It appears that some of us are more reactive to the chemicals in the adhesives than others. That was one reason I started this thread, to find out what others had done and hopefully dispell rumors of one thing working and another not working.
One of the concerns I keep hearing is the degradation of the plastic covering on silicone forms. My original triangle forms have been in almost daily use for two years and fairly heavy use for two years before that and have not shown any signs to date of deterioration or the plastic degrading. It could just be that the pair I have are covered with a different type of plastic than others.
I want to thank all of you for including your experimentation with adhesives and the impact. As far as chemical burns, I have never experienced actual chemical burns but have had massive chest skin damage due to impatience on my part, trying to remove the forms too fast. (and I was not using any chemicals to remove the glue residue) Many of the skin tears were visible for over two years until they finally grew out.
I now use Goo Gone in its thin yellow form religiously and have not a mark on my chest. I do use about a quart of Goo Gone per 3 months and about 2-3 cans of Hollisters. Now that I am trying the 3M product the Hollisters has been shelved for awhile.
As another addition to the alterntives, I have used toupee adhesive "Topsol" no-Tape Silicone bonding agent from Vapon of West Caldwell, NJ with limited success. While it may hold a light weight toupee in place it does not appear to be designed to hold a weighted object against a vertical surface. It held initially for about 20 minutes and then started a slide south. I had to remove them and use traditional adhesive to continue.
Keep those cards and letters coming folks, the more information we have the better decisions we can make.
Your sis,
Tami
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
I am a licensed Cosmetologist (hair stylist, not cosmonaut), work as a hair and wig stylist, makeup artist and permanent makeup artist, dressed as you see in my avatar and albums.
My web site www.apparentlyfemale.com
I have over 2,500 pictures on my Flicker site located at http://www.flickr.com/photos/9315394@N02/
I have a pair of Breastform Store triangular forms, the Gold quality ones. The backs are made from a tough but flexible plastic material which takes spray glue such as Hollisters, and the excellent double-sided adhesive patches that BFS also sells. I've had no trouble with peeling the old patches off, although I experimented with using a couple of chicken fillets and the patches at one point. When it came to peel them off, I tore the back of one of the fillets in 2 places, rendering them useless. BFS also sells adhesive refresher wipes. Although not nearly as strong as the patches, they provide enough tackiness to keep your boobs in place under a strapless, fitted dress for example. If I use Hollisters - and I think its very expensive - more than £20.00 here in the UK - I use WD40 to clean the backs of my forms. As long as you wash the forms thoroughly (I use washing-up liquid), they are as good as new after each clean.
[SIZE="4"][/SIZE]"You can have my stilletoes when you can prise them from my cold, dead feet"
Gosh girls..I'd be very, very careful about using any adhesive that's not made specifically for medical use.
Even if you do not have an allergic or burn reaction the first time that doesn't mean it won't happen, eventually.
We can easily develop allergies from repeated use of materials that are not intended to be so close to our skin. I know many med folks, nurses and emt's who have developed allergies to latex, from having worn them for such a long time...and latex is a natural product!
Also, even trace amounts of industrial solvents will be absorbed throught the skin, especially the thin skin of the chest and sensitive skin of the nipples, and possibly affect us badly in years ahead due to a toxic buildup...
Importantly for some, industrial chemicals are also very likely to damage reproductive organs and sperm health...
Be careful, my dear ones. It'll be hard explaining to your lawyer how you got that toxic chemical related disease in later years when you get around to suing 3M.
Last edited by deja true; 05-12-2008 at 01:53 PM. Reason: spelling...
Hope I'm not stating the obvious here and I'm no expert - so please correct me if anything I say is wrong - but this is my understanding having worked a fair bit with all sorts of glues.
These are all types of contact adhesives meaning they stick immediately on contact. These glues give off lots of fumes as they react with air and dry - hence the strong smell - and it's vital these fumes are allowed to escape to the atmosphere. It's also why many of these glues have a big flame warning as the fumes in some glues can be quite flammable.
If you don't let the fumes escape and put the 2 surfaces together too early, the fumes can't escape. 2 things then happen. They don't stick properly, and, as the fumes get trapped next to your skin they can then cause heat, nasty reactions etc. including chemical burns. So it's vital for both effectiveness and safety that you get the timing right. I'd suggest people do like I do - try a bit on your skin first, then if it's OK, try glueing something to your skin next and leave it for as long as you think necessary (a few days maybe). Only when you're happy you know what you're doing, commit to having the full form attached. It took me a few goes of waiting too long so the glue was completely dry so no good, or not long enough so it was still a bit wet and didn't bond properly either. It should be sticky to touch but not actually come off the surface on to your finger as then it's still too wet.
