Gluing a gingersnap cottage (like a nerd)

Just in time for X-mas I offer you a safe and effective way of gluing a gingersnap cottage, without pouring molten sugar all over you. Molten sugar is, of course, the proper glue for the task, even though many people use inferiour substitutes.

The stuff you need is shown in the picture.

Note that the melt glue gun should be dedicated to this task. It should be brand new, or possibly only loaded with sugar before. Do not count on being able to clean it, neither before or after this exercise.

Step 1 Make glue stick moulds

The moulds for our sugar melt glue sticks are rolled from some aluminium foil.

The foil is folded once to make the tube opening stiffer, then rolled over one of the original melt glue stics.

Twist the bottom shut, tape the top, carefully withdraw the melt glue stick. If the tube collapses since the air did not have time to come in and replace the stick, gently push the sides to shape between your fingers.

Make a number of tubes. You will not be able to re-use them, and they have to hold all of the sugar that you melt.

Comments

[Eh Lie Us!]

Lenin on a sub...I laughed out loud. that one 'takes the cake" ! thank you.

[junits15]

in soviet russia..glue gun melt you!

[all_thumbs]

I haven't visited this page for a while. I must say I am flattered by all the feedback. I never thought this particular instructable of mine would take off like that.

[porcupinemamma]

Brilliant :0)

[T3h_Muffinator]

Nice!

This is actually perfect! Now I know exactly how I will make my cotton candy gun!

THANK YOU! =D

[dunnos]

COTTON CANDY GUN!!?? please post an instructable

[T3h_Muffinator]

Hehe I will! Unfortunately, 3/3 of the concept designs failed in test, but due only to one component - the sugar melter. Research is being conducted on better ways to raise the temperature to a point where sugar will remain in its liquid form, but as of now it's pretty much caramelizing and burning the sugar instantaneously. In other news, I've finally got my heating coil for my next cotton candy-related project - CCM MARK III. Coming soon (appx 2-3 months) to an Instructable near you....

[cowscankill]

I WANT IT! :D :D :D

[T3h_Muffinator]

Prototype is finished! Expect it out in a few months!

[cowscankill]

YOu said that already xD

[T3h_Muffinator]

Nope - that was mark III, this is for the cotton candy gun ;) I'm making it for a class, so it actually has to be finished in a few months.

[cowscankill]

Oh sweet! Can't wait!

[dunnos]

yes! i would like info on the parts (please) so i can build it when your ible comes up. =] please pm them to me

[dunnos]

could you send me the ideas for the gun then maybe i can find it out if i can figure it out wel make an instructable together :D

[T3h_Muffinator]

I figured it out, and it works! coming soon!!!

[k8monster]

We all live in a yellow submarine! Looks pretty cool! I'll have to look up gingersnap houses first, but definitely an innovative idea! Kudos!

[bounty1012]

hmm If youre not going to eat the art that you make with the molten sugar.... Can you use a used glue gun?

[bounty1012]

XD glued lenin to a submarine...

[maven]

Why not butter some tinfoil and use the sugar to draw snowflakes and other sugar decorations? I'm assuming you take the sugar to the hardball stage (on a candy thermometer) when making the sticks.

[all_thumbs]

Well, yes, I just happen to have a Matryoshka doll at home (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_dolls ) with well known Soviet leaders as its theme. They are popular souvenirs. Mine is a couple of years old, so it does not start with Putin as the outermost doll, it consists of Lenin, Stalin, Breschnev, Gorbachov, and Jeltsin from inside out.

I would say that the sub is more interesting. It is designed to capsize, take in water, and then almost sink. It will stop sinking with just a few qubic cm margin, floating with merely its periscope above water.

[stas]

Hey, where can I find a boat like that?

[Danny]

i have the same glue gun, the glue sticks you get included arent even long enough - LOL

[andlorr]

How long does the hot melt sugar take to dry? Would this save time in house construction? I know gingerbread houses use royal icing, but that has to dry overnight before it can be touched. Would sugar glue be faster?

[matt_sawyers]

it's much faster. It hardens within a few minutes depending on your humidity level. And is still edible, I used it to make a gingerbread castle earlier this month, but I was using a knife & spoon to apply it (have some burns to prove it lol) Royal Icing can be a royal pain (pun intended). I used it as well just for decoration though. Some people use it instead of royal icing b/c of the raw egg whites it it (or you can substitute meringue powder)

[norml]

Cotton candy shooter anyone? How about using this mod?
hot glue web shooter
This and a spiderman costume would make for one hell of a kids party. Liablity waivers required of course.

[thecheatscalc]

oh... my... the last part was completely amazing! LOL, I'm not even going to ask why you have a Lenin doll laying around... VERY neat idea!

[Roflolommo]

and you just happened to have a lenin doll lieing around?

[phyzome]

That was my favorite part!

[ewilhelm]

I love this Instructable. Check out my candy towers built using this technique:
Candy Towers Built with a Molten-Sugar Hot-Glue Gun.

[Charles IV]

How exactly do you make the sugar glue mix?

[Kiteman]

It's not a mix, it's just glue melted and poured into a mould.

[marc92]

I think you mean sugar.

[Kiteman]

I think I do (oops)

[marc92]

Could you simply put granulated sugar in the glue hole of the gun and use some type of pushing device to help the gun melt the sugar. My gun does not have a trigger so the gun does not really have a feeding mechanism to jam or for the [un-melted] sugar to escape from.

[bedbugg2]

you could just use candy sticks :P

[zachninme]

Rice won't slow anything down. Thats a myth. The only reason you put it in salt shakers, is because it breaks up clumps when you shake it. (for that, you could use ball bearings, but rice is edible) Just stick these in your sugar jar.

[MadMechanicMike]

but you'd think it would because rice is so dry and it wants to absorb water... i dono just a thought

[all_thumbs]

Good suggestion. The surrounding sugar should be exactly as prone to absorbing moisture as the glue sticks. As for the rice myth busting, I think you are perfectly right there. The sticks I used when making this instructable were saved from last year. They were sticky at the open end of the foil tube. The foil had protected them real nice.

[canida]

You can probably find a dessicant packet to toss into your box; just make sure it comes from a food product to avoid industrial cross-contamination. Most nori (seaweed for sushi-making) comes with a dessicant package inside you could simply reuse.

[zachninme]

Yeah, if it says "DO NOT EAT", don't use it for this :P