MasterPieces – Puzzle Glue with Wide Plastic Spreader, Easy to Apply, Dries Quick and Clear, Protects Finished Jigsaw Puzzles, Water-Soluble, 2 Pack, 5 oz Each

This glue is absolutely remarkable. It is incredibly clear and dries fully transparent with a nice glossy shine. I've seen a number of complaints from other reviewers that I'd like to respond to, as I think they were quite unfair: 1. Complaints that this glue is messy -- Actually, assuming you take proper precautions (see below) this glue is definitely NOT messy and is super easy and clean to apply. All you do is pour the glue in the middle, then spread it around using the included paddle/scraper, which you can then throw away. No need to buy a paintbrush or other tool, nothing gets on your fingers, no issues at all. I don't see how this can qualify as messy. The glue itself is quite thick, so it also isn't going to get runny and go places it shouldn't. I think people aren't being careful and are somehow spreading the glue beyond the edges of the puzzle. That's not the manufacturer's fault. The glue is so thick it is quite easy to control. I've glued several puzzles and never had more than a single drop go over the side. 2. Complaints that the glue will seep between the puzzle pieces -- Why is this a surprise? Did you think your puzzle pieces were waterproof/airtight? The glue is obviously liquid (though it is pretty thick and viscous), so how can you possibly blame the glue manufacturer for the gaps between pieces in your puzzle? That said, I have never had a problem with glue seeping through (partly because I buy quality German puzzles with tight-fitting pieces, and partly because I put wax paper underneath the puzzle before gluing). 3. Complaints that the glue will glue your puzzle to table/paper/cardboard underneath -- This is related to the above, with glue either seeping through or people spreading glue beyond the puzzle, so that drips of glue run over the size. And, yes, if you do that, then if you don't put a non-stick surface (like waxed paper) underneath, the glue will stick to it. Again, why is this a surprise? Frankly, anyone who has ever done any gluing knows you need to be careful with what surface you are working on. I tape 2 strips of waxed paper together, slide the waxed paper gently under my puzzle, then apply the glue. Never had a problem. 4. Complaints that the glue will cause the puzzle to curl or become wavy -- Again, this isn't the glue's fault. It is inherent in the gluing process. Frankly, this glue doesn't create as much of an issue as I would have expected, provided you take proper precautions. Curling is caused when glue isn't spread evenly. As the glue dries, there is a little bit of shrinkage, and if different puzzle pieces or sections shrink by different amounts on a tiny, tiny scale, then you get some curling. So the most important thing is to spread the glue evenly. You also want to avoid spreading it on too thick, as that can also lead to uneven drying. If, after being careful, you do wind up with some curling, it is easy to fix. First, let the glue dry several days until the surface is no longer sticky or tacky. Second, flip the puzzle over and place it face down on a couple of sheets of waxed paper. Third, stack heavy books or other flat objects on the back of the puzzle, and wait a few days. After that, the puzzle should be nicely flat. 5. Complaints the glue doesn't cover as much as it should -- This is actually a fair complaint. Each bottle says it contains enough glue for 2-1000 piece puzzles. Ultimately, it isn't really about the number of puzzle pieces, but the size or area of the puzzle that you need to cover. Without indicating how much area the glue covers, the 1000 piece number is meaningless. In practice, I have found that I need BOTH bottles in order to cover ONE SIDE ONLY of a Ravensburger 1,000 piece 27" x 20" puzzle. That works out to 540 square inches for both bottles, or 270 square inches per bottle. A few tips: A. Tape two strips of waxed paper together, then gently slide them under your puzzle with a back-and-forth sawing motion. B. I find it easier to pour the glue into two "pools" (one in the middle of each half of the puzzle), rather than a single puddle in the middle, then spread from there. C. Since the glue is quite thick, it takes a while for all of it to dribble out of the bottle. I like to hold the bottle over the edges of the puzzle and let it drip around the outside edge of the puzzle. This makes it easier to ensure the edges get enough glue. D. Related to (C)...make sure the edges get enough glue!!! Seriously, it is easy to think you have the edges covered, but then when it dries you realize you didn't go quite to the edge and now some pieces are loose. E. After applying the glue, look at the puzzle from different angles or inspect with a flashlight to make sure you covered all of the puzzle with glue. This stuff is so clear, it can be hard to tell where it was applied and where no. I use the different light angles to try and spot differences in the amount of gloss. Wherever the puzzle is slightly matte, I know I need to spread some glue there. F. Ummm...don't spread glue beyond the edge of the puzzle. G. Let the glue dry for a few days before touching or moving. H. After it is dry, flip the puzzle over and glue the back. I just paint on a thin layer of Modge Podge, because I have it on hand and it is fairly cheap. You don't need to buy more of this puzzle glue for the back. No one will see the back and it would frankly be overkill. One more thing: there is absolutely no comparison between glossy Modge Podge and this stuff. This puzzle glue is 100x better and makes the glossy Modge Podge seem dull and hazy by comparison! Hope this helps, Adam

