Hello, welcome to The Craft Room Podcast. Happy new year to you, and I’m so glad you’re joining me today as I answer the most common question I’ve received so far this year, which pertains to glue. Way back in Episode 26 I talked a lot about glue, but I’ve learned a few new things this week, so I thought it was time to share updated information and answer a question that lands in my inbox almost every day … “What is the ETA on the Precision Glue Press”. I made a short video about this today, but there’s more to know, so while this isn’t a super long episode, it does have some useful information, about the product, and glue in general.
In 2023 we saw some fantastic innovation from stamping companies, most notably the Stamp Wheel from Altenew, Grip Mats from Waffle Flower and the Precision Glue Press from My Sweet Petunia … and that’s the one we’re talking about today.
Immediately upon its release, the glue press was a huge hit, and it sold out FAST! If you’re unfamiliar with this product, it is a clever collaboration between Nuvo and My Sweet Petunia that’s like a glue gun, but the type of glue gun you’re thinking of. There is a custom glue bottle holder, specifically designed for the Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive 60ml bottle, that’s kind of like a caulking gun, but better. You click the bottle into the glue holder, and there’s a full hand trigger to help you squeeze the glue out of the bottle. When you are not using the glue, it sits on a base that has space for the glue bottle lid, and the secret of its success is the little silicone pillow that the tip of the nozzle sits on. It allows you to leave the glue upside down, without the lid, and it won’t dry out. You also receive an empty bottle, so you can fill that with your favourite glue, and there are 2 different nozzles … medium and fine tip.
On the surface it might seem like a bit of a frivolous purchase, because glue bottles come with some fantastic fine tip options these days. However, it is more than a glue holder. For those with arthritis or other hand mobility issues, it makes their favourite craft more accessible. For those who are frustrated with glue drying in the tips of bottles, or entire bottles of glue drying up, it’s less wasteful, as you can use every drop of glue to the very end of that bottle. Honestly, I can’t tell you the last time I threw away a completely empty glue bottle. And for those who have very little time for crafting, or those who make a LOT of cards, less time is wasted shaking glue bottles or unplugging dried glue from nozzles. For some people, these may be small things that are not a problem, but for others, these are annoyances can be solved, bringing joy to crafting again.
If you’re a person who has no problems squeezing a glue bottle and don’t mind putting the lid back on straight away, but you hate waiting for that thick glue to flow down to the nozzle, then you may not need a Precision Glue Press. Maybe a glue holder from Make It By Marko is all you need. The Original Glue holder is great for small glue, like the Gina K Connect tube, the Wait-less is good for mid-sized bottles, and the Beach Lounge is good for those larger bottles. Or, maybe your budget doesn’t stretch to a glue press right now, so perhaps a squeezy glue bottle will do the job. I will link to all of these below.
Getting back to the question at hand … what is the ETA for the Precision Glue Press, and while the short answer is “I don’t know”, there is a longer answer, and I think that it’s important.
The first factor to consider is that, despite the fact that you can purchase a Precision Glue Press on the My Sweet Petunia website (their retail store), they have been out of stock on the wholesale website for several months. Sure … I could buy a bunch from the retail store, bump those prices right up and get them in the shop right now … but I won’t. For two reasons.
REASON ONE
The Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive that comes with the Glue Press is a water-based glue. When you look at the product listing on the My Sweet Petunia website it says the following … in bold italic print.
Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive is is a water-based adhesive that cannot be shipped in cold or freezing temperatures.
By purchasing adhesive during the winter months you agree not to hold My Sweet Petunia responsible if the adhesive freezes or separates during shipping.
In other words, if you make this purchase during the winter months, you’re taking a risk that your glue may possibly arrive in unusable condition. When water-based glues freeze, they split, and while they do sometimes reconstitute when they thaw out, that is not always the case. It’s a gamble, and if you take that gamble with this product, and the glue has, indeed split, My Sweet Petunia will not replace or refund. That goes for retail and wholesale customers alike.
