So last Tuesday I got curious about glue. You know, like why does superglue stick fingers together forever but masking tape peels off easy? Googled around and found this Kevin Kendall dude from Britain who spent his whole life studying stickiness. Figured I’d try out his famous experiment myself.
Digging Into The Basics
First I grabbed stuff from my junk drawer: two clear plastic strips from some toy packaging, regular white school glue, and my wife’s kitchen scale. Kendall said adhesion ain’t about the glue alone – it’s how stuff squeezes together and pulls apart. Made sense when I thought about duct tape holding better when you really press it down.
Setting Up My Messy Test
Cut the plastic strips same size, slapped glue on one piece. Smooshed ’em together real hard like Kendall described. Left it dry overnight under my old calculus textbook for weight. Next morning, taped one end to my table and hooked a plastic bag to the other end. Started dropping coins into that bag – pennies first, then nickels, quarters clinking away.
- Heard a weird creaking sound when 17 coins were in – glue was fighting but holding
- At 23 coins the plastic suddenly peeled apart like a zipper
- Glue stayed lumpy on one side only – exactly how Kendall drew it
Got hyped and tried superglue next. BIG mistake. That stuff glued the strip to my table! Had to chisel it off with a butter knife while my dog barked at the noise. Noticed how superglue snaps apart clean while school glue stretches like bubblegum. Kendall’s papers talk about that difference – how materials give up the fight differently.
The Lightbulb Moment
After mopping glue off my fingers, I read Kendall’s actual trick: he measured the exact energy needed to peel stuff apart. My coin method was trashy but showed the core idea. When things stick good, you need serious force to split ’em. If bonding’s weak? Comes apart smooth like greased tape.
Tried it on cardboard strips later. Boring result – the paper tore before glue failed! But proved Kendall’s other point: adhesion depends what you’re sticking together. Like how band-aids hurt ripping off hairy arms versus baby skin.
Spilled glue everywhere when my cat jumped up, but hey – Kendall probably had messy labs too. That’s science in real life.
