Archive for the ‘Ideas’ Category

Clever Language Arts Project

April 6th, 2010

Here’s a super clever language arts project idea encouraging students to use all kinds of media while building vocabulary at the same time!  The finished product is a great Mother’s Day (or Father’s Day) gift!  Maria Isabel, on her Teaching English blog, does an awesome  job of communicating how to do the project – She also does a great job of helping readers understand what concepts are being taught during the project … great information for you teachers out there!

Basic Instructions:

  • Take digital, individual pictures of students
  • Convert the photos to pencil sketches (she gives you websites to help with this step)
  • Color the sketches
  • Paint puzzle pieces
  • Frame projects using super glue

Check out Maria Isabel’s Teaching English blog to see a slide show of the finished projects.  Any mom or dad would be thrilled to receive one of these unique drawings of their child as a gift!  They’d be even more excited to know how much their child learned while making the “art” project!

Nice job, Maria Isabel!  You sound like a great teacher!!!

Happy Easter – Happy Spring!

March 30th, 2010

Easter-Egg-Anemometer-Wind-Speed-Meter[Photo Credit:  Instructables]

Ah!  The signs of Spring are everywhere … YAY! … The snow is melting, new leaves are sprouting on the trees, flowers are blooming in the gardens, new baby birds are chirping away …. and of course, in many parts of our country, the winds are vigorously helping usher in the season …

We love this seasonal Easter Egg anemometer (instrument for measuring wind force and speed).  All it takes to make it is an inexpensive analog multimeter, some super glue, and a few other supplies you probably already have, on hand, in your tool chest.  (For complete instructions click on the Instructables website link here.)

Another sign of Spring is that Earth Day is approaching.  April 22, 2010 will mark the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.  The inspiration for Earth Day came about as a way to celebrate our environment and this amazing planet Earth!   Today millions of people celebrate by spending the day cleaning up beaches and fields; planting trees; walking to work; helping educate children about recycling and the importance of maintaining a healthy environment and a multitude of other ways.  There are lots of websites dedicated to helping people learn about things they can do, on an individual or group basis, to make the world a better place.  Check out the U.S. government’s Environmental Protection Agency website for some history and tips about this special day.

Super Glue is a great product to have on hand for your reuse/recycle projects.  So many people use it to fix and repair things that would otherwise have to be thrown away.  It’s amazing how easy it is to bring things back to their original condition with just a drop or two of super glue.  It is instant gratification and helps save the Earth a little bit each time, too! 

Super Glue can also be used to make something new out of something old.  We love to hear from the creative crafters who use our adhesive products to make something entirely new.  Often these new artifacts are created using recycled items.  We love to highlight these projects in our blog as they are really impressive. 

For this blog, we’ll close with a clever, cute, recycle idea using the same plastic Easter Eggs that created the Easter Egg anemometer we discussed earlier …. Easter Rattlesnakes!

Easter-Rattle-Snake

[Photo Credit:  Instructables]

It’s a silly idea, but it looks like a fun project that will keep the kids busy long after the last Easter Egg is found at the end of the hunt!  Directions for this great reuse/recycle project can be found on the Instructables website.  All it takes is glue and YOU!

We’re heading into a brand new season of the year!  We wish you and yours all the joys that a spectacular Spring can bring!!

Balsa Wood Super Glue Bridge Project – Challenge For Students

March 15th, 2010

balsa-bridge-2[Photo Credit:  Green Hobby Model]

Here’s a fun, competitive, project idea for creative engineer students of almost any age.

The challenge:  Create the best (weight-bearing) engineered bridge, of any group, using:

- (20) 2 foot long pieces of balsa wood
- Super Glue*
- Cutting Knives*

*adult supervision required

The competition can be structured a variety of ways, but it is most fun when students are divided into teams, with two to four students on each team. The collaborative, synergy of the group often produces the best results.

Schools can add to the excitement by making sure the event is covered in the local newspaper like Gulf Shores Middle School did in this article.

Every year there is a Technology Student Association competition in the county. Each school brings three teams of two students to the competition which is about structural engineering. They get to use 20 pieces of two-foot balsa wood, a cutting blade, and Super Glue, to create a bridge design no bigger than eight inches long and three inches wide. They also have to put it together in only two hours. After all the projects are done the judges have to test them to see if they are eligible. The judges test the projects by using a bridge tester which will pull down the bridge to see how much weight it can hold.”

There is no better way of learning than by doing!! We applaud schools, and clubs, that offer students challenging, hands-on projects like these to help teach complex concepts!

Send us some pictures of how you used Super Glue Corporation products to construct your balsa wood bridge (be sure to detail how the bridge held up to the weight and which super glue product worked best for you) and you may win some sample products!

Wolf Carving Sticks To Driftwood!

March 4th, 2010

wolf5[Photo Credit:  North Idaho Carver]

This gorgeous wolf carving is mounted on a finished piece of driftwood found off the coast of Washington.  The North Idaho Carver artist/blogger, Ed, says, “The wolf is pinned on the driftwood with brads and super glue.”

Quite a beautiful piece — love it!

