Glue stick with excess on the outside
Glue sticks are a really useful tool to have available. They are at the expensive end of the adhesive armoury of the craftsperson. They consist of an adhesive paste which is transferred to one or both surface to bestuck together. It is more difficult to apply than paste or PVA ~ but there are often jobs for which it is really just right.
The glue stick is encased in a disposable plastic holder with a wind-out facility ~ much as lipstick. It is usually made and sold in a variety of sizes. Prices can vary greatly amongst retailers. Unit cost per gram of glue also varies with the size purchased.
I use quite a lot of glue stick ~ invariably a little at a time. The largest items I use it on are the labels for parcels. I consider it has the advantage at that job of sticking well to plasticky surfaces such as parcel tape. A small tube ~ around 10gm ~ lasts several months.
Stick-glue also strikes me as being conveniently 'dry'. It does mean that covering a large surface leads to the first part covered starts drying out. The advantage is that paper swelling is much less of an issue than with paste.
Using a glue stick on a corner is a great way of glueing a narrow strip.
The lifetime of a glue stick ~ whether used or not ~ should be considered in months rather than years. They tend to dry up ~ slowly. If you use a lot ~ buy the 25gm size ~ if it goes dry on you ~ buy a smaller tube next time. Judging the economies of this depend on your usage.
I have a suspicion that some sticks dry-up faster than others. This is based on one brand I am using which seems to be fine after a very long time. I mention no trade names since this is a hopelessly subjectve hunch ~ I may have bought old stock from a dodgy supplier. Readers can share their own information on this amongst their friends.
Glue sticks roll around on the worktop - a small trick lies in a wrapping tape around the tube.
