How Do YOU apply E 6000

Randy W · Post by **Randy W** » Mon Jul 14, 2003 8:55 am

I have about 150 pair of earrings to glue the backs to. I am using E6000 adhesive. I squeeze out a small blob onto a piece of scrap glass, then I use a tooth pick to apply a small dab of glue to the earring back, then quickly attach my glass piece. After about 5 pieces, the glue starts to get rubbery and doesn't want to stick well and I have to squeeze out another blob of glue. I'm wasting a lot of adhesive. Is there a better way to apply the glue? How doyou do it?

Thanks in advance.
Randy

Dani · Post by **Dani** » Mon Jul 14, 2003 9:32 am

It's awful, isn't it? I tried some E6000 with one of those skinny applicator noses and it was good for one go-round, then clogged for life. In desperation, I recently tried another glue... Elmers expandable polyurethane. You lightly mist the item with water, then apply just a small drop of the glue which is thinner and comes in a small bottle. That part was great. However, the expanding part is hard to control and I had to glue little doeskin squares over the pin backs to hide the glue. The other good news is this glue is really aggressive and will probably hold forever. If one could just just combine the best characteristics of both glues

.... it would be grand!

rodney · Post by **rodney** » Mon Jul 14, 2003 11:22 am

i was using e6000, and when i finished a huge batch, the guy who was selling it for me, says,,,,the stuff stinks,,,i figured the smell would go away,,,,it doesnt, or not in a timely manner,,,,,and i had loads of failures with it as well,,,,,the stuff to get, which smells worse, so make sure you have a ventilated area is THE WELDER, you get it at walmart, but once it sets up, there is NO SMELL,,and the failure rate is almost zero,,,, as far as im concerned,,, E6000 IS A MAJOR BUST,,,

as far as applying it,,,,i use a flat pasta, a delicate touch keeps it from breaking, and you get lots of it for a buck

rodney

K Okahashi · Post by **K Okahashi** » Mon Jul 14, 2003 1:35 pm

Hi Randy,
We use it all the time. We tried many others and by far the E6000 is the strongest- we do our own tests by really pulling it off and it doesn't budge at all. The trick is to let it dry for about a day. We haven't noticed any smell once they are completely dry.

If you make the hole large enough on the tube, you can cut out a point on a popsicle stick and use it to dig out the glue from the tube. We find if you do about 20-40 pieces at a time, it should be fine. Make sure you don't run a fan while working with this stuff. It'll dry the stuff out too fast.
Dani's right, the skinny applicator nozzles don't work.

Hope this helps...we used it early on, had some initial problems, tried others, then came back to it. Good luck!

Kitty · Post by **Kitty** » Mon Jul 14, 2003 2:23 pm

hi randy. i dont use e6000 any more ... long list of reasons, including the bond weakening over time. that might be a problem of being in the tropics. anyway, to apply e6000, or any other stuff, my method is to squirt some out on a piece of cardboard. small amount. like, about the same amount as you would use in toothpaste. hold the earring stud by its shank, and gather up a nice little quantity on the "head" of the stud. seat the stud onto the glass coming straight down. use care to not approach at an angle. the excess e6000 will form a nice "ring" around the head of your stud. after some practice, you'll get the hang of how much to gather up to achieve a sufficient quantity for a good bond, and a good appearance.

i'm primarily in the earring business, and probably glue up 3000 pairs of earrings with studs every year, plus i make dangles that don't require glue. my favorite method is with Devcon's 2-Ton Epoxy, not to be confused with their Five Minute Epoxy. 2-Ton has a longer set-up time, so it remains like honey for quite a few minutes while you are working. gather up the epoxy on the head of the stud as i previously described. seat the stud. rest the earring on its face in a little tray of long-grain rice, to keep it balanced while the epoxy hardens up. after it sets up, heat the tray of rice and earrings in your oven for awhile. Devcon told me to cure it at 150F for 4 hours. my oven's lowest temp is 170F, and i leave the earrings in there for anywhere from one hour to several hours, depending on whether i'm in a hurry to ship or not. this oven treatment has a tremendous effect on the bond of the epoxy.

i know a lot of people use e6000 with success, so please understand that i am not contradicting the experience of Keiko or others who use it without problems. i dont know why it won't hold up for me. it just doesn't. i had a lot of stores returning earrings months later because the sterling came off. with the epoxy, that doesn't happen anymore.

one tube of e6000 i had was a disaster, and i called the company that makes it to ask how come it wouldnt bond correctly. they directed my attention to a date stamped on the end of the tube, and my tube was old stock. e6000 needs to be fresh, and the hobby store i bought it at wasn't selling it quickly enough. so in that case, that was part of the problem.

i think the reason e6000 can fail is related to its volatility. as you mentioned, it gets rubbery rather quickly, and it smells. that's the solvent dissipating. the instant that starts to happen, the batch has to be discarded and fresh glue squirted out for the next batch of earrings. human nature being what it is, we push our luck sometimes.

