This thing is old. I got it in the mid 1960s, I think, not long after the tool was first introduced to the market.
From what I can gather, the 'Thermogrip' name currently belongs to Bostik, Inc., but this gun, a Model 200, was made by the United Shoe Machinery Corporation (USM). In its day, USM was a huge industrial concern. There's some interesting historical information about the firm here.
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Anyway, the pictured glue gun may be done for. The second last time I used it, I thought it was behaving a bit oddly. The last time I used it, there was no doubt about it -- it wasn't just melting the glue, it was boiling it back up out of the orange input tube.
Evidently, the thermostat has failed closed -- it's not cycling, it's just keeping the heater on constantly. The odds of this being repairable are slim to nil, but it can't hurt to take a look inside.
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Hmmm.
There comes a point where even I consign some things to the landfill, and this appears to be at that point.
Oh well, this glue gun certainly outlasted its warranty period. New ones are probably less than I paid for it in 1960s dollars.
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