Shocking results from a glue gun

Last Updated on 4 years by Christopher G Mendla

What can go wrong with using a 40 year old glue gun?  The answer is shocking.. Literally. 

I was working on a jalousie door at the shore home where the glass was slipping out of the holders. The door was about 40 years old. I decided to try hot glue to tack the glass in place. What I didn’t realize was that the glue gun had some serious electrical issues.

My dad had purchased that particular gun probably a decade or two earlier. It was possibly even older than that. I plugged it in and let the glue heat up. It was a hot summer day and I was sweating a good bit. The tip was in contact with the aluminum holders for the glass. I was kneeling on the flagstone patio and my shoulder brushed up against the aluminum window frame.

I got a pretty decent shock from that and immediately pulled the plug on the gun. (Along with saying a few choice words.)  I suppose that  a couple of decades of salt air, an early design and possibly even exposure to salt water flooding had caused some type of short.

I got the trusty diagonals out and cut the power cord.. (YES – AFTER it was unplugged). I then walked 4 blocks to the local 5 and 10 that has a fantastic Ace Hardware section. For about 10 bucks, I got a hot melt glue gun that wasn’t trying to fry my butt.

Shocking results from a glue gun
Shocking results from a glue gun

About the author Christopher G Mendla

I am a full stack web developer, IT Manager, Project Manager, Educator, Technologist and someone who maintains a keen interest in life and the world around me.

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