Hollisters must have some sort of special mechanism where it doesn't produce nasty fumes or reactions - hence the high price probably. But I found it not just expensive but a real pain to clean up. Hopefully this forum will educate us all in how to use what's right for us cheaply and safely.
The other thing that is important with all glues is surface preparation. The main reason glues don't perform as well as the adverts say is if the surfaces are not prepared correctly i.e.not clean. Sweat, oil and everything else plays havoc with glue and more will appear through pores as soon as you clean them. So getting the skin around these pores thoroughly clean beforehand for the glue to stick to is paramount. Obviously don't scrub too hard or use harsh detergents or you'll have irritated skin before you start.
I'm going to carefully try the 3M 77 this weekend. I'll go cautiously and have a bucket of Goo Gone ready in case I have to get them off at the first sign of trouble. I'll let you know how it goes.
Marina
I recently purchased my first silicone Breast enhancers. I am a natural size B but want to increase to a size D. This is my first attempt, having used cloth bean bags before.
Your cleaning and adhesive information is excellent and I will be going to Home Depot to purchase this adhesive. Where can you buy "glue gone?"
I have been told that theatrical makeup can be used to blend the breast forms to your skin tone. What is your opinion Ms. Tamarav?
One more question are there breast forms, other then enhancers, that can be worn over you breast?
Last edited by IMkrystal; 05-12-2008 at 09:30 PM.
The first time I used Hollister 7730 I had a very bad chemical reaction. I will not use this again. I have used It Stays with no problems. I think the 3M Super 77 is worth trying for the cost savings.
A few of you had said it's hard to find 3M glue. This product is usually available in all arts and Craft supply stores and I also can find them in stationery stores everywhere. Hope that helps!
In the US, check Sears for the 3M adhisive and Target for the Goo Gone spray bottle
Drumming, My other hobby
Hey, missed this thread at first.
GREAT idea for a discussion.
The reason for my recommendation of the "ItStays" adhesive is because the maker of my forms recommended it to me. I asked because they said the adhesive that was on the forms would wear out after 20 uses or so. "ItStays" is designed for sticking things to your skin and so has no bad solvents etc... Now it is worth noting that Super 77 probably works better. When I go out dancing for example, I have to use a bra because the combination of lots of movement and sweat will cause the "ItStays" to loosen. The one time I did that the forms didn't fall off... but they did slide down a ways south.... (boy was I embarrassed when I noticed it, although I do not think anyone else had - yet!).
I tend to believe in using only "just enough" of that sort of thing. If I can use a for sure safe product and it will work for what I need, then great! Now, probably I'll try out the Super 77 for dancing![]()
Might get that chance for some outfits where bras do not work so well.
As many above have said, please be careful about using products not designed for human skin, such as Super 77. Test it out before you use it to go out. That way, if you are going to have an adverse reaction, you can just clean up and move onto another product. You will also find that the overspray from Super 77 can make a mess, so be careful near your clothes etc...
I finally tried the 3M super 77 this weekend with good results. Sprayed a little on my chest and a little on the forms. Waited until it still felt sticky but didn't come off on my finger when touched i.e. no strings of glue. I put them on on Friday at 6pm and they were still stuck firm and feeling good when I went to bed on Saturday night. By Sunday morning, they were a little ragged and coming away at the edges. I've only used Hollister once before and the 3M was as good if not better. No burns, ichyness etc. but when I took them off the skin was a little red but that's hardly surprising when something pulls on your skin for 40 hours. They're size 9 (40DD) so I guess it'd work even better with average size boobs - I'm thinking a size 7 or so might look and act better, maybe next purchase.
As per Tami's technique, I used about half a small bottle of Goo Gone which took about 10 minutes to soak through and the forms to fully fall off. Bit of advice - do one at a time as when one is half off or more, it pulls harder on the remaining glued skin so you want to hold it with 1 hand and work the goo gone with the other - a bit difficult to do 2 at a time.
I then lay on a towel and put more goo gone on my chest and rubbed it round and round to disolve the glue left on my chest - took another few minutes. My forms look like brand new after a wash in Goo Gone then washing up liquid - better than they did before. Then I hopped in the shower and a good scrub and I was all clean.