my failures were few enough that at first i ignored them, but over a year or so i realized that the product wasn't reliable. one woman in honolulu bought (over time) about 50 pairs of my earrings in the clip style, which i used e6000 on. the clip hardware is the best i've ever found, but epoxy doesn't work well with it. this woman has asked me to re-glue some of her e6000 earrings more times than i like to hear about. they seem to last about six months or a year, then the clip comes off. you can see that the e6000 has yellowed and dulled.

i also believe that the acids in perspiration contribute to the failure of the glue. earrings that are worn a lot -- as in the case of my friend's clips -- are more prone to glue failure.

before i found out about e6000 i was using something similar called Stix All, and had the same breakdown problems as with e6000.

good luck, and i hope you sell all your pairs! kitty.

gone · Post by **gone** » Mon Jul 14, 2003 2:41 pm

So far, nobody has mentioned surface preparation. Mine haven't failed since I began grinding a rough area where the finding will attach. I clean the glass thoroughly while wearing latex gloves and don't take them off until everything's done. "Sterile technique" left over from a previous job, ugghhhh! A little oil from your hand will cause the glue to fail. I use alcohol to clean them and make sure they're dry before I apply any glue. For dangly earring, I've gone to UV glue, but I still use E6000 for posts and bracelets, where the UV light can't reach.

hth,
Els

Kitty · Post by **Kitty** » Mon Jul 14, 2003 2:56 pm

i always did good surface prep, and even did sanding to resolve the problem with the clip earrings glue failures. my favorite theory for the clip failures with e6000 was too much exposure to acids in perspiration. it seems to make sense since i'm in the tropics, and the nature of a clip earring is that it's tighter against the skin, thus more prone to penetration by salts and acids.

i just bought Hxtal epoxy, and i'm going to try that out with the clips. i've been using GE clear silicone for the last couple of years, which works OK, but i'm hoping the Hxtal will be even better.

jim simmons · Post by **jim simmons** » Mon Jul 14, 2003 5:12 pm

Kitty wrote:i always did good surface prep, and even did sanding to resolve the problem with the clip earrings glue failures.

I have had the exact problem, and have since swithced to Aleen's Glass and Bead slick surfaces glue, and haven't had a return yet, However that has only been about 8 months, so we will see.

Jim

Kitty · Post by **Kitty** » Mon Jul 14, 2003 5:18 pm

hey jim ... never heard of Aleen's. where did you buy that? i might like to try it and see what happens. i'd have to order it online or mail order ... it's very unlikely it's for sale where i live. thanks! kitty.

jim simmons · Post by **jim simmons** » Mon Jul 14, 2003 5:24 pm

Kitty wrote:hey jim ... never heard of Aleen's. where did you buy that? i might like to try it and see what happens. i'd have to order it online or mail order ... it's very unlikely it's for sale where i live. thanks! kitty.

We get it at allmost any craft store. Michaels, craft warehouse, etc.
the tube looks a lot like E6000.

Jim

K Okahashi · Post by **K Okahashi** » Mon Jul 14, 2003 7:01 pm

Duh, forgot to mention prepping the surface. Els, you make a great point and surface prep made a HUGE difference with how the E6000 held up for us. We did it without prepping it

and then prepping it correctly

. Roughing up the edge and then cleaning it is so important.

Kitty, I'm a little concerned because we do some jewelry business in Hawaii- I'm thinking you might be right about the humidity. Don't know how that affects pendants.... Hmmmm....

Jo Holt · Post by **Jo Holt** » Mon Jul 14, 2003 7:11 pm

Randy Wesner wrote:I have about 150 pair of earrings to glue the backs to. I am using E6000 adhesive. I squeeze out a small blob onto a piece of scrap glass, then I use a tooth pick to apply a small dab of glue to the earring back, then quickly attach my glass piece. After about 5 pieces, the glue starts to get rubbery and doesn't want to stick well and I have to squeeze out another blob of glue. I'm wasting a lot of adhesive. Is there a better way to apply the glue? How doyou do it?

Thanks in advance.
Randy

A system that has worked is to dab the E6000 on the finding and the glass seperately - let them sit 5-10 mins, then put them together. As previously said, make sure both surfaces are clean and prep the glass.

At first you'll feel you're wasting the glue but eventually you'll get into your own rhythm and know how much to get out at a time.

Good luck!

Jo

gone · Post by **gone** » Mon Jul 14, 2003 8:34 pm

Jo Holt wrote:
At first you'll feel you're wasting the glue but eventually you'll get into your own rhythm and know how much to get out at a time.

Good luck!

Jo

Oh yeah, I forgot to also mention to only use very fresh glue. I always squeeze the first bit out that's a little harder than the middle of the tube. A paper clip works great to scrape the opening. It wastes some glue, but the price is so little, compared to the hassle and embarrassment of having a piece fall apart.

