Elmers Glue.. maybe too much

Stuart Clayman · Post by **Stuart Clayman** » Sat Jul 19, 2003 11:16 pm

I have been using Hotline's Fusers Glue for years and had no problem. Today I got lazy and used Elmers glue. I was crating air bubbles between BE red and clear and was wondering if it is possible to use too much Elmers and have it come out looking like a solder splatter?

Stuart

rosanna gusler · Post by **rosanna gusler** » Sun Jul 20, 2003 5:58 am

yes stewart. especially if the elmers gets enclosed in glass before all the carbon burns off. rosanna

Greg Rawls · Post by **Greg Rawls** » Sun Jul 20, 2003 8:14 am

I once spent a lot of time creating and fuse a super-detailed pineapple. Once finished, I decide to fuse it to a round clear disk to make a bowl. Put a glob of Elmer's to hold the pineapple in place. The glue was trapped and carbonized beneath the pineapple. I now have what I call my "Rotten Pineapple" bowl.

Jackie Beckman · Post by **Jackie Beckman** » Sun Jul 20, 2003 9:36 am

If you're going to use Elmer's just water it down, about 50/50 and use the smallest amount possible. If you are going to trap the glue between glass, or if you use transparent glass, this is most important. I use only opals and don't trap the glue with a clear cap, so I never have a problem with Elmer's. Another solution for you would be Klyr-Fire. The bond is not as strong, but really, the intended purpose of any glue we use is just to get the piece built and then into the kiln, so strength is not a major issue.

rosanna gusler · Post by **rosanna gusler** » Sun Jul 20, 2003 11:05 am

if you hold around 1000 it will burn out. rosanna

Stuart Clayman · Post by **Stuart Clayman** » Sun Jul 20, 2003 11:45 am

Thanks for the info..... thank g-d this was only a sample for a cousin... will keep to the fusers glue except in a pinch and then I will use the elmers watered down....

P.S. Rosanna.... looking forward to seeing you again at the conference.. have not had a free weekend to make it down to the Outer Banks... to enjoy some seafood with you.... Maybe in the fall

Stuart

rodney · Post by **rodney** » Sun Jul 20, 2003 1:11 pm

on the elmers,,,,when getting rid of the carbon, is there a point where you can hold the temp, before the frit fuses, where all the carbon will be burned off,,,,is it necessary to open the lid in order to solve this problem

thanks

rodney

Bea · Post by **Bea** » Fri Aug 08, 2003 7:49 am

On this topic and because I am a newbie to fusing................ where can I get this fusers glue? I live in Australia and it is hard enough getting anything together for glasswork........

I am only doing small pieces for jewellery and have tried Glastac which takes forever to set and still produces bubbles, Aquadhere which sets faster but also produces bubbles and none here seems to have heard of Elmers glue.........

Any links/info would be greatly appreciated.......

Bea

Don Burt · Post by **Don Burt** » Fri Aug 08, 2003 8:28 am

rodney wrote:on the elmers,,,,when getting rid of the carbon, is there a point where you can hold the temp, before the frit fuses, where all the carbon will be burned off,,,,is it necessary to open the lid in order to solve this problem

thanks

rodney

I heard somewhere that 1000 degrees is a good place to soak.

paulajane · Post by **paulajane** » Fri Aug 08, 2003 9:31 am

Last year I was working on a project having nothing to do with glass where I was looking for a purer PVA glue than Elmers. I found a few of different consistencies. When I needed to have a better hold than traditional glass glues like Klyr-Fire, I tried one of them. This glue is just called PVA and it is a PH neutral glue with no solvents and it is acid free.
It is made by Books By Hand out of Albuquerque, NM. It is mainly used for bookbinding since it is archival. I think I found it under bookbinding supplies in my search engine.

I use it full strenght and between layers even under a clear cap if the cap is placed precariously. I have never had a problem with it. I do vent my kiln to about 1000 at two rates that equal in time about 1 1/2 hours.

