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Glue chipping question

Hand Lettering topics: Sign Making, Design, Fabrication, Letterheads, Sign Books.

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Terry Westlin
Posts: 41
Joined: Fri Jan 01, 2010 9:28 pm

Glue chipping question

Post by Terry Westlin »

I haven't done much in the way of glue chipping and here in Florida its pretty humid so it seems to take a while for a good chip. The last project I did I put the glue on a little thick and it took a long time to chip. 2 weeks. I put it in the sun during the day and it would chip but it never wanted to finish. Anyway the project I am working on now I put it on a little thin. Looked like about a strong 1/16" until it dried. I don't think it's thick enough to pull a good chip??? So my question is can I just make another batch and add a little more? Or do I need to clean it all off and start over?

I don't have much room but maybe a chip box is in order??

Thanks for any help.
Terry
Robare M. Novou
Posts: 424
Joined: Thu May 06, 2004 11:18 am
Location: Milwaukee
Contact:

Re: Glue chipping question

Post by Robare M. Novou »

Well now, daily humidity levels in Florida average around 70%, higher in the summer and lower in the winter.

Getting lucky with a low humidity level might just come down to you purchasing a dehumidifier, and then placing the glass to be chipped in a small room along with the dehumidifier.

Maybe even add a little space heater...Hot and Dry.

See about getting some Temp/Humidity combination gauges.

One combo gauge for inside the room and one combo gauge for outside the room.

That way you can monitor your progress/madness.

RMN
What's On Your Book Shelf ?

http://www.milwaukeesignworks.com
Larry White
Posts: 1213
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2004 4:18 am

Re: Glue chipping question

Post by Larry White »

If you've gone that far with your project, let it ride and see if it chips.

A good idea is to set it up inside somewhere with some additional heat.
I find my glass chips good around 100 degrees. A small circulating fan
helps too. I do it in a chipping cabinet, which might be a good idea in
Florida.

The problem of putting it outside in the sun is that the conditions will
change throughout the day, and if it doesn't all chip off and stops chipping,
it may not start chipping again. What you want is, after the glue is good
and dry, subject it a constant "chipping" environment for however long
it takes. I find my panels typically chip overnight in my cabinet.

Good luck, heh?...
Larry White
That's enough for now... it's gettin' late
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Rich Hawthorne
Posts: 52
Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2007 12:22 pm
Location: Portland, Oregon USA

Re: Glue chipping question

Post by Rich Hawthorne »

Here in Oregon we have relatively high humidity and for much of the year cool temperatures. I tried numerous times to glue chip in that condition but it just did not work well. So, bought a dehumidifier and put a little heater in place with the glass partially enclosed in a cardboard box. Works like a champ and I can chip in under two days. I thought about building a glue chip cabinet but I don't have room for it unless I am gonna chip all the time. So, a temporary cabinet of cardboard with a heater and a dehumidifier does the trick. I just fold it up after I use it and can store it flat. Turns out I need the dehumidifier anyway to control humidity when I oil gild otherwise it takes ridiculously long times for the size to set correctly.

Rich
Terry Westlin
Posts: 41
Joined: Fri Jan 01, 2010 9:28 pm

Re: Glue chipping question

Post by Terry Westlin »

Thanks for the info. I,ve been laid up for a few days and haven't had a chance to go any furtrher.

Rich what type of heater are you using??
Terry
Rich Hawthorne
Posts: 52
Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2007 12:22 pm
Location: Portland, Oregon USA

Re: Glue chipping question

Post by Rich Hawthorne »

It is just a small electric heater with a fan. I like the small one because I can easily position it in the opening of my box. Nothing special. I think it cost me $25 at a home depot or something.
Mike Jackson
Site Admin
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Location: Jackson Hole, WY
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Re: Glue chipping question

Post by Mike Jackson »

There are a lot of good suggestions above. If I lived in Florida, I'd make a cabinet to reduce the humidity and increase the heat. Rick used heat lamps in a cabinet and circulated the air with a small fan. I thought we had a drawing of his chipping cabinet on the site, but I didn't see it just now.

Rick Glawson was always in the process of updating his setup and applying new theories. Each year we'd go to a Conclave, things we'd learned last time were slightly different.

The glue can eventually get "tough" and not chip as it did on the first day or two. Once it gets to that point, you will need to clean it a try that area again.

You can soak it a while, remove the glue, then paint asphaltum on the clear parts to protect the glass, and squirt new glue onto the unchipped parts. The glue will float to the edge of the asphaltum, then stop. Even if a little goes over the asphaltum, you can trim or or just let it go. The asphaltum and lack of texture on the glass will normally prohibit the glue from grabbing the unchipped areas.

