Applying mother of pearl to reverse glass

[Robert Schwieger]

What is the appropriate adhesive for applying thin abalone to reverse glass? Two approaches being considered are: 1) adhering the thin abalone to the reverse of the glass or 2) adhering the abalone to the face of the support (wood) directly behind the glass. Final decision has not been made on this project. I am leaning toward #2 above since a thin space will be possible between the shell and the glass and also add to the depth of the project and the shell and will not have an adhesive on TOP of the shell. The adhesive is the main concern. Thanks for the wisdom. Bob

[erik winkler]

Robert,

You can find almost every answer in the history of this forum by doing a search.
Besides there is a lot of basic information to be found in "The Letterheads Site" button here in the top right.
The Letterheads Site

Good luck,
Erik

[Robert Schwieger]

Thanks for the advice. My concern is that one area for the pearl will be about 2 inches by 30 inches behind gilded and shaded lettering. There will be, of course, some rather large areas around the lettering where the pearl will be very visible and I thought that perhaps such large areas would show the adhesive (through the glass) as opposed to the pearl being attached to the wood backing and the pearl being visible only through the clear glass. I am probably not explaining this correctly but any further advice would be welcome. Incidentally, I had planned to adhere the pearl to the wooden backing with Gorilla Glue since I have had good successes with this product. Thanks again. Bob

[Danny Baronian]

Erik's pointing in the right direction, a search will provide more. The basic's are here: http://www.theletterheads.com/glawson/abaloneinst.html
under tips and techniques, abalone application.

I would never consider Gorella Glue, or any other polyurethane glue for the application in question. It presents too many problems, some of which are staining, discolloration of other materials, outgassing (?), movenment during curing, and expansion.

Polyurethane glues expand 4 to 12 times it's applied thickness. If you were able to get a consistent application of glue of .005, maybe, but at 1/32th of an inch with minimum expansion produces a glue joint of 1/4"!

From the last line on the abalone application link: Personal experience will dictate your favorite methods, but I recommend testing a few pieces on plain glass to be sure of inlay procedures.

Danny

[John Studden]

I typically do not adhere the shell in a visible area any more, unless it is really small & done with the correct super glue. A better way for big areas is to first Clear Laquer the sheet, let dry,.... usually both sides then rotate the sheet to find the best appearance. Cut the sheet around 1/2" bigger all round than the area you need, apply a few drops of glue, I use Hot Stuff "gap filling" consistancy usually, around what is the hidden area of the shell & apply to the glass in the noraml manner. This gives the illusion that it is attached to the glass, & is very shiny because of the clear laquer....you can also attach to your background board, it will look the same, I have used this method multiple times, & dispenses with the air bubble problems. There is an example of this on my website, the Moth wings are whole sheets applied in this manner..... hope this helps.

www.johnstudden.com

[Doug Bernhardt]

Best as I recall Glawson was using frog juice (an acrylic clear) as the adhesive at the end of his life. He gave up on the super glue as it was too hot and back-up colour would soften and leach into the clear area. I too found this problem and have great results with the frog juice as well. As john mentions the spray of laquer gives a beautiful rich tone to the shell.

[Mark Summers]

Just finished a project with adhered abalone. I had a pair of
1"x4" pieced to adhere to glass. I ruled out the UV glue by
Letterhead supply. Tests didn't give me confidence. Next
I went with Frog Juice. Near disaster that I was fortunate
enough to remove the abalone. The Frog Juice never really
dried in the center. Only on the perimeter. Barely got the
pieces off which included anxiety of ruining my work.
My thought strayed to I needed something that was
catalized. I went to the automotive parts store and found
a 5 minute epoxy made by Permatex. They make gasket
adhesives and such. After a number of tests I had concluded
I would go this direction. Stuck to glass very well. The
abalone I think needed a little help so I sanded the abalone
with a fine sandpaper. I know, blasphemous, but the abalone
looked perfect after adhering. The epoxy did not attack or
discolor the adjacent 1 Shot enamel. Time will tell if this
went off as hoped but everything is adhered and looking good.
Epoxy curing is real fast so gotta move. I brushed it on with a small
artists bristle brush wearing latex gloves. Hope I'm still smiling
a year from now after UV hits the window.

Mark

[Billie DeBekker]

Mark,
Can't speak for the 5 min Epoxy but I used some West Systems for a tinted Faux Glass look once it Started to yellow in 3 months. Epoxy if I remember right has no UV protection at all.

Been trying to get up there to meet you in person, but every time I am in your neighborhood it's either the Weekend, Late evening or Not enough Time. Try to get to Breckenridge once or twice a season for suicide runs.

[Mark Summers]

I did think about the yellowing. The package said crystal clear.
West Systems will definitely go yellow on one, different applications
though. Hope I guessed right.

Mark

[Doug Bernhardt]

Mark....I've never had an issue with the frog juice and use it with confidence everytime. It never yellows like varnishes or an epoxy which would without doubt do so. Am guessing there is something different in our approachs. Mine is chip and gild in the usual manner and back-up with Dekkor gloss screened (or thinned) with a brush. I let it all dry well and proceed with other aspects(satin gold and backgnd colours) first. Brush it on with a clean quill and apply immediately. At the end I'll add some aluminum leaf (not always) for added brilliance. Never let me down once although tend to use smaller pieces.