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Author Topic: Glue for Labeling Jars  (Read 1375 times)

Offline Bamboo

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Glue for Labeling Jars
« on: December 03, 2019, 06:20:27 am »
Hi All
This may or may not be useful. For those of you that haven't gone down the expensive route of having self adhesive labels printed this could be a good solution. I have used various adhesives from pva to Bostik glue sticks, none of which I have been particularly happy with.
This works really well and is really inexpensive to make and a little goes a long way.

I can't take credit for the recipe I stole it from an old home brew forum.

I use ordinary 80gsm paper in  laser printer.

Basic Waterproof Glue

* 6 tbsp water
* ? oz unflavored gelatin
* 2 tbsp white vinegar
* 2 tsp glycerine

Bring water to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in gelatin until it is dissolved. Add vinegar and glycerin and stir well. Let the mixture cool slightly and pour into a jar and seal tightly. To Use: This glue is best applied while warm. Apply to surfaces using a brush.
Glue will gel after a few days in container. To re-use, warm by placing the jar in a pan of hot water. Good for binding leather to leather, fabrics to cardboard, paper to paper.

This glue is very liquid when hot/warm and is easily applied with a paint brush (just paint the whole back side of the label and stick it on, wipe any excess off with a bit of paper towel) make sure to use a laser printer not an inkjet or the ink will run, if you don't have one just print off a good copy and get it photo copied.
Cheers

Offline Acebird

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Re: Glue for Labeling Jars
« Reply #1 on: December 03, 2019, 09:29:30 am »
I use ordinary 80gsm paper in  laser printer.

If the paper is not plasticized it will disintegrate.  Personally I used a vinyl label so it can be peeled off and the glass jar used again.  A homemade label is always going to look home made.  If that is the look you are going for by all means use it.  Traditionally professionally produced labels sell the product at a higher price.
Brian Cardinal
Just do it

Offline van from Arkansas

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Re: Glue for Labeling Jars
« Reply #2 on: December 03, 2019, 09:57:34 am »
Hi Bamboo, where ya ben??  Good to see you post.
Blessings
I have been around bees a long time, since birth.  I am a hobbyist so my answers often reflect this fact.  I concentrate on genetics, raise my own queens by wet graft, nicot, with natural or II breeding.  I do not sell queens, I will give queens  for free but no shipping.

Offline Bamboo

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Re: Glue for Labeling Jars
« Reply #3 on: December 03, 2019, 05:12:56 pm »
I use ordinary 80gsm paper in  laser printer.

If the paper is not plasticized it will disintegrate.

Well no it doesn't disintegrate this glue stops it, that's the whole point of it. It also comes off easily in warm water without leaving a residue on jar so jars are ready for reusing.

I agree self adhesive plasticized paper is the best option, professionally printed but if you read my post I said "if you haven't gone down the expensive route..."
Where I come from it is over a dollar a label for printing.

There was a time when there was no such thing as plasticized paper or vinyl labels and all labels were made from paper but you may be too young to know that.
Cheers

Offline Oldbeavo

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Re: Glue for Labeling Jars
« Reply #4 on: December 03, 2019, 05:39:54 pm »
Acebird, we have found the opposite, the homemade label has been effective in defining that "we do this".
Where we were competing at a store with other honey our sales were increasing. So we ask the owner how come he was selling more of our honey? His answer was that ours looked home made, as the label on the other was flashy professionally printed.
We use self adhesive labels printed on the home printer, Avery is the brand and they have downloads to set your printer for each size label.

Offline Acebird

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Re: Glue for Labeling Jars
« Reply #5 on: December 03, 2019, 05:47:44 pm »
Hey if it works keep doing it.
Brian Cardinal
Just do it

Offline CoolBees

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Re: Glue for Labeling Jars
« Reply #6 on: December 05, 2019, 12:49:07 pm »
Bamboo - thanks for sharing the Glue recipe. I really like it.

With that said - I puchased labels, which I designed, for $0.25 (usd) ea @ 500 qty. ...

At the end of the day - a "homemade" label  (depending on the local market) has a good chance of out-selling a "commercial label", and commanding a potentially higher price ... and it's more rewarding - so, all technology aside, I might try your approach in the future. Thanks for posting - much appreciated.
You cannot permanently help men by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves - Abraham Lincoln

Offline van from Arkansas

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Re: Glue for Labeling Jars
« Reply #7 on: December 05, 2019, 02:31:35 pm »
Bamboo, I hope you are far from the 7,000 wildfires I read about.  I hope you receive rain to quench the lands thirst.

I like the marketing strategy, old fashion labels better than the new wiz bang flashy labels.
Blessings
Van
I have been around bees a long time, since birth.  I am a hobbyist so my answers often reflect this fact.  I concentrate on genetics, raise my own queens by wet graft, nicot, with natural or II breeding.  I do not sell queens, I will give queens  for free but no shipping.

Offline Bamboo

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Re: Glue for Labeling Jars
« Reply #8 on: December 06, 2019, 12:15:24 am »
Bamboo, I hope you are far from the 7,000 wildfires I read about.  I hope you receive rain to quench the lands thirst.

I like the marketing strategy, old fashion labels better than the new wiz bang flashy labels.
Blessings
Van

Thanks Van for the kind thoughts. For the moment where we are is ok but bone dry as we are in drought. Walk across the grass and it crunches under your feet.
Today is 40C with no rain in sight. The same temps or thereabouts for at least the next week and no rain. We are sub tropical as far as climate is concerned so this is meant to be our rainy season, not this year!

The problem with fires is that most of them are arson so you just never know when the next one will start and when you will be on the line so to speak.

We have had fires burning on and off for the last month or so solid.  The last figure I saw which is now well out of date is that over 2 million hectares (5 million acres in your money) have been burnt. I think they have stopped counting.
Just one fire that is burning very close to Sydney in NSW is over 300,000 hectares at the moment and they have lost 680 homes so far.

It is a constant that you live with in this country that and severe storm cells.  A couple of weeks back we had a storm go though 1km south of us that threw down hailstones the size of baseballs. The carnage was something else, the local freeway was littered with cars and trucks with no glass left in them and looking like someone had taken to the panels with a sledge hammer.

The irony of this country is that it is so big all sorts of weather can be happening. On Monday there was 30cm of snow at a place called Mt Hotham, a ski resort in Victoria while we are in drought and had 37C...crazy stuff.
Anyway thanks again for your thoughts.
Cheers
Mark

 

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