Solving Consumers’ Sticky Problems Is Our Biz

February 25th, 2010

Super Glue label

Super Glue Corporation recently launched new in-store signage to help customers choose the right glue – fast.  With a history of consistently being at the forefront, in the lab, with technically advanced instant adhesives along with a wide range of epoxies, contact cements, sealants, anaerobics, white glues, etc., Super Glue Corporation is now going the extra mile to offer a cutting edge solution for consumers at the point of purchase. 

It used to be that packaging provided unique messaging aiding consumers with their choices; but today there are so many different packages and brands out there, and so many consumer product safety commission and other government standardized messages that need to go on the front of packages, the adhesives category has become confusing.  In an effort to simplify the choice process, Super Glue Corporation is offering an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and Short Message System (SMS) to supply consumers with an instant in-store expert to help them find the right product.

Check out this new aisle violator available in stores that carry The Original Super Glue products.  Using technology available right in your own hands, the cell phone, you can now find the right glue for your project.  (Also see sms version how-to video at the bottom of this post.)

The first of its kind to offer this interactive solution at retail, Super Glue Corporation’s main goal is to help consumers find the right glue so that they can make quick purchases and get on with their projects.  A side benefit is that confusing adhesives categories become better solution centers leading to more sales and better use of valuable real estate at retail.  

Super Glue Corporation continues to seek and make new advancements, on the chemical side of the adhesives business, developing new products across all of our brands, but when you know a certain piece of the business as well as we do that knowledge can cross over to positively influence innovation in other areas of business as well.  Solving Consumers’ Sticky Problems Is Our Biz and we take it seriously – we are always looking for ways to help any way we can!

Let us know what you think of our new point of purchase solution signage.  We’ve been getting some initial good reviews like this recent one from BrandFreak.   We’re looking forward to your feedback as we continue to improve your experience with our products!

Check out this rough video of how the sms version works:

Untitled from Super Glue Corporation on Vimeo.

 WANT MORE INFORMATION?? 

Retailers wanting more information about The Original Super Glue’s POP solution contact sales.

Do you have a consumer product that you think could benefit from this value added ivr/sms interactive system?  Call this number today 888.SOLVE-NW (888.765.8369) and mention this super glue blog post.

2010 Winter Olympics Musings

February 24th, 2010

lg-vancouver2010_16d-aJ

[PHOTO CREDIT:  www.vancouver2010.com]

What would this month have been without the Winter Olympics to watch on tv each evening?  All of the gifted, committed athletes gathering together, in Vancouver, from around the globe, hoping to achieve their personal best and maybe even bring home a medal!  Each event is exciting and each personal story so inspiring.  All of the daily effort, hard work, drive and support it takes to reach this pinnacle of excellence is truly motivational.  The side story to all of this is what impacts everyone who watches even just one of the events or hears just one of the personal stories.  Events like the Olympics remind us that passion and focus are critical to success!

So many of the athletes talk about how, when they were youngsters starting out in the sport, they followed their Olympic heroes and  dreamt of the day when they, too, might participate in the games.  Suddenly, around town we witness increases in attendance at the local skating rinks.  Four year olds know the names of Shaun White,  Shani Davis, Apolo Anton Ono, Lindsey Vonn,  Bode Miller and so many others.  They begin to emulate their style; climbing the hillsides pretending to snowboard down on a sheet of plywood or plastic sheeting like them; dressing like them; reading about them; following them.  And suddenly a new batch of heroes emerge.

The new heroes might not be athletes though.  They may end up being teachers, doctors, engineers, inventors, parents, writers, landscapers, scientists, electricians, or artists.  But the same sticktoitiveness, passion and focus, that takes an athlete to the Olympics, fuels all of the creative producers in the world.  It’s exciting to witness all kinds of passion and focus and we, as consumer product manufacturers and distributors, get to see lots of it in action ourselves. 

Many of the consumers of our products here at Super Glue Corporation are extreme hobbyists, crafters, artists, engineers, and technicians who, each in their own way, model the same characteristics as Olympic athletes.  They are focused achievers who are driven by passion to create, invent, design and improve.  They are risk takers who use their imagination to envision things that they then set out to bring to fruition.  It’s quite impressive.

One interesting fact (also connected to the Winter Olympics – I warned you there were musings in this post:)) is that snowboarders use epoxies and super glues to build and repair their boards.  This makes perfect sense.  Epoxies and super glues are super strong and work really well with substates, involved in building snowboards; like woods, metals, fiberglass, kevlar, etc.  We even have a waterproof epoxy that will hold up under the most extreme wet, winter conditions.  Chips, dings, and other repairs can be fixed in minutes using these inexpensive, readily available products.

For fun, check out the The Adventures of John blog for some details on how to make your own snowboard. 

Through research for this blog, and from the consumers who write in to us at info@supergluecorp.com, we get to see passion, focus and creativity in action.  We get to connect and link into how real, talented people are using our products to meet specific challenges which, in turn, helps motivate us to improve, advance, and deliver more choices and better products.  We all share a kind of  Olympic spirit. Our motto is “Adhering to Excellence”.  What about you?  Do you have a passion and focus in your work or career that you feel is similar to an Olympian’s desire to be at the top of their game?  Tell us about it.

