Gluing glass

[TobyT]

My father had a magazine/book rack made of glass which has fallen apart after many years and he wants to stick it back together, but is struggling to find a suitable glue.

It's a relatively simple design, 3 uprights and 1 horizontal sheet. Think a H with a central vertical rising from the cross piece.
I don't have the pieces in front of me but from memory the glass is about 8-10mm thick, and the total dims of the rack are about 400h x 400w x 300d (all mm) with the shortest dimension being the cross of the H.

I would guess that the maximum load from the books would be a couple of kilos. As it is free standing without side pieces the glue joins need to be rigid. It is a static piece but racking forces could be a problem.

He tells me he has tried a UV curing glue, but that the glass prevented proper penetration of the UV. Silicone types (of which aquarium glues seem to be a type) look all to be flexible.

Any suggestions?

 

[Spectric]

I believe that they use a silicon to stick glass fishtanks together.

 

[niall Y]

All the glass I have seen glued to itself seems to use, either epoxy, a hot glue gun, or silicone. In the case of aquariums, the silicone is probably uv cured to avoid harm to the fish. so I can't see why a standard silicone wouldn't work in this particular instance. If some flexibility is required as an integral part of the design, then you can also get epoxy glues that are flexible as well.

 

[TobyT]

Thanks. Unfortunately any flexibility is a no-no as there is nothing physical in the design to prevent racking, so I don't think any silicone variants will work. Fishtanks have sidewalls which I assume do the bracing so flexible mastics can work (and the flexibility copes with temperature changes).

Epoxy might be way forward. Something like this perhaps? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gorilla-Gl...6&sprefix=glass+glue+epoxy,aps,71&sr=8-5&th=1

 

[Cobbs]

Try this: UV glass glue

 

[John Brown]

I seem to remember my father talking about waterglass(sodium silicate) for bonding glass, but there are probably better solution available these days.

 

[Ollie78]

You could use a hybrid polymer glazing sealant like hodgesons heritage putty or Stix all which is pretty similar and they do a clear one or black.
Or what about good old super glue and activator.

Ollie

 

[MikeJhn]

Try this: UV glass glue

+1

 

[TobyT]

Thanks for the responses. Sorry, I've been away for a bit so didn't reply earlier.

I think he tried the UV glue but it didn't work, as the thick glass blocked the UV. However, as glass doesn't block all UV, perhaps leaving it a longer time might work. The heritage putty looks to remain slightly flexible so won't work.

 

[Richard_C]

Glass will filter out some uv, but uv glue works well enough to stick rear view mirrors to the inside of a windscreen in some car designs. You posted in early January, if the attempt was in mid winter, thick cloud, low sun so there is more atmosphere that light and uv has to get through, even a bright day has little uv in natural light. The met office do a uv forecast with 6 levels, it's level 1 (effectively nil) for most of the winter months. If the glass is filtering and there is little to start with then the attempt is doomed. Unless you have a uv torch like windscreen repairers often carry.

One way to do it, unless it's urgent, is 3 or 4 months of strategic inaction and try uv glue again, outdoors, middle part of a sunny day, when the sun is higher in the sky and the met office uv forecast is higher. It will set a lot faster.