What Is The Best Craft Glue For My Bowling Ball Project?
Not All Craft Glues Or Adhesives
Work For Every Type Of Project
I recevied an email from Jayne who asked:
Hi Claudia, I would like to know what type of adhesive is best for making ‘mosaic’ garden balls using bowling balls. I tried silicone but the mosaic pieces loosen after a while. I need an adhesive that will survive freeze/thaw cycles … I live in Ontario, Canada.
Any suggestions would be great. I currently subscribe to your newsletter which I enjoy very much. Your website is the best! Thanks! Jayne M.
My reply:
Hi Jayne:
OK, let’s talk about craft glues and adhesives. I do understand how your cold climate can make any glue or adhesive basically harden up and just not “work”. This is the reason why the silicone didn’t work – it was the wrong adhesive to use. Not just because of the cold temperature factor, but also because it just isn’t the right adhesive for your project. The surface of the bowling ball necessitates a different kind of product.
Let me say here too … I am not going to nick-pick about the dictionary terms for “craft glue” or “adhesives”. To most of us, when we’re doing a craft project we don’t care what the gooey stuff is called … just as long as it works and keeps things stuck onto our item for a loooooong time. 
My suggestion would be to use one of the appropriate commercial grade glues/adhesives (there are many different kinds geared to specific materials and/or surfaces) from the “Liquid Nails” product line or better yet, “Rhino Glue”. I would think these products are available in Canada.
Read about Rhino Glue and make sure to click on their FAQ page. Click here to read about the Liquid Nails products.
I can buy these products at the big-box DIY stores … like Home Depot which I know you have there in Canada. Here in the USA Home Depot keeps the Liquid Nails products and the Rhino Glue in one of the paint department aisles. If these brand name products are not available in Canada, I am sure you’ll be able to find something similar that will do the job for you.
Now, here’s a product I recently learned about – Weldbond Universal Space Age Adhesive. Wowee! I think this stuff just might be the answer to many crafter’s dreams for the craft glue-to-end-all-glues!! I have read of mosaic artists raving about the stuff … so I will encourage you to contact these folks. I don’t know where it is available in stores in the USA or Canada. But they take online orders. 
This information should help you be successful with your next bowling ball craft project. Oh! I should mention that I am sure you know that no matter what surface you want to use a craft glue on … that it has to be clean of all dirt and grease. With your bowling ball, you might want to scuff up the surface with some coarse sandpaper to make an even better surface for the glue to adhere to.
Good luck!