We love hearing from you, and we love working with consumers to ensure that you have the right products for all of your adhesive needs!

Gotta go now …. need to finish up with my work so I can catch some USA hockey in a few … SCORE!

Magnets Make Super Glue A Temporary Solution

February 17th, 2010

UBS port and Zap[Photo Credit:  IdShed blog]

As many people know, or find out, super glue is an awesome problem solver, but it involves good news and bad news.  Good news = it’s a pretty permanent solution, and sometimes, bad news = it’s a pretty permanent solution.  We recently came across a great, creative blog post by Id where he combined magnets and super glue to design a temporary, permanent fix for adding extra USB ports to his desktop PC while enabling the ports to also be easily transfered to his laptop as well.

The blog post is titled, “Home Office – Pimp Your Rig“  and the post begins:

“I wanted to add some extra USB ports to my desktop PC, so I bought a cheap, generic 4 port USB hub. Excellent value, works perfectly, but – it’s another piece of clutter on my already busy desk.

I didn’t want to glue the hub to my PC, it felt too permanent a solution, I may want to use the hub with my laptop. Fortunately my PC has a pressed steel case- the perfect subject for magnets …”

By using Zap-A-Gap super glue to attach the magnets to the USB port, Id was able to increase the number of USB ports on either his PC or laptop making for a very clever temporary permanent solution!  We can think of several other situations where super glue combined with magnets might be a great way to benefit from the great strength and holding power of super glue while also maintaining some flexibility for easy removal.  Great idea!

Note:  Debonders can also be helpful for removing unwanted super glue, but be sure to test the substrate to make sure that the powerful debonder won’t cause unwanted damage to whatever it is you are gluing/un-gluing.

Recycle Neckties Into Decorative Switch Plates!

January 13th, 2010

craftvol1_0040_fg[Photo & Project Idea Credit:  Matt Marananian via Quick Craft]

Looking for a way to recycle and reuse those old “70′s style” neckties?  Here’s a great Quick Craft project idea:

Supplies Needed:  Wide 70′s necktie, plastic light switch plate, scissors, pencil, contact cement, X-Acto blade and needlenose pliers or tweezers.

Cut, Glue and Finish by following the specific directions in this picture or go to the original source Quick Craft for more details.

This is a great idea and something that will add a creative decorator’s touch to any home while also putting out-of-date, but still treasured ties, to good use!

Happy Crafting!  Thanks, Matt Maranian for the great idea!

Satellites made from Moon Dust, Carbon Nanotubes and Epoxy

January 12th, 2010

dn14066-1_250[PHOTO CREDIT:  NewScientist Heather Chen Illustration]

According to NewScientist in an article entitled “Giant Telescopes Could Be Built From Moon Dust” by Kimm Groshong, scientists are experimenting with making a concrete-like substance, using Carbon Nanotubes, Epoxy, and crushed rock-like material similar to moon dust to build satellites that could be placed on the moon.  According to the article the testing has begun, led by NASA’s, Peter Chen.   ”Using the mixture, they built a 30-centimetre disc.  They they added more liquid epoxy to its surface and spun it, coating it with aluminum in a vacuum.  They believe the process could be scaled up to produce 20 to 50-metre-wide telescopes on the moon.”  This would save shuttles and rockets from having to transport these satellites to and from the moon.

The process is still quite cumbersome and costly.  “To make a 2.4 metre mirror like Hubble’s, Chen estimates the recipe would call for about 600 kilograms (1300 pounds) of Moon dust, 60 kg (130 pounds) of epoxy, 6 kg (13 pounds) of carbon nanotubes and less than a gram of aluminum.”

But the uses of this special concrete are limitless, according to the article, “the technique could also be used to build other structures on the Moon, including reflectors for an array of solar panels, as well as habitats, or igloos for astronauts …”

Apparently, the moon is an excellent location for research.  Astronomers, like Yervant Terzian of Cornell University, “dream of the viewing opportunities such large telescopes on the moon would offer.”  The lack of atmosphere on the moon makes it an excellent place to study the sky clearly “at optical wavelengths” and because the backside of the moon never sees the Earth there is no manmade radio interference making it ideal for radio astronomy research.

Fascinating stuff, but not out of reach as we enter the new decade Twenty Twenty!

Crown Sinnet Paracord Bracelet

January 12th, 2010

Paracord Bracelet[PHOTO CREDIT:  Stormdrane's Blog]

Here’s an awesome gift idea, perhaps for that special someone on Valentine’s Day or to share with your family members or group of friends on Any Day!  You can find detailed instructions for making this Crown Sinnet Paracord Bracelet on Stormdrane’s Blog.  Along with some pretty advanced knot-making skills, all you need to make the bracelet is paracord, a side release buckle, and super glue.  (Note:  The super glue is used to secure the ends of the cord!)

We’d love to see other designs of this bracelet..send us YOUR pics!  Happy Crafting!