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I'm interested in information about fusing glue. Must you always use specially formulated fusing glue or are there other products or normal household things you can use which would just as effective?

Elmers glue - dilute it 50% with water. Works fine.

Dilute Elmers at least 50%. The manufacturers claim that the glue burns off and leaves no residue but I haven't found this to be true. Glue on the surface usually burns off completely, but I have seen residue when the glue is trapped between layers - especially between clear. Just be careful how and where you use it.

I don't think you can get Elmers glue in Scotland(UK) so can anyone in Britain help me out with fusing glue?

SONYA wrote:I don't think you can get Elmers glue in Scotland(UK) so can anyone in Britain help me out with fusing glue?

Elmer's glue is a brand name for white glue. This is from a family of glues called PVA glues. PVA stands for poly vinyl acetate.

You can find it in the UK in children's stores (such as Early Learning Centre) or in DIY stores (it's used for stabilising plaster prior to wallpapering). PVA is probably the most widely used glue in the world, so other places will certainly have it also.

The key to using glues with glass is to dilute the glue and use as little as possible. And remember, the glue burns off at around 900F/480C -- it doesn't hold the glass until it fuses, just holds it to help you get it in the kiln.

Thank you so much Brad Walker for your reply. I'll now be able be go out and buy some. I imagine it will be cheaper than buying dedicated fusers glue.

I've been messing around with CMC. It is a powdered binder that is mixed in hot water until diluted and then can be thinned to whatever consistency is desired. I put in a pot of water that has boiled and cooled a bit then stirred until it is all diluted. This can then be thinned with cold water.

In high concentrations, CMC serves to keep solids suspended in a liquid. the threads of the methyl cellulose hold particles in suspension.

I believe that Klyr Fire is a weak concentration of CMC. At some point you can coat frits with a water/CMC solution and when it dries it will be stuck. The binder in the CMC burns off cleanly and will also do so when used between layers of glass.

I'm pretty sure this works on the finer frits, I'm not sure how heavy a frit it will hold.

I have been an avid user of Klyr Fire for over two years. It works great between layers and holds stringer and frit well, but not well enough to be turned upside down, until dry. If you want to be able to flip it upside down, sort of like a tack fuse without the fusing, try Krazy Glue. It works wonderfully well. Patty Gray taught me that, and she has also experimented with other brands, and said that she gets the most consistent results with the Krazy Glue brand. I personally haven't tried any other brands due to her advice, but have been using the Krazy Glue for a while with no burn out, residue, or other problems.

Anea

Andrew wrote:Dilute Elmers at least 50%. The manufacturers claim that the glue burns off and leaves no residue but I haven't found this to be true. Glue on the surface usually burns off completely, but I have seen residue when the glue is trapped between layers - especially between clear. Just be careful how and where you use it.

I've been using diluted elmer's and find this, too. Works fine for opaque and dark pieces, but I'm making dichroic jewelry and find sometimes it leaves a smudge or flaw on the dichroic surface. Is this a place to use fuser's glue? (that is, does special fuser's glue *not* leave a smudge on clear dichroic?) I've been trying not to use glue now on clear pieces, but when putting lots of little pieces on a shelf it's a zen test a little above me, and I find myself snarling at the cats if they come too close to the work table...

-Susan

I've been using Aileen's Tacky glue. Clear, dichro, whatever and it hasn't left a mark. Sets up pretty fast too. I don't water it down either, just a little dab with a toothpick. I don't much like any Elmer's products, that's just personal preference I guess.
Didn't Tony Serviente do a bunch of different glue tests and post the results? I think it was him.

Like Bert, I have used CMC. For those who are afraid of chemical terms, I can tell it is the stuff that makes jam to a jelly and not juice.

I had a class at Päivi Kekäläinen ( for Englsh speaking friends Paevi Kekaelaeinen). She used starch as a binder in
thin pate de verre. CMC is very close to starch.

Dries slowly, does not hold until almost dry.

For quickies I use 5 sec. Cyanoacrylate.
-lauri

I add some CMC into kilnwash, too.
It gives harder surface that I can sand smooth.
-lauri

u can get elmers glue from creative glass in kent..pearsons also sell a type of fusing glue,i use the 1 in liverpool but think theres also 1 in east kilbride theyll send it out anyway....ive been using super glue for the past few months + its working fine,no residue or nowt... dan.

Thanks alot everyone. This is my first time using the Bulletin Board and I'm so impressed with the response. Dan you say you use Super Glue. Do you use this to stick glass together prior to fusing?

Clear nail polish works in pinch for me also

I glue up alot of things that either have to be moved into a kiln from across the room, are too difficult to lay up on a kiln shelf or need to flipped and fired face down. White glue has all the attributes I need. It can handle non flat, and even heavily textured glass. It sets up within an hour. It has a flexible bond that allows for easily handling of the glued up pieces. It is cheap, easy to obtain and is non toxic. I use it full strength, sparingly, and only along the edges. It can be very capricious, sometimes leaving no trace and sometimes a lovely black spot, but kept along the edges almost always gives a clean burn off.