PSA: Hot glue is NOT a substitute for EVA foam contact cement

I was building a Mandalorian chest plate for a con next month and ran out of contact cement halfway through. Thought I'd save $12 and just use hot glue since I had a bunch of sticks lying around. Figured it'd hold fine for a costume that just sits on me, right? Wrong. After 6 hours of gluing all the foam pieces together, I picked it up to test the fit and the whole chest piece literally fell apart in my hands. The hot glue just peeled right off the foam edges, no grip at all. Ended up having to start over completely, wasted an entire evening and a good sheet of foam. Took me 4 extra days to finish because I had to wait for new contact cement to arrive. Has anyone else tried a cheap shortcut like this and learned the hard way?

2 comments

2 Comments

parkernelson3d ago

Yep, the cheap fix always costs more in the long run. Classic life pattern.

mia_anderson3d ago

Read somewhere that the average person spends like 30% more over time by going with the cheapest option first. @parkernelson totally nailed it. Bought a $40 blender that died in 6 months, then had to spend $120 on a decent one anyway. Same thing happened with a pair of boots - went with the discount store pair and they fell apart in a month. Always ends up costing more in the long run.