Gluesticks

Hot gluing electrical wires?

Alright, before you say "it won't work," here's what I want to do. I'm making a little light and ripped a tiny push button switch off an old clock. It works fine for what I want, but I don't have a soldering iron, and don't want to buy one either. Could I hot glue the wires and switch to a small plastic square? There will only be 6V DC running through the wires and that shouldn't be hot enough to melt the glue right? (Just lay the wires down, put a tiny drop of hot glue down, then press the switch leads into the wires? The leads are about 3mm long) Alright, I mean this switch is tiny, about the size of a normal pencil eraser, and the leads coming off it are about twice as thick as a quarter.

Public Comments

1. yea sure why the heck not! then maybe a small piece of duct tape for good measure!!!
2. This does work for low voltage electrics. I've put together an LED light with the low temp hot glue before and it does not seem conductive. Or at least not conductive enough for any voltage leaks. My lights were 12V DC.
3. it might work but i doubt it. the hot glue will probably insulate the leads.
4. The hot glue is an insulator, you may make a physical connection but it will not be an electrical connection. Go to the store and buy a soldering pencil and learn to use it. Total time should take about 1 hour of training and the trip to the store. The pencil should be less than $30.
5. Yes it will work fine.(but I wouldn't want to try it on an AC circuit). Just make sure you connect the wires somehow before applying hot glue to prevent glue from becoming an insulator.
6. Previous answer is correct in that the glue could get inbeteen the wires when applying it. If possible give the wires a twist if you can. Have you thought of using super glue instead?
7. Why not make your own 'crimp connectors out of a piece of aluminum can. Crimp with a pliers. Then cover the whole with your glue to hold it in place and insulate.
8. You need to make sure the hot glue doesn't get between the wires and the switch. and don't expect it to last forever, as it will be a loose connection and will corode over time.