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Only one item this time, because I can see my budget running away with me! I was definitely tempted to get some more silicone, but ultimately I needed a bit of a break from metal casting and decided to focus more on the basics of constructing my prototypes.

Here’s what I did buy:

Zig glue pen

Back when I bought my cutter/plotter I knew I’d have to re-stick the cutting mats that came with it, but I didn’t really know how. I just figured I’d work it out, and I did eventually, but it was a faff.

I tried repositionable spray adhesive but it went off too quickly, and didn’t stay tacky. I tried watered-down PVA but it was first not sticky enough, then too sticky. After a bit of time researching the best products for re-tacking a cutting mat, and after a while I settled on a Zig 2-way glue pen*.

The glue goes on blue and dries clear, and you can use it straight away for a permanent bond, or wait until the adhesive becomes clear for a temporary bond. Once the adhesive dries on the mat, it’s easy to position your cutting material, and it’s definitely more convenient to have in a pen format than other liquid adhesives that I considered previously.

The pen format is also much easier to use for constructing finely detailed work, so it’s likely that I’ll put some of the smaller sizes on my shopping list.

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