Gluing targets

I was wondering what some clubs use to glue the targets to the cardboard. I bought wallpaper paste and used that before and was thinking of something cheaper. Is there a way to waterproof a target without stapling plastic on them.

  Stan

3-M makes an aerosol type spray for gluing paper. Works great, and rain doesn't seem to affect it.

Wallpaper paste is generally what is used. I use spray adhesive for my practice targets, but it is definitely not cheaper. It does have the advantage of not making the cardboard curl. For waterproofing, the only thing I have done is seal the top and bottom of the cardboard with clear packing tape.

I've seen home recipes for making paste, I haven't tried that yet. I'm trying to get some club members interested in Bullseye and was going to hold a .22 only match, maybe a 600. 
  When shooting swc and wc it helps keep the holes sharp and easy to score. I think the water drying has a lot to do with curling the cardboard, I might try wetting the backside with water and see if it helps.
  Stan

You can always staple the targets to the backers. Many clubs in the mid-Atlantic do that.

jmdavis wrote:You can always staple the targets to the backers. Many clubs in the mid-Atlantic do that.

+1 on staple gun. 

FWIW, I found the Stanley TR45 Light Duty Staple gun fits my needs.  Masking and duct tape work also.  Masking tape generally is used to patch the rapid/timed fire target for shots out of the repair center.  One way to measure progress is to count the number of masking tape patches for shots outside the repair center.  The less the better.

My range uses 4 pieces of masking tape to attach targets to a large sheet of cardboard, I staple repair centers to that.

As a match director, there are advantages to gluing targets.  One of which is that you know you have enough targets and backers.  And cleaning up is easier since you don't get punctured with all those 3/4 inch ceiling tile staples at the edges of the targets that shooters seem to like to use.  

(Pet peeve, but it only takes a 1/4 inch staple and you don't have to push the stapler though the target and backer to make it work.  If you quit pushing so hard you fold the backer, it can sometimes be reused and will stay in the frame better.) 

The trick to gluing targets is to get the right cardboard backers.  Even single wall cardboard comes in various thicknesses of cover paper and it makes a difference.  Do not get the cheapest / thinnest single wall if you want to glue targets. 

If you want to use wallpaper paste, get double wall or thick single wall cardboard and the powder paste kind you mix yourself.  Its cheaper and will work out better.  Use a very light coat and firmly press the target to backer, moving from center to edges.  Targets need about a week to dry out properly and reduce warping in the sun. 

Spray adhesives work with thinner cardboard, but can still cause some warping if not done early and stored flat.  Use adhesive on the target and the cardboard, then put together just like most contact adhesives.

I finally got enough locking cabinets installed in the range shed so I now know that I'll have supplies for each match and its less of a problem.  

Also, I keep a supply of waxed / waterproof backers stored for rainy days. 

CR

We use the light gauges staples and we police up the staples on our own backers, so no one person has to deal with everyone’s staples.

As for spray adhesive, if you spray a very light misting on the target or backer only  and allow it to dry a minute, then apply the target to the backer, it should stick fine and still be removable and it should not curl.   Make sure to let it dry first before assembly.  It should feel tacky, but not wet.

 If you get curling (especially on the target), you are spraying too heavy a coat.  If you spray target AND backer, then you may not be able to separate them later, as the bond will be too strong.  

It depends on your needs and if you intend to reuse the backers. We reuse ours a few times since they do not get shot up too bad for a .22 600 and we don’t have the best shooters, so the center areas are good for several matches.

Don't think I have ever been to a match, other than Perry, where they used glued targets.  You guys are pretty fancy.

It's never occurred to me to glue the targets to the backer.

We use simple 1"x2" wood frames, staple cardboard to the frame (heavy staples), staple the target to the cardboard (light staples). The competitors remove all the used targets at the end of the match, if the cardboard needs replaced I do that between matches.

If gluing works for you that's great...but sounds like kind of a pain.

I've used the 3M glue, but making or using wallpaper paste is much cheaper. One big advantage of gluing over stapling the full target for matches is that it holds in place even when someone shoots out a corner, the target gets wet or the wind is blowing across the firing line. Another thing is when removing old centers, the full target stays in place. Nobody likes to have the line held up for targets to be repaired, especially in inclement weather.

I tried using wallpaper paste but the results were not satisfactory.  We have used clear packing tape to tape the sides of the targets, but it is tedious.  The spray stuff works, but is expensive. No one seems to sell the 1/4 inch staples but I found that WalMart carries them online.  It came to $1.60 or so per package and shipping was free.  The 1/4 inch work just fine and there is less chance of stabbing yourself when removing the used cardboards.  Our cardboards are attached to the target frame with one inch binder clips, so they are easy to replace during a match.

Here's my quirk:
For personal use, I taped a target to a foamboard backer with double sided tape.
Then stuck transparent photo corners on the front of the target to hold the repair center.
Easy to remove repair center and replace with a new one.

Going to have to try wallpaper paste or spray glue to stick the target in place. Last time I tried to glue it, the backer was fine but the target went very wavy.

Suggestion: use choroplast (as in old political yard signs, corrugated plastic) rather than cardboard for target frame backers.  Weather resistance and lifetime extended substantially.

Coroplast has a tendency to warp badly. We see this in rifle competition. We get sized cardboard at ~$157/300. We generally use this cardboard once for a match and after that leave it for club members to use for practice. Good shooters will blow out the 9/10/X rings. 

Coroplast is at least 2x as expensive and you still blow out the 9/10/X rings, plus it warps more than cardboard in my experience.

jmdavis wrote:You can always staple the targets to the backers. Many clubs in the mid-Atlantic do that.

That's how we do it out west.

Having shot around the Dallas area a time or two, we stapled targets to cardboard backers, leaving the backers after a match for practice for the host club (not many left that have real matches, with the run and gun crowd taking over range/bay after range). Having recently moved, no idea how things are here; wondering how many targets a tin of 3M 77 will do instead of staples...

Perry solved that problem.
target printed directly on the cardboard!
They even supplied clear plastic bags to put over them if it rained!

For high power repair centers, we have a paint roller and a 5 gallon buckey partly filled with an adhesive that contains ammonia. I'll have to find out what it is. We have a gluing table. Fold the target and roll it on from the center outwards. I paste up my be targets there

Our club uses white glue mixed 1:1 with water and rolls out a new face for every match.

I know the IDPA guys spray their targets with cheap polyurethane to keep for wet conditions.

Wouldn't use the plastic stuff- just not enough savings.