Re-gluing flattened boxes

phantom78

Does anyone have any experience re gluing flattened lego boxes. Ive tried super glue but it doesn't seem to hold very good.
I'm guessing some type of hot glue might do the job but don't have a hot glue gun so wanted to make sure before i buy one if that's the way to go.

Personally i never flatten any boxes but just bought a bulk lot of complete sets quite cheap and found a bricklink seller with a heap of flattened boxes to match which has just arrived.

Bluefairy_56

What about a craft glue?

These are specifically made for paper, cardboard, etc. you might also have to either lay something heavy on top to make sure it sticks, or use several large elastic bands to hold the box in place.

Good luck
Lynn

legofanfromleeds

Ive never used any glue but ive found good quality double sided sellotape works a treat if its a nice smooth surface. ..

Just a thought though if youve bought loose lego and the boxes to go with the set then what are you achieving by re glueing the boxes... bnib ?

SuperTramp

Something like Weldbond would work great

khmellymel

legofanfromleeds said:

Just a thought though if youve bought loose lego and the boxes to go with the set then what are you achieving by re glueing the boxes... bnib ?

Can't be BNIB if the pieces are used... but I've done it before to "complete" my set... really bugs me when my sets don't have boxes or instructions!

I use this strange smelling glue by UHU, found it in the pound shop, but I think they sell it at Michael's too. It says you can use it on cardboard. The only problem with it is that you have to make sure the box stays in place while the glue is drying, or it can shift and dry crooked. I think it works better on the thicker corrugated boxes than the thin card stock kind- if you use too much on the thinner kind it warps the box!

TheLoneTensor

phantom78 said:

Does anyone have any experience re gluing flattened lego boxes. Ive tried super glue but it doesn't seem to hold very good.
I'm guessing some type of hot glue might do the job but don't have a hot glue gun so wanted to make sure before i buy one if that's the way to go.

Personally i never flatten any boxes but just bought a bulk lot of complete sets quite cheap and found a bricklink seller with a heap of flattened boxes to match which has just arrived.

You can get a mini hot glue gun at a craft store for under $5, and I've even seen them for $1. Anyway, they are very useful for instantly gluing lots of things, including resealing boxes.

cloaked7

Elmer's Glue works great. Plus, most people already have it and it's cheap. Will hold any cardboard together quite well. Just apply to both sides and press together for a bit. Course, if you're wanting something that dries quickly I agree with @TheLoneTensor Hot glue gun is the way to go.

TheLoneTensor

+1 on the Elmer's also. It's such an underrated product for anything paper/wood. I have a load of cheap, disposable paint/glue brushes that I use to spread it - much mroe effective than using your finger (though you don't get the cool peel-off-your-fingerprint effect).

jamiest

I've used normal PVA glue, and temporary paper clips to hold the edges together with good results.

Nelly

Hot glue gun works great for me. It is the closest thing to the original box glue, at least that I have found. Plus it dries and hold in seconds

Jezzatheshed

In the uk our hobby shops like hobby craft sell rolls of glue strips. Its 4mm wide and comes on a small roll, it is really sticky, I even use it to stick lego bricks into display cases. Just this weekend I tried it on some Harry potter boxes , just snip to size and apply to one edge, peel off the backing and press together, no stringing no smell no mess and acid free!
Brand name of the stuff is "stix2" worth having a look for.

Jezzatheshed

^^^^just looked on the stix2 site and the tape is in the craft glue dots section (bit confusing).

Brickman

Always used Elmers Glue, not the school glue. Hold the corners down with clothes pins and box looks new :) My boxes used to come unglued when in the attic.

phantom78

thanks for all the replies. I might give the crafting hot glue gun a try. I didn't realize they were so cheap. Got one on ebay for $5 delivered!

legofanfromleeds said:

Just a thought though if youve bought loose lego and the boxes to go with the set then what are you achieving by re glueing the boxes... bnib ?

Obviously not bnib. Just how i like to keep my sets. I have all my sets stored in their original boxes on shelving. When im not home and my kids raid my lego room they can look at the box art and easily find and grab a set they want to make. (Any sets i dont want them to touch are out of reach) ;)