bottle, which lasts a good puppet or two depending on how liberal you get using it.

Wow! You guys have an epic amount of info locked away in those heads! Thanks heaps for sharing. Okay, so I'm going to purchase the glue Scoob recommended only because I read about the Foam Glue on your website Na and couldn't purchase it from my local Spotlight. I have been working outside on my balcony so fumes don't really worry me too much. I have to say that whilst the spray adhesive is a total pain for sculpting, I found it really handy in positioning my fabric overlay ahead of sewing. It wouldn't hold over time but was enough to keep it secure whilst I poked and prodded and pinned.

I have a couple of high temp glue guns as I use them a lot with my cloth dolls etc. I haven't had any major problems with them in terms of burns (it dries so quickly it only stings for a couple of seconds) but one did blow up a couple of months ago which scared the crap out of me - sparks flew from the socket, but it was getting on a bit. I really like using the guns for hair, securing eyes when I don't want to use the backings etc but have found it doesn't stand the test of time on materials such as vinyl. But I will try it on some foam and see how I go. It would certainly be a whole lot quicker.

The fleece I purchased was Arctic Fleece. Spotlight had a sale table of their winter fabrics (so much awful flannelette!) and I found some bolts among this. Discount with my VIP card and I was sweet! I must say the colours are pretty awful. Lots of pastels ( ) which are not at all my thing, but I figured at that price I'd adapt the design of my puppet and make do. I hope to have my puppet finished by next weekend so I'll share some pics. There's still a whole lot of bolts at Spotlight so I'd be happy to pick up some horrendously coloured pieces if anyone else would like some at that price.

Na, I apologise that I've annoyed you  . There were a couple of reasons I didn't purchase the pattern. For starters, I intentionally don't have a credit card so buying online is tricky for me. Secondly, I kinda wanted to work it out for myself. To be honest, the bit of interest to me was the mouth movement which I could kind of work out from your site but not in any great detail without buying the pattern. I guess also I'm incredibly impulsive when I'm feeling creative so had already purchased the fabric and got my foam freebies when I spied your site. At that point, I needed to run with it, not wait around and hassle a friend in to paying for it one their card! To compensate, next time I am in Melbourne I will look you up and purchase something from your shop. I really am sorry if you feel you've been taken advantage of - my intention was certainly to flatter. You should be proud of the site you have and heartened by the benefit it brings to amateurs like myself.

Thanks again for your feedback everyone. Such a fabulous site!

Lizzie