Paula

Stuart Clayman · Post by **Stuart Clayman** » Fri Aug 08, 2003 10:04 am

At a production shop that I work at a few days a week we use Hotline's Pate-De-Verre & Fusers Glue every day and have no problem with it. Unfortunely when I was doing my hot box demo all I had access to was the elmers. For the woman who asked where to get it. We get it from Ed Hoy's here in the states. It is made by Creative Craftsmen in Warrenville, IL

KILN-TEC · Post by **KILN-TEC** » Fri Aug 08, 2003 10:22 am

Have you tried using cheap unscented hair spray? Just spray into a small cup, then use a very small brush and dab a bit where your pieces join. You can watch it flow in between your pieces. Takes about 20 minutes to set up. We like this a lot better than Elmer's glue. The hair spray does emit a strong odor while burning off.
Rich KILN-TEC

Paul Tarlow · Post by **Paul Tarlow** » Fri Aug 08, 2003 10:50 am

db wrote:I heard somewhere that 1000 degrees is a good place to soak.

Yup. Any time I'm burning off anything -- including fiber paper binders -- I soak for 15 minutes at 1000F. For me it fixed a bunch of little annoyances.

- Paul

Rob Morey · Post by **Rob Morey** » Fri Aug 08, 2003 11:57 am

Am I the only one that uses hot glue?

Rob

Bea · Post by **Bea** » Sat Aug 09, 2003 9:55 am

Thanks to all the members who have posted replies and suggestions....... they are all helpful and I will try out the hairspray and PVA (which I think is the craft glue I have)...........

I haven't tried hot glue - do you mean the one which is used by crafters with a hot glue gun?

Cheers
Bea

Rob Morey · Post by **Rob Morey** » Sat Aug 09, 2003 11:50 am

I haven't tried hot glue - do you mean the one which is used by crafters with a hot glue gun?

Yeah. It burns out at around 700. I use lots of fiber paper so I usually vent my kiln to 1100 or so. Without the paper I would probably vent to around 800. I don't know why you use glue. I need it to hold my pieces still so I can brush the frit around. I only use a couple of dabs on each piece to hold them still.

Rob

Bea · Post by **Bea** » Sun Aug 10, 2003 10:24 am

Rob

I am fusing only small pieces for jewellery and need to attach silver wire to the glass before I put it in the kiln so it won't shift during the fusing.......

One of the pieces I fused a few days ago was still not glued on and I thought I'd let it go - the top piece 'slipped off' while fusing and made a mess........

Tonight I am trying the PVA glue, it is quite a slow drying glue and I have dried all my pieces for a few hours near the fire so I hope it works better this time *keeping fingers crossed*

Bea

paulajane · Post by **paulajane** » Sun Aug 10, 2003 11:42 am

I attach all my high fire wire with the PVA glue and have been very successful. I glue the wire to the back and then to the second layer of the piece. I rarely wait until one side dries before I glue the other. but I do let both sides sit for about, I guess, an hour. Using it, I have not experienced any shifting ofthe wire nor the two layers.

Paula

Rob Morey · Post by **Rob Morey** » Sun Aug 10, 2003 12:34 pm

Bea,
I don't think the hot glue would help you as it would soften and liquefy long before the glass could hold itself up. The PVA sounds like it might work.

Rob

Bea · Post by **Bea** » Tue Aug 12, 2003 6:11 am

I have tried a few pieces with the PVA glue and it seems to do the job far better than any of the other glues I have tried so I think I will stick to this for now.

Many thanks for all the sharing and recommendations. You folks are just great !!!!!!

This forum is really great for me as I do not have anyone to turn to (I live on a small remote island) and am learning by trial and error, reading up all I can from books I can get hold of and info on the internet.

The only glass course I have done was a 3 day workshop on glass bead making and fusing has appealed to me since I heard of it a few months back..........

Thanks, thanks and thanks again !!!!!

Bea