Q&A Monday ~ cracking the base of Glass On Glass mosaics

Subject: mosaic adhesive on Glass on Glass mosaics

 
After being being asked by a customer about the heat activated mosaic glue sheets, we tried them with "glass on glass" using the GNA restover restoration glass & glass tiles.  These were heated both by the heat gun & your "patented heater" & both resulted in moderate to poor adhesion with the back glass being cracked all 3 times.....  We've gone back to using the old standard "Weldbond".  Neither of these were more than 2 ft sq in surface area.  Is this a common thing?  I am reluctant to push this product after my bad luck, any suggestions?

 P

14" round Glass on Glass (GOG) mosaic created with stained glass on recycled window glass
with No Days Groutless Mosaic Adhesive. The edge of the glass base was wrapped with
zinc edge came and soldered together with wire hangers.

Hi, P~

 I'm sorry to hear that you're having problems with the adhesive on glass on glass (GOG) mosaics. Since it is a heat set adhesive, using the adhesive on larger sheets of glass can result in cracking with uneven heating. Glass can thermal shock and crack if different parts of the window are heated too quickly. I've attached a photo of one of the GOG mosaics that I've been working on lately. These are 14" round on plate glass (recycled window panes). To heat these, I bring the whole thing up to temperature in the kiln or oven before heating with a heat gun. This ensures that the glass is all the same temperature and evenly heated. In the oven, I'll set the temperature to 200 degrees and put the piece in while the oven is room temp. 10-15 minutes later, I can remove it to an insulated work surface (I use homosote board) and continue to heat with a heat gun to move my pieces into place and push down on them to ensure good contact with the plate glass below. (In the kiln, I set the temp a bit higher so I don't have to wait so long. The kiln shelves steal a lot of the heat away from the glass.)

I'm curious to know if the curing station that you're using is as big as the glass you're building on. If it is, you shouldn't be having problems. However, if it doesn't cover the whole piece of glass, then I could see it thermal shocking. Also, what kind of surface are you heating on?

I've linked to the following blog post in hopes of addressing your other issue of poor adhesion. If the pieces of glass that you're working with have lots of texture, then there may be few points of adhesion. The surface area of the pieces that are actually adhered may be too small. Also, if the base piece of glass doesn't reach 160ºF (70ºC), then that would result in pop-offs, as well.

Do you happen to have any pictures of the failures/cracked glass?

Does this help to answer any of your questions or make sense?
Let me know if it doesn't make sense.

Carrie Strope Sohayda

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No Days Instructor and Support Carrie Strope Sohayda

Hi, there! Carrie, here... Not only do I travel the country teaching folks how to use No Days adhesives (and other techniques), but I also answer customer support emails about using No Days. So, if you're having an issue with the adhesives, chances are good that I'll be answering your questions! Since I get so many good questions, I thought it might be a great learning opportunity for people that may be having some of the same issues but haven't thought to email us. Don't worry, I'll keep the emails anonymous! Also, don't forget that we've got a lot of really fabulous videos (I put those together, too...) on our YouTube channel. So for those of you who are visual learners (umm...we're visual artists, right?), you may want to check them out! If you've got questions, feel free to contact us at info@streuter.com.

Q&A Monday ~ Cleaning up Liquid Fusing Adhesive

Continuing with the theme of clean up from last week, here's an email from P. wondering how to clean the Liquid Fusing Adhesive from hands and other surfaces...

Subject: Streuter Technologies: Liquid Fusing Adhesive

What can I use to clean up tools and my hands when I get the No Days Liquid Fusing Adhesive on them?
Thanks, P

No Days Liquid Fusing Adhesive

Hi, P~

The liquid fusing adhesive is sticky stuff! When you're done using it, you can use vegetable oil or petroleum jelly to help get the adhesive off of your hands and tools, then wash with soap and warm water. If there is still a residue, acetone (nail polish remover) will help get rid of it.

Hope that helps:)

Carrie

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No Days Instructor and Support Carrie Strope Sohayda

Hi, there! Carrie, here... Not only do I travel the country teaching folks how to use No Days adhesives (and other techniques), but I also answer customer support emails about using No Days. So, if you're having an issue with the adhesives, chances are good that I'll be answering your questions! Since I get so many good questions, I thought it might be a great learning opportunity for people that may be having some of the same issues but haven't thought to email us. Don't worry, I'll keep the emails anonymous! Also, don't forget that we've got a lot of really fabulous videos (I put those together, too...) on our YouTube channel. So for those of you who are visual learners (umm...we're visual artists, right?), you may want to check them out! If you've got questions, feel free to contact us at info@streuter.com.

