A World without Glues, Epoxies and Adhesives

 
Now this is a really strange thought, but I’m sure you all have come to expect that from me.  But I was just sitting here brain storming and began to wonder, “What would the world be like without any glues, epoxies or adhesives.”  Surely I’m not the only one that has wondered this.

What is an Adhesive

Well, to put it simply, and adhesive is any material or compound, whether it be a natural one or synthetic, that can join two objects or materials together.  They come in many different forms, some are liquids and some may be semi-liquid or even a paste like consistency.  An adhesive may be used to fix a broken plate, put together a plastic model or your favorite car, or even hold that crazy man’s bungee together while he jumps off a bridge…lol

 If you think about it, there’s not much in the world, that’s man made, that doesn’t contain some sort of adhesive.  Nearly all electronic components contain an adhesive maybe on the outer plastic shell, or maybe even on the circuit boards.  It’s crazy to think of what things would be like without it.

Could we Survive without our Adhesives?

How would we hold things together if there were no more glues, epoxies or adhesives.  It’s not like you could just lick and stick everything together!  There are glues that you may even find in nature, such as the sap from a tree.  I believe starch is a form of adhesive as well, now that really sounds safe to eat doesn’t it?

 We have all integrated these compounds into our lives so much that we take it for granted.  Try taping up that Christmas package without scotch tape, or fastening your envelopes on the letters to Mom without any adhesive on the envelope.  If the world were suddenly stripped of it’s glues and adhesives, it would all but cripple the postal service.

 I know that way back when they used wax seals on their envelopes.  They would melt some candle wax and drip it on an envelope.  Then it was normal practice to have some sort of stamp with your personal logo or initials that you could press down into the wax and make it look fancy.  But we’ve simply outgrown the need for such applications.

 Of course all your wooden furniture is made with many different grades of glue.  The joints that hold everything together are generally glued before being fastened.  Nails are great, but the glue just helps to seal and create a tighter bond, which helps our stuff last longer.  Even some surgeons use an adhesive to close up their incisions.  And forget about ever having crafts time at school again.

 

What do you think?

I would love to hear what everyone else thinks about this.  Have you ever thought what it would be like, or what alternative means we would come up with if a plague robbed us of all our glues, epoxies and adhesives?  My guess, there would be a whole bunch of bubble gum chewing going on!