Step-by-step instructions on how to make a phone case out of hot melt glue with your own hands
Gadgets need protection against mechanical impacts: knocks, scratches. On sale there is a huge selection of upholstery for every taste and design at high prices. Recommendations for manual creativity, for example, how to make a phone case from hot melt glue, allow you to solve the problem quickly and inexpensively. It comes in the form of an overlay on the lower part of the case, which will protect the mobile phone from damage and slipping from the hands.
Advantages and disadvantages of hot glue cover
A handmade polymer glue phone case will be less expensive, true to size, and have a unique design.The elastic and lightweight product will protect the bottom and sides of the case from bumps and scratches. The decorative trellis made of hot melt glue is resistant to abrasion, humidity, solvents and extreme temperatures. The disadvantage of the cover-cover is the lack of protection of the phone against water and heat.
How to do it yourself
The technology of making blankets is simple. It does not require any special skills. The main conditions are the availability of a tool and source material.
What is necessary
There are several types of hot melt adhesives on the market. They differ in composition and purpose. Before buying craft glue, you need to read its instructions. The required material is produced in the form of rods (stickers) with a diameter of 7 and 11 millimeters, a length of 4 to 20 centimeters. The melting point is 105 degrees. The setting time varies from a few seconds to a few minutes. In addition, they have different colors:
- colorless (transparent);
- matte white;
- colored.
Transparent stickers belong to the universal group. They can be used to bond all surfaces, creating stable shapes and structures for crafts. After hardening, they can be painted with oil paint or nail polish.
The white rods have two functions, one for bonding glass surfaces, the other for other white materials. Color stickers are used to stick markers. The blankets are made of multicolored sequin stripes. The black and gray varieties are heat sealers.
In terms of chemical composition, the adhesives are polyolefins, polymerization products of ethylene and vinyl acetate. For crafts and household work, vinyl acetate is used without a metallic additive, residual tacky (PSA), whose curing time is 3-5 seconds.
Stickers are used for heat gun refueling. Hot glue gluing devices have differences in technical characteristics in terms of power, performance.
For working with paper, textiles, plastic, manufacturers offer special guns that operate at a minimum temperature regime (105 degrees).
Power indices are insignificant for the manufacture of the cover, since the fluidity of the glue, which has a temperature of 200-300 or 105 degrees in the molten state, does not change. The rate at which the solid structure of the glue turns into a gel is less important than the capacity of the chamber in which the material is heated. The volume of the chamber is used to judge the performance of the gun: the amount of gel produced in 1 minute. For DIY enthusiasts, the optimum performance of the heat gun will be 5 to 30 grams per minute.
To make a phone case, you will need:
- 2-3 stickers (transparent or colored, with glitter) with a diameter of 7 millimeters;
- heat gun with a power of 30 to 150 watts, with a capacity of up to 30 grams per minute.
When choosing a gun, you should pay attention to the diameter of the rod for which it is designed, so as not to disturb the circulation of heated glue and not to break the device.
Manufacturing process
Before starting to make the shell, the phone must be prepared by isolating it from contact with the glue while maintaining its shape. To do this, it is wrapped in baking paper or foil. The paper or foil is wrapped tightly around the body. The ends of the paper are placed on the screen so that they do not diverge, glued together with superglue. The sheet is wrapped tightly in a knot for a better fit also on the keyboard side.
The procedure for paper and foil cover base is different:
- Paper. Thanks to it, you can clearly see the connection points for charging, headphones, power and volume keys, as well as the location of the webcam.These places are carefully demarcated with a felt-tip pen to leave open access to the case. If desired, a decorative pattern is applied to the paper. From the gun, the glue is applied along the drawn contour, starting from the bumper. After 2-3 minutes, when the composition hardens, the paper is removed from the phone and carefully removed from the case. If the cover was made of colorless glue, then it is painted with nail polish or oil paint using a spray bottle.
- Foil. To prevent the pattern from fading, a fat cream is applied to the sheet. Making a preliminary sketch on foil will not work, so the drawing is applied immediately from the gun. After hardening, the foil is removed from the phone and removed from the case. Staining is done in the same way. The disadvantage of making a decorative strip on the sheet is the possibility of errors when applying a pattern and overlapping the connecting points of the video camera.
Work with a heat gun begins with refueling the rod, connecting the device to the electrical network. After 3-5 minutes, the readiness of the melt is checked by briefly pressing the trigger. Liquid glue is squeezed out through the nozzle, which is applied to the prepared substrate.
The nozzle glue is cleaned periodically so that the thickness of the ornament is approximately the same. To do this, use a piece of parchment paper, where the unused composition is transferred.
At the end of the work, the thermo-gun is not turned off until the remnants of glue are expelled from the chamber and the nozzle is cleaned of them.
Common Mistakes
Problems with working with a heat gun arise from attempting to complete a drawing, eliminating the entire contents of the chamber at once.As a result, a large drop of hot glue is expelled, which, if removed, can lead to a thermal burn. To create a patterned mesh, briefly press the trigger. A drop from the nozzle is applied with a pinpoint motion, spreading over the surface. The remaining glue is removed on parchment paper. The next drop is applied side by side, and the next loop is done in the same way.
Additional tips and tricks
Do not lay the gun on its side. For this, a support is provided in the design. In this position, the camera will not overheat and the hot glue will not stick to the table.In order not to overheat the phone, it is necessary to pause for a minute every 30-40 seconds, without disconnecting the device from the power supply.