I love a good adhesive. A bond that is strong and dependable. It's dorky, I know, but I'm fairly particular about my glues. Here are my two faves at the mo'...
Aleene's Tacky Glue
As far as white glue goes this is my fave. Elmers is a running sopping mess compared to Aleene's. The trick is to get a nice thin smooth coat that will dry in no time at all. My only complaint is that it dries to a gloss finish. If this stuff came in a matte version, with the same consistency and bonding, well I don't think that I'd ever convert to anything else.
2 Coat Rubber Cement
This is some of my most favourite stuff on the planet. It really is the best for bonding paper together. Imagine sticking two bits of paper together with no wrinkles, and not having the sticky after effects of spray adhesive (what nasty effin' stuff that is!) I've encountered a bit of confusion about the use of this most fantastic gelatinous goo so here is a wee run down on how to use the messy stuff.
I'm just going to glue these two pieces of paper together. Easy peasy.
When you unscrew the lid you will very likely find a brush built into the lid. The cement itself is s goopy, gross and smells... but it's pretty neat stuff. If you've got a small area to fill use the built in brush and paint the entire area to be glued. Make sure you go all the way to the edge for a perfect bond.
Now cover the area that you going to attach the first paper to. If the area that you are covering is rather large, pour some of the rubber cement in the middle of the area you are working in and then use an old plastic card to spread it around in a thin layer. If your cement is getting too gummy you might want to thin it out with some rubber cement thinner. Thinning gives it a much better viscosity when working with large areas to be covered. For a perfect seal go beyond the area that you need to so your edges don't stick out.
When the two sides are almost dry, carefully put them together. A good idea is to sort of line up one edge then 'roll' the rest of the page down to avoid trapping air. If it's not exactly where you want it, you can unstick it and try again! If you wait until it is completely dry, repositioning becomes much more difficult. When you have it where you want it, smooth out the paper to remove any air pockets.
Leave your project for a while until it is completely dry. Take your finger (or a rubber cement eraser) and rub the areas where the rubber cement went 'out of the lines'. You will find that it will ball up and rub right off! Pretty neat eh? Best of all you have a pretty perfect bond and very little after mess.
The downside? The stuff is super flammable so don't even think of juggling torches while using it and it may stain some papers... check a small area first to see if it leaves a trace.
