More often in the interiors you can see things created by the hands of the owners. Often, when they are made by a craftsman, the question arises: how to glue glass and metal? The original mirror in a frame of copper in retro style, a glass table with a steel frame, air transparent shelves framed by bronze - if you do not connect their parts correctly, the design will quickly fall apart or lose its appearance. It will be very offensive if in a few days the glue changes its color and the brown or yellowish stripes shine through the shiny surface. Do not rush to take up tools, first get high-quality materials for bonding parts and learn how to work with them.
What is better to glue?
First, answer the question: what do you want from your design? If the product does not experience any loads, the appearance is not important to you and the yellow streaks will not get on anyone's nerves - go to the store and buy a tube of cheap universal glue. He does not require special skills from you, the work will not be time-consuming: the glass and metal were smeared with glue, pressed against each other - and ready. Many woe-masters do so, not knowing that manufacturers have long been producing compositions with the help of which it is possible to restore the thing so that no one will notice the traces of gluing.
For a true home-based craftsman, his work should be:
- strong;
- is durable;
- neat.
The last point is especially important if a product made of glass and metal will see many people, for example, when repairing glasses or jewelry. For furniture or automotive glasses, the strength of the connection is necessary, but the appearance plays an important role.
Specialists recommend the following adhesive grades:
- VERIFIX MV 750 - only for transparent glass,
- V 682-0.
When deciding which glue is best to work, carefully read for which materials the selected composition can be applied. Glasses with a relief surface do not stick as reliably as perfectly smooth ones.
advice If you are repairing products that will be in contact with a person's body for a long time, such as costume jewelery, check to see if the chosen composition will cause an allergy or skin irritation. Toxic drugs are based on silicone. If there are any health problems, it will be superfluous to ask the doctor how safe glue is.
If the structure does not become exposed to high loads, and the seam is not visible, it is possible to prepare the glue for metal and glass independently. Take the lead glands, chalk and gypsum in 2.5 parts, add 3.5 parts of rosin. Mix all ingredients thoroughly and combine with linseed oil. In density, the adhesive composition should resemble putty.
bonding technology You have acquired quality material, now you do not need to spoil it with inept use. Read the instructions, understand how to glue glass and metal, and follow the manufacturer's recommendations. Do not spare the time for preparatory work: the condition of the surfaces will depend on the strength of the connection.
The work consists of the following operations.
- Clean the glued surfaces of glass and metal, remove dirt, foreign substances, adhering particles, as much as possible smooth the irregularities.
- Degrease the joint with a compound, after which no film remains. The wiper on an alcoholic basis is good.
- Check how the surfaces fit together.
- Warm the parts so that their temperature is 30 ° above ambient air. For this work it is convenient to use a hairdryer.
- Install the parts so that the seam is in a horizontal plane.
- No later than 5 minutes after warming up, apply glue, connect the fragments and firmly compress them for 2 minutes. If excess glue is squeezed out of the seam, remove them until the droplets harden.
- Irradiate the surface with an ultraviolet lamp. For a device with powerful radiation, the exposure time is 10 seconds, if the lamp is weak - 2 minutes. After this procedure, the connection will acquire 70% strength.
- For structures experiencing high loads, perform a second irradiation - from 1 to 5 minutes. After this procedure, the strength of the connection will reach a maximum.
Board
Do not try to apply a thick layer of adhesive for strength. When using an ultraviolet drug, the opposite applies: the thinner the adhesive film, the stronger the connection.
When bonding metal and glass, there are some subtleties. If you use a medium viscosity compound, it must be applied before joining the parts. It is most convenient to work with a thin brush, and make sure that there are no spots and bubbles left over with glue. The composition with low viscosity with the help of capillary activity itself will be drawn into a narrow gap, it is possible to connect the fragments before applying the preparation. Surfaces must be fastened so that they are firmly pressed against each other, and apply glue to the joint.
The seam turns out to be strong enough, but you need to properly operate the product. The temperature range is quite high: from -40⁰ to + 150⁰.For household conditions, this is usually enough, but it is not recommended to repair greenhouses in the Arctic Circle or windows in ovens in this way. If the structure is exposed to water, the seam should be treated with a sealant for additional protection against moisture.
Before using any chemical composition, read the instructions carefully. The same brand can evolve with time, change properties a little. At the same time, the technology of work may change: the method you used 2 years ago is not necessarily suitable for a new modification of the glue. If you use an unfamiliar composition, you can first practice on the scraps of glass and metal, so as not to make mistakes in the manufacture of a responsible design. Do not forget about your own safety: do not use food utensils for work, wear protective gloves.
The chemical industry produces a huge range of compounds with which you can glue any materials. Do not take the first product that comes to hand, find the glue that will firmly connect the metal and glass. Carefully read the instruction, what loads and external influences can sustain the product. If you choose the correct composition, the connection will be strong, and the seam will be almost completely invisible.