Q&A Monday ~ Cleaning the Needle Tip on No Days Liquid Fusing Adhesive

Subject: Streuter Technologies: How to clean needle tip?

Is there any way to clean the needle tip for use with the No Days glue? It seems to be plugged, and I can't get it to work.

Thank you for any help-
X

Fused Glass Frit Painting done using No Days Liquid Fusing Adhesive

Dear X ~
My first question is which No Days glue are you using? Is it the No Days Liquid Fusing Adhesive or the HoneyDoo Zuper Glue? We sell both, and I just want to make sure I'm giving you the right answer.
I'm going to assume the No Days Liquid Fusing Adhesive (LFA)...
When the LFA dries, it is super strong! It can clog the tip or glue the needle in the tip, as well. However, the LFA will soften itself. If my tip (lid) is stuck together, I'll generally turn the bottle upside down for a few seconds and then wait for a bit and try to open the tip again. Sometimes I have to use my pliers to help pry the needle out. I have broken the needle off before, though, so make sure to let it soak itself.
If you're able to take the tip off of the bottle, you can soak it in acetone (nail polish remover) or denatured alcohol for awhile and then try to unclog it.
Let me know if this helps and if I'm answering the right question:)
Good luck!
Carrie

No Days Liquid Fusing Adhesive
with needle nose applicator tip

 

Thanks, Carrie!  I finally got it unplugged- but yes, I was referring to the Liquid Fusing Adhesive.  (I did have a bottle of the HoneyDoo Zuper glue too, but that stuff totally dried up for some reason) * Anyway, I will try holding the bottle upside down and see if that works next time- but for this time, I was finally able to get it unplugged with a straight pin, working from both ends, and blowing on it.  That could have been the solution to the problem, however I think it was laying on it's side for a few minutes, so maybe that was what opened it up!

Thanks for your help- 

Best wishes!

HoneyDoo Zuper Glue

*The shelf life of the HoneyDoo Zuper Glue is 9-12 months. After awhile, it will dry up. You can extend the shelf life of the Zuper Glue by storing it in a refrigerated area.

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No Days Instructor and Support Carrie Strope Sohayda

Hi, there! Carrie, here... Not only do I travel the country teaching folks how to use No Days adhesives (and other techniques), but I also answer customer support emails about using No Days. So, if you're having an issue with the adhesives, chances are good that I'll be answering your questions! Since I get so many good questions, I thought it might be a great learning opportunity for people that may be having some of the same issues but haven't thought to email us. Don't worry, I'll keep the emails anonymous! Also, don't forget that we've got a lot of really fabulous videos (I put those together, too...) on our YouTube channel. So for those of you who are visual learners (umm...we're visual artists, right?), you may want to check them out! If you've got questions, feel free to contact us at info@streuter.com.

Mosaic Welcome Letter Project Sheet

To download the pdf, visit Streuter's project gallery.

Looking for a quick, fun, summer time project? Using No Days Mosaic Adhesive, you can quickly heat set the glass glob pieces in this mosaic project. As soon as the pieces cool, you're ready to grout! (If you grout outside in the grass, clean up is super easy!)

Approximate time to complete project = 1 to 1-1/2 hours

Find more project sheets at Streuter.com.

Q&A Monday ~ Mosaic Jewelry Help!

No Days Instructor and Support Carrie Strope Sohayda

Hi, there! Carrie, here... Not only do I travel the country teaching folks how to use No Days adhesives (and other techniques), but I also answer customer support emails about using No Days. So, if you're having an issue with the adhesives, chances are good that I'll be answering your questions! Since I get so many good questions, I thought it might be a great learning opportunity for people that may be having some of the same issues but haven't thought to email us. Don't worry, I'll keep the emails anonymous! Also, don't forget that we've got a lot of really fabulous videos (I put those together, too...) on our YouTube channel. So for those of you who are visual learners (umm...we're visual artists, right?), you may want to check them out! If you've got questions, feel free to contact us at info@streuter.com.

