To keep the ball rolling here I thought I'd let folks know about some new developments on using hot glue.

The company I use to buy hot glue sticks from closed and I'm now buying 7/16" X 10" hot glue sticks from
Glue Stix. Specifically these glue sticks designed for wood.

http://www.glu-stix.com/shop/page/product_detail/Product/1b47a753f52648bb6ed92db99a6d1902.html

These are actually the best wood formula I've found for strip construction. They hold well to wood and it's quite brittle so it pops off more readily than other hot glue formulas I've used.

Occasionally I hear or, read about people who have difficulty using hot glue. It's such a valuable tool for clamping in strip building. The more you use it, the more you learn how versatile it is for clamping on curved or irregular surfaces and hard to reach clamping situations.

Wherever you get your hot glue sticks from remember, there are many different formulas, so if you have a choice, buy a number of samples of hot glue sticks designed for wood and see how they work for you, before you form an option on using hot glue. Th right formula and temperature make all the difference!

I've also been using a new cordless hot glue gun which I love. The battery gives it a nice balance. I haven't dropped this one on the floor buy tripping over the cord.

The gun itself costs about $40 and runs on Ryobi batteries. If you already use these 18V batteries it's a no brainer. You can shop around for lower price options on two batteries plus charger, than those listed on the Glue Stix site. I wouldn't recommend buying one of these cordless guns without a pair of batteries to keep the glue flowing. It doesn't have a temperature range with is too bad. I turn it off to let the glue cool when I'm adding beads of hot glue to stitch strip joints together. This also makes the battery last longer.

For details on using hot glue for strip construction see - http://www.laughingloon.com/shoptips2.html

All the best,
Rob