Gluing aluminum to glass: 2nd go-round
 

In our last episode, I asked about sticky substances to adhere an
aluminum strip to the bottom of a glass shower door. Thanks to all who
gave good answers in that thread.

So just to report that I got some stuff from Loctite called "Glass Glue"
at Home Despot and used it to reglue the strip in question. Cleaned both
glass and aluminum with lots of acetone, plus stripped off all the old
gunk which was all on the metal, none on the glass--the stuff I used
before was not even in the right ballpark.

This "glass glue" appears to be some kind of cyanoacrylate-type gunk.
Mfr. claims it to be good for glass to metal; claimed bond strength is
362 psi, if that means anything to anybody. It's supposed to be
dishwasher safe (after curing for a week).

I'll report back here in a few weeks and let y'all know if it held or
not. If not, then time for Plan C.


--
Found--the gene that causes belief in genetic determinism

Gluing aluminum to glass: 2nd go-round
 

On Jul 22, 9:39*pm, David Nebenzahl wrote:
In our last episode, I asked about sticky substances to adhere an
aluminum strip to the bottom of a glass shower door. Thanks to all who
gave good answers in that thread.

So just to report that I got some stuff from Loctite called "Glass Glue"
at Home Despot and used it to reglue the strip in question. Cleaned both
glass and aluminum with lots of acetone, plus stripped off all the old
gunk which was all on the metal, none on the glass--the stuff I used
before was not even in the right ballpark.

This "glass glue" appears to be some kind of cyanoacrylate-type gunk.
Mfr. claims it to be good for glass to metal; claimed bond strength is
362 psi, if that means anything to anybody. It's supposed to be
dishwasher safe (after curing for a week).

I'll report back here in a few weeks and let y'all know if it held or
not. If not, then time for Plan C.

David, in the first thread someone mentioned a structural application
requiring a tougher adhesive. I assumed you were gluing an aluminum
water diverter at the bottom of the glass door and didn't need a
structural solution. Was that a bad assumption?

BTW, 3M also makes some very heavy duty tapes that are used in bonding
metals to glass. They come in a whole host of flavors including
clear.

R

Gluing aluminum to glass: 2nd go-round
 

On 7/22/2009 8:35 PM RicodJour spake thus:

On Jul 22, 9:39 pm, David Nebenzahl wrote:

In our last episode, I asked about sticky substances to adhere an
aluminum strip to the bottom of a glass shower door. Thanks to all who
gave good answers in that thread.

So just to report that I got some stuff from Loctite called "Glass Glue"
at Home Despot and used it to reglue the strip in question. Cleaned both
glass and aluminum with lots of acetone, plus stripped off all the old
gunk which was all on the metal, none on the glass--the stuff I used
before was not even in the right ballpark.

I'll report back here in a few weeks and let y'all know if it held or
not. If not, then time for Plan C.

David, in the first thread someone mentioned a structural application
requiring a tougher adhesive. I assumed you were gluing an aluminum
water diverter at the bottom of the glass door and didn't need a
structural solution. Was that a bad assumption?

Well, I look at it this way: it isn't a structural problem until the
first time someone kicks or steps on the diverter (you got that part
exactly right). After that it is definitely a structural problem. And I
was definitely looking for a stronger adhesive.

Regarding that previous thread, I came down on the side of those who
were saying that I needed an adhesive, not merely a sealant.

BTW, 3M also makes some very heavy duty tapes that are used in bonding
metals to glass. They come in a whole host of flavors including
clear.

Hmm; the tapes don't appeal to me much. I'll see how the current
solution goes.


--
Found--the gene that causes belief in genetic determinism

Gluing aluminum to glass: 2nd go-round
 

On Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:35:00 -0700 (PDT), RicodJour
wrote:

On Jul 22, 9:39*pm, David Nebenzahl wrote:
In our last episode, I asked about sticky substances to adhere an
....

R

I am still questioning the ability of an adhesive to bond
glass and aluminum in an application that may be several feet long and
experience wide fluctuations in temperature. That aluminum is going
to expand a lot more than the glass and considering the length
involved, I don't see how anything that does not allow considerable
flex is going to hold up.

Gluing aluminum to glass: 2nd go-round
 

On 7/23/2009 3:34 PM spake thus:

On Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:35:00 -0700 (PDT), RicodJour
wrote:

On Jul 22, 9:39 pm, David Nebenzahl wrote:

In our last episode, I asked about sticky substances to adhere an
...

I am still questioning the ability of an adhesive to bond
glass and aluminum in an application that may be several feet long

It's a little less than 3 feet long.

and experience wide fluctuations in temperature. That aluminum is
going to expand a lot more than the glass and considering the length
involved, I don't see how anything that does not allow considerable
flex is going to hold up.

Well, that may be the thing that ultimately screws the pooch for me
here. The original water diverter thingie on the door was made of
plastic (acrylic or some such), which prob'ly has a lower coefficient of
expansion. We'll see.


--
Found--the gene that causes belief in genetic determinism

Gluing aluminum to glass: 2nd go-round
 

On Thu, 23 Jul 2009 18:29:44 -0700, David Nebenzahl
wrote:

On 7/23/2009 3:34 PM spake thus:

On Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:35:00 -0700 (PDT), RicodJour
wrote:

On Jul 22, 9:39 pm, David Nebenzahl wrote:

In our last episode, I asked about sticky substances to adhere an
...

I am still questioning the ability of an adhesive to bond
glass and aluminum in an application that may be several feet long

It's a little less than 3 feet long.

and experience wide fluctuations in temperature. That aluminum is
going to expand a lot more than the glass and considering the length
involved, I don't see how anything that does not allow considerable
flex is going to hold up.

Well, that may be the thing that ultimately screws the pooch for me
here. The original water diverter thingie on the door was made of
plastic (acrylic or some such), which prob'ly has a lower coefficient of
expansion. We'll see.

3M 4200

Gluing aluminum to glass: 2nd go-round
 

On Jul 24, 6:32*am, wrote:
On Thu, 23 Jul 2009 18:29:44 -0700, David Nebenzahl





wrote:
On 7/23/2009 3:34 PM spake thus:

On Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:35:00 -0700 (PDT), RicodJour
wrote:

On Jul 22, 9:39 pm, David Nebenzahl wrote:

In our last episode, I asked about sticky substances to adhere an
...

* * * *I am still questioning the ability of an adhesive to bond
glass and aluminum in an application that may be several feet long

It's a little less than 3 feet long.

and experience wide fluctuations in temperature. *That aluminum is
going to expand a lot more than the glass and considering the length
involved, I don't see how anything that does not allow considerable
flex is going to hold up.

Well, that may be the thing that ultimately screws the pooch for me
here. The original water diverter thingie on the door was made of
plastic (acrylic or some such), which prob'ly has a lower coefficient of
expansion. We'll see.

3M 4200- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Typically those are installed with doublesided foam tape. It will not
last forever but it is a simple matter to clean off and replace every
10 years or so when it fails. Glues like the one you used will be a
real pain to deal with when it fails.