Another bit of advice - The goo gone combines with the glue to make a runny but still slightly oily sticky runny substance. I sat in my big shower and removed the forms, but I left the shower for half an hour or so before I showered and the substance had dried out leaving a sticky flim on the shower floor. No big problem to clean up with a pad and cleaner but it would have been even easier if done straight away. And I wouldn't want it to get on a carpet.
Several hours later, the redness on my chest is virtually gone, it's not itchy or sore and I think it'll be totally invisible by the morning. So don't go 40 hours and take them off just before you need to show your chest to an unknowing person but generally the side effects seem no problem.
All in all, my breasts felt great, the 3M & Goo Gone works as well as the Hollisters did (the one time I used it) and it was a hell of a lot cheaper and much easier to clean up. Pretty successful and something I look forward to doing again.
Thanks to all on this forum for helping me find and use these products - another great reason for being here
Marina
Before using this product on your skin, I would certainly read the MSDS (Material safety data sheet) linked in another post above. In particular, these sections:
Route of Entry: Skin YES
Route of Entry: Ingestion YES
Route of Entry: Inhalation YES
Health Hazards - Acute and Chronic [EYES] EYE IRRITATION, REDNESS, SWELLING, PAIN, TEARING, HAZY VISION [SKIN] MILD SKIN IRRITATION, REDNESS, SWELLING, ITCHING [INHAL] HEADACHES, DIZZINESS, DROWSINESS, INCOORDINATION, SLOWED REACTION TIME, SLURRED SPEECH, DIGGINESS, AND UNCONSCIOUSNESS [INGEST] NOT LIKELY A ROUTE OF EXPOSURE
AVOID PROLONGED OR REPEATED SKIN CONTACT
Emergency/First Aid Procedures [EYES] FLUSH W/ WATER FOR 15 MINUTES [SKIN] WASH W/ SOAP AND WATER, REMOVE CONTAMINATED CLOTHING, LAUNDER BEFORE REUSE [INHAL] REMOVE TO FRESH AIR [INGEST] DO NOT INDUCE VOMITING, NEVER GIVE ANYTHING TO AN UNCONSCIOUS PERSON
Basically, they are pretty much saying outright that this is NOT a product that should come in contact with your skin at all, much less for hours at a time!
Not all issues are as obvious as rashes and skin burns... I'd hate to use this product for a year to stick breast forms on, then pay the price later in life with cancer or some other chemical induced health problem.
skin contact is a GOOD way to transfer chemicals into your body (look at nicotine patches). Please don't take a chance with some industrial chemical that has never been tested for this purpose.
In a society in which it is a moral offense to be different from your neighbor your only escape is never to let them find out.
-- Robert Heinlein
Hi Everyone,
Joanie is the only one who says she uses my glue, Nu-Hope Adhesive. I tried Hollister and it would not hold for long on me. I have also used Smith & Nephew with the same results.
To clean my forms, I use De-Solv-it and it can be found here: http://www.orange-sol.com/household/index.html
Some other things. I have several silicone forms from Glamour Boutique. If you shave your chest, shave the day before you attach your forms. If you do it the same day, you can get some nasty burns. Apply rubbing alcohol on your chest before putting the forms on. This helps keep them attached.
"It is better to be looked over than to be overlooked." Mae West
http://360.yahoo.com/ritaknight1999
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ritaknight1999/
What an awesome thread!
Fo myself i have used non-selfattachable forms and holister adhesive. It works, but I screwed up and didnt order the adhesive remover, which means after a year of occasional use there was a full can's worth of adhesive stuck to the back side of the forms, giving it a leathery texture. I'd spot cleaned a couple times as a test with various things but nothing seemed to work to remove it, though I was able to remove extra adhesive with some effort from my body with nailpolish remover.
On a whim today I tried something different. Liquid wrench by Gunk. Sprayed some on and let it sit. As these were older forms I am replacing shortly anyway, and werent top quality to begin with ( $60 off ebay) I wasnt all that concerned with damaging the breast forms, I just wanted to see if that would work.
Well it worked. Extremely well. I had to spray the forms and let sit about a half hour with the liquid wrench each but this made the yeas worth of hollister adhesive a sticky gooey mess that I was then able to remove with a cloth, soap and water ( with a fair bit of effort granted, but NOTHING seemed to take the adhesive off before) . I now have two spotlessly clean forms drying off in their original boxes.I washed with sunlight dish soap before putting away removing any residue from the liquid wrench in the process.
NOw I'd like to try the 3m77 adhesive, and having a walmart next door will look for it there, but it would help if someone had a picture of what I'm looking for. I'd tried a few adhesives before I got the Hollisters most of which were failures.Also what department would one look for the 3m adhesive in? I'm not sure it's sold in canada, but if it is I'd like to give it a try, the hollisters was easily $40 after shipping.
