You know you love it... just have to have it... and you can't live with out it!!! So what is this wonder glue everyone is talking about? E-6000® of course a hand crafter's best friend! It's biggest strength is its strength, even when trying to glue metal to metal. If used properly, it's very unlikely a human will be able to pry the two pieces apart anytime in the next few years. BUT it can be kinda difficult to work with and a little messy with unwanted overflow on your projects so I thought I would offer a few tips and suggestions I have learned over the years to make it a easier on yourself and all of your hard work.
First a little background on the product:
Manufactured and sold as a high-performance industrial adhesive for over 25 years, E-6000® became a hit in the craft market with its superior performance, flexibility and versatility. E-6000® is a non flammable, washer/dryer safe, flexable, paintable, clear, self-leveling industrial strength adhesive. Bonds quickly and easily to wood, metal, glass, ceramics and more, but not for use on styrofoam. Acid free, so its safe for valued photos and artwork.
To Begin With
make sure both of the parts you would like to adhere together are clean and free from any oils (like from handling) or dirt (like from patina on metals) that might cause it not to adhere well together.
Next
Apply E-6000® directly to each separate surface to be bonded. It is important to make sure it is fresh, clear and stringy straight from the tube because if it is cloudy to start with it will not set up properly. I usually use a toothpick for small projects or wooden skewer for larger things and I spread it out along the surface, the great thing is it is self-leveling.
Don't go crazy here! A nice thin coat on both halves will do nicely if the pieces fit well together, if you have gaps to fill in then it might require a bit more, but remember... when you put the two pieces together any excess glue will squish out and cause you more work further down the line in clean up!
Once you have applied the glue to both surfaces allow it to partially cure a few moments or so before bringing the surfaces together. E-6000® hardens by solvent evaporation and forms an immediate bond that is a bit difficult to reposition after both adhesive coated surfaces are placed in contact with each other and sufficient pressure is exerted to establish full contact. So line up your pieces well before applying pressure to seal the deal!
Once I have the two pieces positioned as I want them and pressed firmly together in place I like to clamp them and set them aside to cure for a full 48 hours. The key to the glue setting well, is to let the original placement lie undisturbed for a full 48 hours. The manufacturer recommends 24 but I have found on most of my projects a full 48 is really needed and after that you will have to pry it apart with pliers! Depending on the size of the project a number of different clamps can be used. For my small jewelry pieces like gluing cabochons I love using wooden clothes pins. They will hold your work firmly together and there is no danger of scratching any precious cabochons, stones, cameos or glass jewels. When clamping metal to metal parts together I particularly love those black metal binder clips that you can buy at any office supply place. They come in a large variety of sizes that work great for a number of different small jobs or flat pieces and boy do they clamp!
Removal of excess glue
If you find that you have gross overflow leave it alone for several hours before attempting to remove any "large" amount of excess. Go back with clean toothpick and carefully lift the offending glue away without breaking the original set of the items you are gluing together. *Removal is better left until the glue has had some time to dry and removal of smaller particles or smears can wait until your work has cured the full 48 hours.
For the smaller particles or smears I have a little trick I like to use that works brilliantly if I say so myself! I take a toothpick at the time I am gluing my pieces together dip it into the glue and set it aside to dry on it's own. When I have those little smears or particles to remove I simply take the toothpick and rub across them with the dry glue part on the toothpick, they just roll right up and disappear and it's is great for getting into those tight spaces with glue to remove!
To extend life of product
Be sure cap is secured back to original position. Remove the plastic nozzle and allow it to dry, always recap the tube of glue with the original white cap. Remove any dried product from nozzle by pulling it out through larger threaded end so you can reuse it later. I also store mine in a ziplock baggie. Not sure if it helps a lot but it sure doesn't hurt.
I hope this helps a bit with your projects and gives you a better idea of using this fabulous product. It is available in a variety of different sizes from the small 1 oz tube right up to caulking tube sizes and sold in most every craft store. Always buy a size that you will be able to use up in a reasonable length of time because once opened it begins to dry out. Have fun!
To Begin With
make sure both of the parts you would like to adhere together are clean and free from any oils (like from handling) or dirt (like from patina on metals) that might cause it not to adhere well together.
Next
Apply E-6000® directly to each separate surface to be bonded. It is important to make sure it is fresh, clear and stringy straight from the tube because if it is cloudy to start with it will not set up properly. I usually use a toothpick for small projects or wooden skewer for larger things and I spread it out along the surface, the great thing is it is self-leveling.
Don't go crazy here! A nice thin coat on both halves will do nicely if the pieces fit well together, if you have gaps to fill in then it might require a bit more, but remember... when you put the two pieces together any excess glue will squish out and cause you more work further down the line in clean up!
Once you have applied the glue to both surfaces allow it to partially cure a few moments or so before bringing the surfaces together. E-6000® hardens by solvent evaporation and forms an immediate bond that is a bit difficult to reposition after both adhesive coated surfaces are placed in contact with each other and sufficient pressure is exerted to establish full contact. So line up your pieces well before applying pressure to seal the deal!
Once I have the two pieces positioned as I want them and pressed firmly together in place I like to clamp them and set them aside to cure for a full 48 hours. The key to the glue setting well, is to let the original placement lie undisturbed for a full 48 hours. The manufacturer recommends 24 but I have found on most of my projects a full 48 is really needed and after that you will have to pry it apart with pliers! Depending on the size of the project a number of different clamps can be used. For my small jewelry pieces like gluing cabochons I love using wooden clothes pins. They will hold your work firmly together and there is no danger of scratching any precious cabochons, stones, cameos or glass jewels. When clamping metal to metal parts together I particularly love those black metal binder clips that you can buy at any office supply place. They come in a large variety of sizes that work great for a number of different small jobs or flat pieces and boy do they clamp!
Removal of excess glue
If you find that you have gross overflow leave it alone for several hours before attempting to remove any "large" amount of excess. Go back with clean toothpick and carefully lift the offending glue away without breaking the original set of the items you are gluing together. *Removal is better left until the glue has had some time to dry and removal of smaller particles or smears can wait until your work has cured the full 48 hours.
For the smaller particles or smears I have a little trick I like to use that works brilliantly if I say so myself! I take a toothpick at the time I am gluing my pieces together dip it into the glue and set it aside to dry on it's own. When I have those little smears or particles to remove I simply take the toothpick and rub across them with the dry glue part on the toothpick, they just roll right up and disappear and it's is great for getting into those tight spaces with glue to remove!
To extend life of product
Be sure cap is secured back to original position. Remove the plastic nozzle and allow it to dry, always recap the tube of glue with the original white cap. Remove any dried product from nozzle by pulling it out through larger threaded end so you can reuse it later. I also store mine in a ziplock baggie. Not sure if it helps a lot but it sure doesn't hurt.
I hope this helps a bit with your projects and gives you a better idea of using this fabulous product. It is available in a variety of different sizes from the small 1 oz tube right up to caulking tube sizes and sold in most every craft store. Always buy a size that you will be able to use up in a reasonable length of time because once opened it begins to dry out. Have fun!
1 comment:
Oh, this is some advise that I could really use. Now to find that e-6000 glue I bought earlier this year.
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