What Ingredients Make Gorilla Glue Special?

May 2024 · 2 minute read

Gorilla Glue, in its original formulation, is not your typical adhesive. Unlike glue sticks or the white paste you may have used as a child, it's not going to wash off easily. It's made to stick to anything — wood, metal, stone, ceramic, glass, paper, and even certain types of plastic.

The brand said the glue was first discovered in Indonesia. Furniture makers used the adhesive to bond teak wood. Soon, the company realized that it doesn't just work on teak, but other materials as well. Gorilla Glue claims its formula is waterproof, so it won't break down when exposed to outside elements, and that it will stay bonded no matter if it's cold or hot.

One of the reasons the glue sticks to things so firmly, the company said, is that the formula expands three times as much in the material.

Gorilla Glue is a type of water-activated polyurethane adhesive. Polyurethane is used for a variety of things, including making plastics, foam, and synthetic fabrics. According to Resin Expert, polyurethane glue relies on the chemical reaction of the substances with a hardener. It's a mix of different chemicals like silane, diphenymethane-diisocyanate, and even isopropyl alcohol. To bond something, the brand usually recommends that you put moisture on one side of the material and then apply the glue to the other, drier side to create the bond.

Gorilla Glue stays stuck to anything. But fortunately for Brown, as CNN reports, a surgeon created a solvent that dissolved the polyurethane and freed her hair.

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