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Subject: Re: Customer needs help

Recently a customer contacted us about troubles with using No Days Mosaic Adhesive for micro mosaic jewelry...

Dichroic Dot Mosaic Jewelry using No Days Groutless Mosaic Adhesive

Hi ~

I’d like to raise my concern about the usage of  NO DAYS Mosaic Adhesive.  I have used the film – the thin one for my mosaic jewelry, and use a Black and Decker heat gun but it doesn’t work well because:

1.  It takes a long time to for the film to be melted (about 5 minutes).

2.  For small pieces, such as 1/8”, the air from the heat gun blows them away!

I haven’t used the thicker one (No Days Groutless) yet, but I think it will not be able to be melted at all because the thin one is already very difficult to use.  Since I only use small pieces for my jewelry, the NO DAYS Mosaic Adhesive seems to not work.

Thanks,

X

Dear X ~

 I followed the link you provided for the heat gun you are using. You should have no problems getting the adhesive to melt with that heat gun, whether it is on low or high. I'm curious to know what kind of pieces you are using in your jewelry. Both glass and ceramics are insulators, so it does take longer to heat them than it does to heat metal (a conductor). However, small pieces shouldn't take 5 minutes to heat. Also, when using small pieces, you'll want to start with the heat gun on low and hold it well above your work (6-8" or more) until you see the pieces shimmy. Let the adhesive melt and then it's safe to move the gun closer.

Micro mosaic shadowbox created with No Days Groutless

I have a video that I'm working on that shows a micro mosaic completed with Groutless Mosaic Adhesive (http://streutertechnologies.blogspot.com/2012/08/micro-mosaic-tutorial-no-days-groutless.html), but it's not quite finished.

Here is a video that shows using the groutless on small pieces. 

I also realized with your inquiry that I haven't made a video specific to jewelry yet. Many times when working with jewelry pieces and groutless (or mosaic adhesive), I'll put my pieces on a hot plate/electric skillet to heat set, avoiding the heat gun altogether. I don't have pictures of this yet, but here's a post that shows the hot plate at work with glass on glass:

Heat setting No Days Mosaic Adhesive with an electric skillet

Let me know if you have further questions.
Hope this helps!
Carrie Strope Sohayda

Hi Carrie,

Thanks so much for replying to my email.  I think that my heat gun is broken because it’s not hot at all!  It’s even less hot than my hair dryer!  So I returned it to Amazon and asked for a replacement.

The jewelry I make is quite small – 1" to 2"; therefore, I put all the tiny pieces (including tiny glass beads) very close together, so close that you barely see a gap between them, and I use the thin adhesive film.  I am waiting for the heat gun replacement and will try again.  If it doesn’t work due to the blowing air from the heat gun, I think I will heat it from the BOTTOM of the jewelry piece which acts similarly to placing the jewelry piece on an electric skillet.

Thanks,

X
 
Great idea, X!!!  What a good suggestion for those of you trying to heat small jewelry trays with a heat gun. Try using the heat gun on the bottom of your trays to heat!

Remember, if you've got any questions about using No Days, contact me at info@streuter.com, and I'm happy to help! Got any more suggestions or questions regarding this post? Please comment below!

Accents in Glass ~ Rye, NH

Accents in Glass ~ Rye, New Hampshire

Accents in Glass in Rye, New Hampshire is nestled in a quaint building with a group of home design businesses. In addition to providing classes in stained glass, fused glass and jewelry, owner Christina Eadie offers design services for windows, doors, entryways, room dividers, cabinet doors and architectural accents made in glass.

Fresh fused fish!

Christina is also well known for her Beach Kaleidoscopes made of beveled glass, seashells, coral, sand, beach glass, sand dollars, and starfish. They make a great keepsake of the shore. She even makes custom boxes for wedding with miniature wedding invitations inside.

Christina's Beach Kaleidoscopes

Delicious Glass Pizza Pie

Our No Days Road Show was a full day of mosaics, fusing and jewelry. The first class was jam packed with folks making micro mosaic jewelry using No Days Groutless Mosaic Adhesive, bezel pendants, resin, frit, millefiori, mica and itty bitty bits of stained glass.

Groutless Micro Mosaic Jewelry Class