Good luck!
Mike Jackson
Mike Jackson / co-administrator
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Vintage Ornamental Clip art
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Terry Westlin
Posts: 41
Joined: Fri Jan 01, 2010 9:28 pm

Re: Glue chipping question

Post by Terry Westlin »

Thanks for the info guys. I will try and make a cabinet in the next few weeks. Mike you mentioned some plans here somewhere. I also did a search and came up short.

If anyone has some plans they would care to share that would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again.
Terry
Jeff Lang
Posts: 68
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2004 10:31 am
Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Re: Glue chipping question

Post by Jeff Lang »

Terry,
I built a box like Rick's a few years back & it worked with pretty good success. I was talking with Dave Smith about it & he shared his process which uses an old lighted sign box that gently warms the glass & seems to dry the glue from the surface of the glass out. When I used Rick's box, I had to wait for the glue to dry before I could put the glass panel inside. I made a post about it & here it is with the thread of comments.

https://handletteringforum.com/forum ... ping+table

Good luck, & please share your results, good or bad.
Jeff
Jeff Lang
Olde Lang Signs
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
412-732-9999
Terry Westlin
Posts: 41
Joined: Fri Jan 01, 2010 9:28 pm

Re: Glue chipping question

Post by Terry Westlin »

Well I finally made a chipping cabinet. Took some info here and made one. Only a small one for now. I can put just shy of 3'x4' piece in there and could stack a couple if needed.

I haven't chipped anything yet. Not until this next week will I have time to try but I did get the humidity from 72 down to 45% in about an hour and temp went up to about 102. It's very humid around here most of the summer so chipping is not very consistent. My concern was more for the humidity than heat so it looks like it will work. I made it so I can use it vertical or horizontal as I don't have much extra room in my shop. I'm sure I'll have to tweak things some but should be a good start.

If all goes well with my test pieces I'll post some pics and dimensions.

Thanks for all the info and help.
Terry
Terry Westlin
Posts: 41
Joined: Fri Jan 01, 2010 9:28 pm

Re: Glue chipping question

Post by Terry Westlin »

I finally got around to some more test pieces and have had some pretty reliable success now. I first built my cabinet with just some lights and a small fan and with the humidity here in Florida was never able to get things dialed in. Normal temps and humidity here during summer months have been in the lower 90's and anywhere from 65-85% humidity. My cabinet I could get the temp up to around 105 and the humidity would never go below 45. I did 3 test pieces and never had a complete chip. 1 never chipped at all. So with the tips from a few members here I installed a small heater.

Now I could dial in the heat 125 and with the heat the humidity dropped to around 25. Next 3 chips where over night after the glue dried.

Chipping was just one of those things I figured was not going to happen here until the winter months so I haven't done much for a while.

Thanks for the help.

I'll post a few pics of the cabinet next week if anyone is interested.
Terry
Rich Hawthorne
Posts: 52
Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2007 12:22 pm
Location: Portland, Oregon USA

Re: Glue chipping question

Post by Rich Hawthorne »

Love to see your pictures of the cabinet, Terry. For me, one of the critical things is to be able to fold up and store the cabinet out of the way as floor space is critical so it cannot take up much room when not in use. So I am always interested in what people come up with for a chipping cabinet and always learn something them.

Rich
Terry Westlin
Posts: 41
Joined: Fri Jan 01, 2010 9:28 pm

Re: Glue chipping question

Post by Terry Westlin »

Rich this may be just the thing for your shop. I have tons stuffed into my shop as well so everything is on wheels. I love wheels.

You could make this any size to fit your space. Its still a little rough as I was just trying to get something to work. It's 4'wide x 5' tall and about 7" wide. I can set it on saw horses or leave it upright like it is. There are blocks inside to keep the glass up and let air circulate around everything. I started out with 2 lights in the bottom for heat and it wasn't enough so I put the heater in. Just cut a hole the size to fit and stuffed it in and strapped with plumbing strapping. The little fan up top to keep things circulating. The little heater has no safety so works vertical or horizontal. If I have it on horses or a bench there is an arm to hold it open. I put a little heat shield in the base where the lights were to keep things from getting to warm. Everything is run by light switches so I can turn the light on, heater, fan all separate. The heater has a thermostat so keeping a consistent temp is no problem. I also have a remote temp and humidity sensor with the base right by my recliner so I can glance over and see how things are doing.

This is great for small to medium size pieces. It would be pretty easy to make something larger but may require 2 heaters??

I have about $100 into this so it's fairly cheap to make. Not everyone needs a cabinet but the humidity here is so high its next to impossible to chip during the summer months.

Oh yes, it's on wheels so I can easily move it around and weighs around 30-40 lbs. Only thing I may do now is put some folding legs so I can put some heavier glass in and not worry about it tipping as it is pretty narrow.

Let me know if you need more info.

Again thanks for the help everyone.
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Terry
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