My major requires me to make presentation boards and to do that I use
a lot of spray adhesive to bond printouts to foamcore.  The warnings
on the bottle say it's very bad for human health, and I imagine it's
bad for the environment, too.  The same is true of rubber cement. 
I've tried several kinds of glue stick, but none of them form a
lasting bond (the most I've gotten is about 1 day).  Does any company
have any health-friendly, eco-friendly alternative to spray adhesive? 
Thank you!

It appears that 3M has recognized your concerns and developed a
product called Pro-Spray that uses a water-based adhesive and a
specially-designed canister for spraying.

There's a great 3M-produced flash presentation explaining it:
http://multimedia.mmm.com/mws/mediawebserver.dyn?yyyyyygeqJMySazyLazyyySHk3t_K5pm-


From Design News, March 2002:
-----------------------------
Adhesive sprayer takes an environmentally friendly tack: Dispensing
system helps adhesives go solvent free

Solvents and propellants may make it easy to get liquid mounting
adhesives out of an aerosol can, but these chemical agents hardly take
it easy on the environment. ?They tend to be greenhouse gasses,?
according to Russell Blette, a 3M technical specialist. Water-based
adhesives, although friendlier to the atmosphere, have had their own
problems with slower tack times and reduced adhesion. ?The Holy Grail
in our industry has been a water-based formulation that still meets
the performance standards of solvent-based adhesives,? Blette says.

Well, Hallelujah. Blette has invented a way to make up for the
shortcomings of water-based adhesives by doing away with the
traditional aerosol can, solvents, and propellants . His patented
Pro-Spray system instead creates a quick-tacking aerosol spray through
purely mechanical means: The system uses a bladder-filled plastic
bottle to deliver the liquid adhesive to a nozzle, which then atomizes
the adhesive with a blast of air. Both components fit a low-cost,
handheld thermoplastic dispensing gun.

http://www.designnews.com/article/CA198770.html


From 3M:
--------
* Non-flammable water-based formulation with less than 1% Volatile
Organic Compound (VOC) is safer for your work environment than
conventional solvent-based aerosol adhesives.
* Fast drying rate, similar to solvent-based adhesives, saves time in
mounting and matting.
* With no bleed through, Scotch Pro-Spray Water-based Mounting
Adhesive mounts lithographs, screen prints, art paper, rice paper,
fabric, maps, certificates, or other memorabilia; and bonds delicate
fabrics, papers and foils to mat board.
* Mounting and matting are permanent.
* Built-in applicator regulator maintains adhesive consistency and
quality. No external regulators needed.

http://products3.3m.com/catalog/us/en001/manufacturing_industry/engineered_adhesives/node_QGTDMXWZV7be/root_GST1T4S9TCgv/vroot_WHG0MWH6QPge/gvel_VJ9R6TT0WDgl/theme_us_adhesivetape_3_0/command_AbcPageHandler/output_html


If you have any questions, please let me know.  By the way, are you an
industrial design student?

--Joey

Google searching strategy:
  1. environmentally friendly adhesive
  2. blette adhesive
  3. 3M pro-spray

---

Request for Answer Clarification by sidesway-ga on 14 Aug 2004 19:18 PDT

Thanks, joey, for the helpful response.  During your search, though,
did you come across anything else?  I just checked Pro Spray prices,
and while the cartridges are inexpensive, the applicator gun is 90
bucks.  Is this my only option?  Are stickers made sticky with spray
adhesive, or some better means?  Thanks.

---

Clarification of Answer by joey-ga on 14 Aug 2004 19:53 PDT

Here were a few other options I found, but none were as "sexy" and
simple as the Pro-Spray system.  I don't have direct experience with
anything other than spray adhesives, so I can't speak for whether
these will appear as smooth as spray adhesive, but some of these look
promising.

3M Positional Mounting Adhesive Roll (two-sided sheet adhesive):
----------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.3m.com/us/mfg_industrial/adhesives/framing/html/scotch568.jhtml
Photo at: http://porterscamerastore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=64-0213&Category_Code=M2H

Grafix Double-Tack Mounting Film (similar to the 3M product above):
-------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.dickblick.com/zz232/05/products.asp?param=0&ig_id=2504

Lineco pH-Neutral Mounting Adhesive (in a standard glue bottle):
----------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.artsuppliesonline.com/catalog.cfm?cata_id=5223

Quik-Stik  Foam Board (this is actually a high-tack adhesive board, requiring
no additional adhesive):
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Box of 25: https://www.masterg.com/cgi-bin/dpsmart/ec/more.html?L+ec+hoze5872+_DProd_02AL90895_20_20_20_20_20_20_20_20_20_20_20_201_01

Individual: http://www.shoptheartstore.com/product_detail_multiple.cfm?groupID=54AE07DC-16F1-4EBD-B99F97FD1372F07A&parentCat=57EA1A9C-8E30-4FBD-BDC2236CE4550594&topCat=28164D2C-605A-47E0-BD8931754E36D374


I hope some of these will prove useful.  In particular, I found a
discussion forum in which someone had recommended the double-sided
film/sheet adhesive as an alternative to spray mounts.  Unfortunately,
I didn't save the link earlier after I found the Pro-Spray option.

Good luck, and please let me know if you have any questions.

--Joey

---

Clarification of Answer by joey-ga on 14 Aug 2004 20:05 PDT

I found the forum discussion I mentioned: 

http://pub17.ezboard.com/fgaijinstudiosfrm4.showNextMessage?topicID=110.topic

Thanks -- very very helpful!

Acutually, some people would disagree with you about it being bad for
your health, in fact some people use it for the effects it has on your
health, "sniffing glue." But if you insist it's bad for your health,
go to any nucleur fallout shelter and steal one of their gas masks,
that should do the trick.

Now on a serious note, aerosol glue is actually REALLY GOOD for the
environment, it glues together the holes in the ozone.