Amanda
Amanda,
Google 3M super 77 and you'll find lots of pictures of it.
As for the health hazards mentioned by Cristi-
Yes I agree you should be careful with getting anything on your skin but - the more serious effects mentioned are for if you get it in your eyes or inhale it, which I certainly won't do. The effects listed from skin contact of mild skin irritation redness etc. don't sound too horrible and that's if you happen get a reaction to it - which doesn't mean you will. Lost of people work with lots of potentially hazardous substances and they aren't allergic to them. Unless you use serious amounts of stuff, you're unlikely to develop allergies to it. More hazardous substances have much more scary warnings and the ones listed for skin look like standard warnings that companies these days put on just about anything. Look at cement for example - if you believed what that says on the data sheet, you'd avoid it like the plague.
As I said previously, if you use anything at all on your skin (medical or industrial), go slow, try small patches first then bigger ones for longer, and in an environment where you can get it off fast.
Marina
but when I have, I've used Hollister's. Not having anything else on hand, I've used paint thinner to remove it from both my forms and me. I always jump in the shower immediately, to wash off the thinner. I hate that smell! I can't recommend thinner.
But, just wanted to say, in a pinch it will work!
U can't keep doing the same things over and over and expect to enjoy life to the max. When u try new things, even if they r out of your comfort zone, u may experience new excitement and growth that u never expected.
Challenge yourself and pursue your passions! When your life clock runs out, you'll have few or NO REGRETS!
I ran out of the Elmer's adhesive I've been successuly using. So I thought I would give the Super 77 a try, but me being me, I also saw the Hightack 76 and it had more volume so I thought I could get more use out of it than the 77. Also, I've got a car headliner that is coming loose so that influenced my decision, it looked like it would hold better... :-)
So what I discovered, unlike the Elmer's which has a wide even spray the 76 sprays on in a stream like 'silly string' and I have to even it out with a foam brush. The second difference is the glue dries quickly from sticky to tacky and then dry/non tacky in minutes. The Elmer's remains tacky for days like tape does.
In my first attempt, I let the glue dry for 10 minutes and the forms would not stick to my chest. Secondly, I let it dry for a couple minutes with some tackyness left and they stick on pretty good, but under their own weight they slowly detach. On the third try, I put them on almost immediatly. They stick better, but still not as good as the Elmers. On the positive side, they hold on, but come off without leaving any residue and seems to be less chance to damage the skin by removing them too quickly.
In summary:
Elmers
reusable with one application of adhesive
very thin, even spray, watch for overspray (easy to make the floor sticky)
strong hold, remove slowly
needs time to dry ( min 1/2 hour), but stays tacky
high odor when spraying
cheap
76
one use, must apply quickly
uneven spray, not much overspray
good hold, easy to remove
low odor
more expensive
77
haven't done it yet...maybe someone else can fill in the details
There have been some times when I've had my forms glued on for a day or two. When removed, not quite had time to clean them. Then get an unexpected invitation to a party or event. Not having time to clean them, I'd just spray another coating of Hollisters. Never really been a problem, they stick fine.
I did buy and test the 3M Super 77. Other than the chemical smell, it worked fine. Cleaning the forms was no real problem either.
Given my occasional need to re-attach the forms before cleaning them, I'm curious if there are any problems with spraying the Hollister over the 3M, or 3m over the Hollister? Possible chemical reaction?
Bobbie in Vancouver
Thanks All! But I'm sticking to my own tits! "A Naturale" Just can't beat the real deal!
Thank you, Tami. This is great advice. I have used adhesive with my forms, but when I get around to trying it, I will have some excellent information to help me.
warmly, Linnea
Just Kidding.
Actually this kind of worry is why I never dared try to glue on my forms before. How would I explain my breasts to the wife or to the people at the emergency room? After reading the great thread Tami started and all the excellent advice I gave it a shot. I used 3M77 and Goof Off.
After a pretrial, I sprayed some cheaper forms I'd gotten at Ebay and voilla. It works. The only glitch was the glue remover stung a bit. Next time I think I'll let the glue off gas for 10 minutes before I apply the foms to my chest.
It really felt good to have the forms glued on. It was like they were a natural part of me. I'll do it all the time now. It doesn't take as much time to do as you would think either.