Els

Kitty · Post by **Kitty** » Mon Jul 14, 2003 8:53 pm

keiko, it could be combination of humidity, temperature, and the acids and salts from perspiration. the e6000 itself lost its bonding ability, and seemed to degenerate slightly, enough for the adhesion to give up. higher humidity and temperature = more perspiration, thus more salts and acids. earrings fare much worse than pendants, which seems to reinforce my suspicion about the chemical action on the glue from being worn.

i forgot to mention in my long post that the issue of cleaning had already been thoroughly addressed by me, and was not the problem.

aloha, kitty.

Mark Kemp · Post by **Mark Kemp** » Tue Jul 15, 2003 12:23 am

Recently I removed some earring backs I had glued on with E6000 a couple years ago -- it took a lot of work wedging a knife blade under the earring pad and prying to remove them -- thoroughly ruining the studs. (I've since taken to soaking them awhile in acetone -- much easier.) I dab a bit on a toothpick or similar stick or wire, directly from the tube, apply it to the earring pad, then rub it around a bit to make sure it's adhering well, then press it on the glass. I don't use any glue that's starting to set up. As others have mentioned, cleaning is important. -- I use rubbing alcohol. It's funny that some people hate the smell of E6000 -- while I know it's toxic, the smell doesn't bother me. But I recently used some 5-minute epoxy because I needed them in a hurry, and I remembered how I hate the smell of epoxy. Both glues work.

Kitty · Post by **Kitty** » Tue Jul 15, 2003 1:15 am

that awful 5-minute epoxy smells like something from the basement of Hell. the 2-ton version doesn't stink.

GlassOrchid · Post by **GlassOrchid** » Wed Jul 16, 2003 12:15 am

The use of E6000 always seems to rile folks up for or against! I've seen it over and over. I've used E6000 for about 9 years and I can count the returns on my left hand.

For earrings I squeeze out a little blob right on the top of the tube where it squeezes out.... I don't put it anywhere else.... then I scoop some with the finding, right onto the finding. I squeeze it out as I need it and I put the cap right back on when I'm not using it. Then I position the post on the 'stone' and don't even look at it for 24 hours. For bracelets I do the same thing but put the glue on the stone itself and then position it on the finding.

Whenever I have had a problem it was usually because the person doing the gluing did not use enough. Many findings have little holes (like pin backs and barrettes) and I use enough so some squishes thru these holes and also forms a mechanical lock.

If customers have returned items .... for instance... they want the earrings to be clip on or they broke the barrette and want me to fix it.... it takes A LOT of work to pry the findings off AND to clean the dried glue off of the glass. This stuff STICKS. After a few days the smell does go away.

I've investigated using two part epoxies but found it to be too much trouble.... gloves, goggles, getting the exact proportions...... when the only benefit seems to be that the glue is invisible when you use something like dymax. Yeah, it looks nicer but it is on the back....... I can live with that...... I've tried using GOOP too but it smells way worse!!

I know some people who can't seem to make E6000 work but also many that do.... I swear by it and use it every day...

go figure....all I can suggest is that you try it for awhile and see if it works for you....

~Nancy

K Okahashi · Post by **K Okahashi** » Wed Jul 16, 2003 2:14 am

Sorry for the digression folks, but I found out a nice little secret when taking the findings, etc off a glued piece- put it over a mild heat- candle flame for a few seconds. Usually the findings will pop right off. Don't hold it over the candle too long- just a few seconds. If you hold it longer, it can melt the finding or discolor it. The glass- if annealed properly shouldn't be affected. We had to do this to a few and it works great! No need to pry your fingers off.

p.s. Kitty you are probably right about the humidity, perspiration, etc.

Randy W · Post by **Randy W** » Wed Jul 16, 2003 8:39 am

Thanks for all your responses. As usual I got more information than I asked for and that's always a good thing!

I have a couple more questions, a couple of you mentioned that you "grind" the back before gluing. How exactly are you grinding them? Some of my pieces have a little kiln wash stuck around the edges. Also, how do you display your earrings? I have been cutting poster board into 1" X 2" rectangles, then poking two holes in it, then attaching the earrings. I am planning on filling a basket or a kiln formed bowl with the earrings. Are there other ways?

Thanks, Randy

GlassOrchid · Post by **GlassOrchid** » Wed Jul 16, 2003 9:30 am

You are cleaning the kiln wash off before applying the glue right? I don't grind mine and have no trouble..... but if it's earrings you can just hold the back up to your grinder. (you may have trouble lining larger things up with the grinder head to grind the right spot........ if you don't have a grinder you can use a dremel to scratch up the back.... adds a lot of work to the process though.. which converts to $$$$$$.

~N

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How Do YOU apply E 6000

How Do YOU apply E 6000

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Re: How Do YOU apply E 6000