Awesome! I bought the ravensburg puzzle conserved and hated it. Masterpiece Puzzle Glue is so much better. Very easy to apply. In cooler conditions, warm the bottle slightly in a bowl of warm water for five minutes before using. The day it was delivered to me was about 30 degrees outside. The Amazon parcel sat in the delivery truck all day and was very cold. The glue at first was very difficult to use, my fault. Once the glue was warm enough to use, I simply poured it on the puzzle and use the provided spatula to spread it around. In all honesty all you need to worry about it good coverage. The glue self levels and removes the spatula marks. It takes about five to ten minutes to apply evenly and do a good job. Put a plastic trash bag under your puzzle first to catch all the dribbles around the edges and between puzzle pieces too! Drying takes about an hour or two and the glue dries Crystal clear and has a beautiful glossy finish. The puzzle simple peels cleanly from the plastic bag. No mess and no fuss. Strength is suburb. Between the quality of the Ravensburg puzzle (best ones around) and the glue, after my first attempt the puzzle could be picked up in one hand and support itself. Thousand piece puzzle that measures about 27 inches by 18 inches...or their about. I applied a second coat and let it dry. At this point you could darn near use them as place mates. Kidding of course! I've glued up two, one-thousand piece puzzles and still have about three ounces left, from two five-ounce bottles. I think the bottles claims to be enough to do two puzzles, but only if you single coat them. I'm ordering more and recommend this glue over ravensburg's own glue.

Glue arrived in great shape. Holds really well and didn’t curl our puzzle a bit. Lays nice and flat, and the glue dries nicely. Not overly glossy, just right IMO.

This stuff works well and dries to a clear hard coat as advertised. Now, with that said, there are two things I'm not sure about: A) The amount required - it claims there is enough glue for two 1000-piece puzzles. I'm not sure if I used too much, but I used the entire bottle for one side of my Springbok 500-piece puzzle. Maybe it's just a particularly "thirsty" puzzle, but once I spread what I thought was a liberal amount from the center to the sides as the directions state, I could see that very little of the puzzle was coated, so I kept having to add more. Finally I ended up using the whole bottle. B) The drying time - again, maybe this was because I used too much, but after an hour (again, as directions state) it was still wet and the pieces were loose. So, I put a fan on it and let it dry overnight. The next morning it was fully dried to a hard, clear lacquer and I could pick the puzzle up and move it around whole. After the glue was fully dried, I was pretty sure the puzzle doesn't need another coat to go in a frame, but if I wanted to be frugal and just hang it up without a frame, I'm not sure it would hold forever. In short, I'll probably buy again but just get a lot more.

Easy to apply and dries in a couple of hours. This glue worked perfectly!! I love love love the way it made my puzzle pop😊

Fantastic! Perfect consistency. Minimally messy application and beautiful shiny finish. P.S. I applied only to the puzzle side and used the sticker puzzle saver on the back. Also, I needed almost 2 bottles to cover this 1000 piece puzzle. Perhaps it would have been possible to use a thinner layer, but it would be less secure and even.

It easily covered both sides of a 550 piece, 18"x24" puzzle with a bit left over. I recommend either using a flashlight or applying in a bright room so you can use it to see which parts are covered well. I just simply poured in the center of the puzzle but it would have probably been better to use smaller puddles throughout the puzzle or poured in a spiraled fashion since some of my edge pieces were a bit lose after gluing only the front. It was definitely easier to apply to the back of the puzzle because you could easily see which areas had less glue based on the color of the paper backing. It made the front of the puzzle a bit more glossy but it did not look bad on my puzzle. Based on the complaints here are some of my thoughts: Use wax paper underneath your puzzle because it does seep through the cracks. I only had 1 place where a decent bit got through but it was easily separated from the wax paper and I used the cheapest wax paper I found on amazon. Do NOT use newspaper or poster board. Mine did not leave any air bubbles, I didn't apply the glue for a day or two after I received it which might have helped it settle out any air bubbles from transport. I found the spreader was enough to get it in all the cracks, you need to pour it kind of thick though. I pushed any excess off the sides. It wasn't really that messy as long as you use wax paper below it with a 2"-3" border around the puzzle. Any glue that I got on my hands dried very quickly and was off within a minute of scrubbing. I could simply peel some of it off by the time I finished applying. I picked my puzzle up after ~8 hours of drying and with application only to the front and it held together very nicely. There were a few loose spots but the application to the back should fix it. Don't fidget with the puzzle until it has dried for a few hours. Just apply the glue and walk away. I would definitely recommend getting 2 bottles for a 1000 piece puzzle if this is your first time doing something like this, it was my first time and I had some areas I didn't cover too well and areas where I pushed some excess off the sides. You will probably waste some, use too much, or need to re-coat. It seemed like you would need to be very efficient for both sides of a 1000 piece puzzle only using 1 bottle. Mine curled very slightly in a few of the corners but it was most likely due to differences in the amount of glue from the center since I poured only in the center. They seemed like it would flatten out if you covered the puzzle and left some weight on it, like books, for a few hours. They were not curled enough to the point were I wouldn't frame it. My application to the back is currently drying, if it causes any other damage or problems I will update this review

I have used this glue to glue front and back of 4 puzzles to hang on the walls in my kids room. So easy to use. Cleanup is easy if you use to much and it gets on a surface. I can not recommend this puzzle glue high enough. 5+ stars