A couple of suggestions. Wiping down your skin with rubbing alcohol first would probably promote better adhesion, and an old tooth brush (used gently) does a good job of cleaning the remover and glue off your forms.
A question. How do you keep the glue spray nozzle from clogging up between uses?
To keep the spray tip clean, after you use the glue turn the can upside down and spray it until only air exits the nozzle. Same deal as spray paint.
-
After trying the high tack 76, I have to say I don't recommend it because the glue dries too quickly before the tackyness is gone. The only method that works for me is to spray the form and immediately with the ht 76 press it to my chest and then remove. Wait for the glue to dry and then replace the forms. This method works similar to contact cement. Doing this, gases escape first but there is some glue that is contacting your body while the solvents are still active, but do the forms ever stick well! They are stuck and you can't remove them without using a solvent. Paint thinner like varsol works well to remove them (use a paper towel soaked in solvents and rub underneath from side to side until they come loose). Btw, this is using the breastform store supersoft forms with re-enforced back.
...obvious issue for a quickchange though. I prefer the Elmer's glue which gives me stick and peel without using solvents to take them off.
I originally used an inexpensive set of forms with the Hollister's spray adhesive. I unfortunately got lax with the removal of the residue from the forms and it had a negative effect on them prompting me to purchase new ones.
Biting the proverbial bullet I broke down and parted with a few Ben Franklins and bought the Amoena Contact 351 forms from the Breastform Store.
Best money I have spent!!
Granted I don't go braless (at 42C I don't think that's practical anyway for me), but the ease of use and cleaning, plus the feel far out weighs that loss for me.
They come with a cleaning kit which includes a soft brush and mild cleanser. Warm water and a few scrubs and voila, let them air dry and they are good as new.
Just clean my skin with an alcohol wipe, position and press in place. Slip on my favorite bra and off I go. No waiting, no muss, no fuss.
Removal is a gentle peel. I was amazed at just how stuck they became with a long day's wear and a little body heat. They warm to body temperature quickly, are incredibly soft and have wonderful movement. They feel like me and are as close to real as I can get without implants or hormones (wish, wish...).
The original forms would begin to feel uncomfortable after about 8 hours, but these I've worn for over 16, and actually hated to have to remove them for bed (it's not good to sleep with them on...they might rupture).
Just my $10....considering gas prices and all these days...![]()
I don't wear women's clothes, I wear MY clothes !
[SIZE=4]Two things: [/SIZE]
[SIZE=4]First, ingredients in the 3M 77 glue, label indicates that all dry ingredients "are listed as indirect food contact additives when used in food packaging with minimal opportunity for exposure". Not sure of the whole definition but when I talked to a neighbor who is a chemist that works on food stuffs, additives. He stated that the contents shouldn't hurt you if you let the high ends of the aerosol evaporate first, usually about 3 minutes. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=4]Secondly: while looking at 3M 77 in the store a woman was holding a can of i Intertape AC50 and saw me reading the label on the 77. She said that it was a good substitue for the 3m 77 and cheaper too. I bought a can and took it home to experiment. DON'T USE IT FOR BREAST FORMS. It is entirely different and has a high VOC content. I ordered the MSDS and found that it is not good on human skin at all, too many ingredients that aren't good fo us, or any living thing.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=4]i Intertape AC50 is readily available at low lot prices on eBay but it is not for use with breast forms. Scratch this one off your list if it was on their.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=4]I notice a lot of reservations on many people's part about using adhesive to adhere breast forms. I started using the hollister when advised by the manufacturer of the forms. I ventured out and read what I could find on other adhesives when I couldn't get Hollisters quickly, I failed to order in time. For a completely feminine feeling, attaching the breast forms is second to none. It is the most realistic thing next to your own real breasts. That is the reason I use adhesive and will continue to do so.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=4]Plus, you can't wear a skimpy halter top wearing a bra, every nuance shows so you have to very careful with the placement of the forms to make sure you can cover all of the forms. Picture attached ([SIZE=2]snuck another one in didn't I?)[/SIZE][/SIZE]
[SIZE=4]Your sis,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=4]Tami[/SIZE]
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
I am a licensed Cosmetologist (hair stylist, not cosmonaut), work as a hair and wig stylist, makeup artist and permanent makeup artist, dressed as you see in my avatar and albums.
My web site www.apparentlyfemale.com
I have over 2,500 pictures on my Flicker site located at http://www.flickr.com/photos/9315394@N02/
Ladies,
I just started a new thread about my experiences using TrueKare self-adhesive forms. It's at:
http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/...ad.php?t=84915
Hugs,
Susie