A glue gun, adaptable for either cordless or corded operation, comprising:
- a pistol-type gun casing with a base and a barrel with a longitudinal axis terminating in a nozzle assembly, the base being adapted to receive electrical power from a power source which is either a battery or an ac to dc converter;
- a heater assembly including an electric heater element adapted to melt glue contained in a glue stick;
- a drive motor;
- electrical circuit means for applying electrical power to the heater element and, selectively, to the drive motor;
- a feed roller disposed within the casing so as to be transverse to and in longitudinal alignment with the barrel and operable, in response to the selective application of electrical power to the drive motor, to be rotated thereby in a preselected direction;
- a selectively removable glue stick holder extending through the heater assembly in longitudinal alignment with and between the nozzle assembly and the feed roller so that the glue stick, when disposed within the glue stick holder, extends from the nozzle assembly onto and beyond the feed roller, said glue stick holder including a peripheral stop formed thereon so as to disposed between the heater assembly and the feed roller when the glue stick holder extends through the heater assembly;
- means for pressing the glue stick, when so disposed, against the feed roller so as to cause the glue stick to be urged toward the nozzle assembly in response to rotation of the feed roller in the preselected direction comprising
- (a) a hinge extending longitudinally along a portion of the barrel top, the barrel having a first barrel side which is fixed with respect to the heater assembly and a second barrel side which is connected to said hinge so as to be selectively rotatable through an arc between a first disposition which is adjacent the heater assembly and a second disposition which is remote from the heater assembly to permit access to the glue stick holder,
- (b) first and second roller elements which are mirror images of one another and whose outer glue stick engaging surfaces are complementary to their respective peripheral portions of the glue stick to be contacted,
- (c) first axle means on which the first roller element is rotatably mounted so as to be fixed with respect to the first barrel side and transverse to the glue stick, and
- (d) second axle means on which the second roller element is rotatably mounted so as to be fixed with respect to the second barrel side, the first and second axles being in axial alignment with one another when the second barrel side is in its first disposition, and
- (e) locking means fixed to the second barrel side for normally retaining the second barrel side in its first disposition;
- and
- a trigger assembly disposed within the casing and having a trigger extending externally thereof for manual actuation, said trigger assembly, when manually actuated, being operable to selectively apply electrical power from the power source to the drive motor.