So, then I got to thinking, if the company is in a location that doesn’t experience freezing temperatures, like Florida, or California, then maybe it would be ok. So, I had a look, and they are based in Iowa, which is definitely not a tropical location. So even if I could order right now, it’s not a risk I’m willing to take. I would prefer to wait for the warmer months, so that when they arrive, the glue is in tip top condition. Given that we’re already 3 weeks into January (I mean … where did that go?!), I have a feeling that time is going to fly by!
Now that I had learned this fun fact about water-based glues, a few things made sense to me. For example … Art Glitter glue. I can only order that 6 months of the year, from mid autumn to mid spring, so I tend to stock up toward the end of winter so I have enough for customers who are shopping over the summer. Because while it might be summer here, it’s winter there, and they simply don’t ship it during the winter months from the USA.
I also remembered when Gina K Designs made a change to their Connect glue. At the time I didn’t quite wrap my head around it, because freezing weather simply isn’t a concern where I live, but now it makes sense. The Connect glue now has an anti-freeze agent, so that it can ship all year round. And Bearly Art glue also ships year round, as it has been tested, and is stable through 5 freeze / thaw cycles. The only other liquid glue that I stock is the Tombow Mono multi, which I source in Australia, so I’ve never worried about that when it comes to freezing. On that topic, I will say that when my current stock of Tombow Mono glue runs out, I won’t be restocking that one. It has been my personal favourite glue for many years, but when I tested the Bearly Art glue for a video, I was sold! I’ll link to that short video below, in case you’ve been curious about that too.
REASON 2
The other reason I’m not ordering retail, is because it doesn’t feel right to bump the price right up. I would prefer to shop wholesale, keeping the prices more reasonable. When combined with the frozen glue factor, it’s a no brainer for me to wait for the USA to be in those warmer months.
So there you have the long answer to the question … what’s the ETA on the Precision Glue Press. Right now the only information I have was from an email just before Christmas. There was a mini restock on the wholesale website, but of course that email landed at 4am, so by the time I saw it, they were out of stock again. However, that mini shipment was in advance of a much larger order, which was to follow at an unspecified date. Now that I am clued in on the frozen glue issue, I’m hoping I’ll be able to order in March or April, which means hopefully I’ll have stock late March through early May.
So what you can you do to get your hands on a Precision Glue Press in Australia? Well, I have two options on my website.
1. Use the ‘Notify me when restocked’ button on the product listing, by adding your name and email address. The moment the product is restocked, the website will automatically send you an email (don’t forget to check spam filters). You can also follow my socials on Facebook and Instagram. When I have a shipment coming, I’ll post about it everywhere.
2. If you’re just over stalking websites waiting for restocks, you can use the pre-order service. Simply click the Pre-order tab, fill in the form, and your Glue Press will be reserved before the shop is restocked. You have the option to pay a 50% deposit, with the balance + post due when your order arrives, or you can pay in full up front, and then your Glue Press will be posted as soon as the order arrives.
I’m hoping that it will come in a little cheaper than the first shipment, as the dollar is inching ever so slowly upward on some days. However it really does depend on the Aussie dollar and shipping costs, which can be unpredictable, so I’ll go with worst case scenario pricing of the $79 that the Glue Press came in at last time, and if they come in cheaper, then overpaid amounts will be refunded … that’s just how I roll.
Regardless of where you pick up your Precision Glue Press, I hope that this information helps you make an informed purchasing decision. If you’re undecided if it is right for you, I highly recommend Simon Hurley’s recent video on YouTube, as it’s a very honest review after using the product for 6 months. And if you have any questions at all, please feel free to email me, slide into my DM’s or leave your question in the comment section on the blog post for this episode. In the meantime, happy crafting, Happy New Year, and I will see you next time.
LINKS
Precision Glue Press (in my shop)
Video about the Precision Glue Press by MSP
Simon Hurley’s YouTube review – (start at 1:05)