DIY Fathers Day Gift

How do you make a "Dad, You Rock" Father's Day gift?

This is a framed card made from two decorative rocks with googly eyes, stick-figure arms and legs drawn on, and the words "Dad, You Rock" written across the top. It takes about ten minutes plus glue time, and the only technical part is sticking stone to cardboard — which needs an adhesive that bonds unlike materials.

Selleys Power Grip is the glue for it. It sticks stone, brick, concrete, masonry, cardboard, metals, wood, ceramic, glass, foam, leather, laminate, fibreglass, vinyl, fabric and most plastics — which covers both halves of this join.

What you will need

• 2 decorative rocks — one larger than the other
• Thick cardboard
• A picture frame
• Selleys Power Grip
• Black permanent marker
• Sticky googly eyes, from a craft store
• Colour and glitter, if you want them

How to make it

1. Cut the card to the size of the frame.
2. Stick both rocks to the card using Selleys Power Grip. Press firmly in place for 1 minute.
3. Stick the googly eyes to the rocks.
4. Draw the details. Using the permanent marker, draw stick arms and legs coming out of the rocks and write "Dad, You Rock" at the top of the card. Add your own colour and glitter.
5. Assemble the frame. Remove the glass from the frame, place the card inside and secure the backing.

Removing the glass is not optional — the rocks stand proud of the card, so the glass will not sit down over them.

Getting the glue right

Power Grip is a high-strength household glue that is extremely flexible and shock and impact resistant, and it works on uneven surfaces — which is exactly what a rock is. A rock has no flat face, so the contact patch is small, and an adhesive that stays slightly flexible tolerates that far better than a rigid one.

Colour	Transparent with a yellow tinge
Setting time	3 minutes
Initial bond time	12 hours
Service temperature	-15°C to +120°C
Packaging	4 g, 5 g, 8 g, 10 g and 20 g tubes

Indicative data only, not intended for preparation of specifications.

Three practical points follow from the data sheet.

Clean and dry surfaces first. Decorative rocks are often dusty from the bag. Brush or wipe them and let them dry — glue bonds to stone, not to the dust on it.

Apply to one surface only, then bring the pieces together. Pressing firmly for a minute, as the guide says, gets the glue into the texture of the stone.

Give it 12 hours before you stand the frame up or wrap it. Setting time is 3 minutes, which is what holds the rock while you work; the initial bond time is 12 hours, and that is when the join is properly strong. Cardboard is porous and stone is not, and the data sheet notes that porous surfaces such as wood and ceramics usually reach practical strength within 12 hours while non-porous surfaces such as metals and plastics take longer. A useful trick from the data sheet for the non-porous side: keep the surfaces apart for 30 seconds after applying before bringing them together, which reduces set time.

Power Grip cures rapidly once opened, so wipe the nozzle clean, replace the cap tightly straight away and store the tube upright in a cool dry place.

Limitations worth knowing

• Not for polyethylene or polypropylene plastics. If you swap the rocks for something plastic and it will not hold, this is usually why — Selleys All Plastics is the product for those.
• Not for permanent water immersion.
• It will yellow on direct exposure to UV. Keep the glue under the rock rather than around it, and keep the finished frame out of harsh direct sunlight if you want the join to stay invisible.
• Allow longer set times on non-porous surfaces such as metals and plastics.

Clean up

Uncured Power Grip comes off with turps or acetone. Cured product can be sanded and scraped — which is not something you want to attempt on cardboard, so wipe any squeeze-out straight away with a damp cloth before it sets.

Safety: a ten-minute craft project with a Danger glue

This is a kitchen-table project, and Selleys Power Grip carries the signal word Danger. It is not classified as Dangerous Goods for transport, which is why it stores like any household glue — but the classification on the label is real, and it is about the eyes.

H318 — causes serious eye damage (Category 1). Category 1 means the effect is not assumed to reverse: permanent injury rather than a sting that passes. It also carries H317 (may cause an allergic skin reaction, skin sensitisation Category 1A), H315 (causes skin irritation) and H335 (may cause respiratory irritation).

What follows for this project. Gluing a rock to a card means a small hand-squeezed tube at close range, with your face over the card so you can see what you are doing. A rock has no flat face, so people squeeze harder to get enough glue into the contact patch, and a tube warmed in a hand or a pocket lets go faster than expected. Point the nozzle away from your face, and wear eye protection.

The more important point: this is a gift children help make. The adult does the gluing. Children can cut the card, place the eyes, draw the arms and legs, add glitter and assemble the frame. The one step with a Category 1 eye-damage classification is the one to keep to yourself. A splash needs a 15-minute flush and a call to the Poisons Information Centre, not a rinse and a blink.

H317 at Category 1A is the more severe sensitisation sub-category. It is not irritation that washes off — it is the immune system learning to react, generally permanently, built up by repeated small contacts rather than one spill. Wipe squeeze-out with a damp cloth as the page says, but wear gloves while you do it rather than using a finger.

If you swap the rocks for plastic shapes, check what they are. This page sends polyethylene and polypropylene to Selleys All Plastics — also Danger, but for a different reason: H225, highly flammable liquid and vapour, plus H319 (serious eye irritation) and H336 (may cause drowsiness or dizziness). That belongs at an open window with no heater or candle in the room, and it is not a children's craft product.

The lower-hazard alternative, where the materials allow. If the craft is card, paper and timber only, Selleys Aquadhere Interior is the PVA Selleys nominates for school projects and it is not classified as hazardous at all — no signal word, no hazard statements. It will not hold stone to cardboard, which is why this page specifies Power Grip; but for the ribbon, paper and timber variations of the same idea, it is the one to hand a child.

Poisons Information Centre — 131 126 in Australia, 0800 764 766 in New Zealand.

Common questions about this Father's Day gift

How long do I press the rocks down for?

One minute, firmly. The glue sets in about 3 minutes.

When is the gift ready to give?

Allow 12 hours — that is Power Grip's initial bond time.

Do I glue both the rock and the card?

No. Apply to one surface, then bring them together.

Do I need to clean the rocks first?

Yes. Make sure the surfaces to be bonded are clean and dry; decorative rocks usually carry dust from the bag.

Why remove the glass from the frame?

The rocks stand proud of the card, so the glass cannot sit flat over them.

Will the glue show?

Power Grip is transparent with a yellow tinge and yellows further with UV exposure. Keep the bead under the rock and wipe any squeeze-out before it sets.

Can I use plastic shapes instead of rocks?

Most plastics are fine, but not polyethylene or polypropylene. Selleys All Plastics is formulated for those.

Can I hang the frame outside?

The glue is water and weatherproof and rated from -15°C to +120°C, but it is not for permanent water immersion, and cardboard is not an outdoor material. This is an indoor gift.

Can I paint over the glue?

Power Grip is paintable.

How do I clean up a spill?

Turps or acetone before it sets — but wipe it off cardboard with a damp cloth immediately, because cured glue has to be sanded or scraped.

What size tube should I buy?

The smallest tube is plenty for this project. Power Grip cures rapidly once opened, so buy for the job at hand rather than the biggest tube.

What else can I fix with this glue?

Ceramic ornaments, shoe soles, handbag straps, broken pots and wooden toys. See 5 tips to repairing sentimental items.