by: Bill Enslen
Making wonderful glass mosaic tile art is easy! Let me show you how.
Which type of adhesive is best for mosaics? It depends on your base
material, mosaic method, whether you’re working horizontally on a table or
vertically on a wall, whether your mosaic is exposed to moisture, and
personal preference.
Many websites and articles say Weldbond is the best adhesive for indoor
mosaics and that it’s the preferred glue of professional mosaic artists
worldwide. I’m the kind of guy who likes to ask, “Why?” I’m compelled to dig
deeper, so my question is: What makes Weldbond so much better than other
polyvinyl acetate (PVA) glues (commonly known as white glue), such as
Elmer’s Glue All? If you’re like me, you wonder, “Why do so many mosaic
websites say Weldbond is the best mosaic glue, but none of them fully
explain what makes it better or why it’s better?” I don’t know, maybe one
mosaic artist heard something about Weldbond and regurgitated it to another
artist without knowing the chemical facts. Maybe a mosaic supply salesman
makes a bigger profit selling a 4-ounce bottle of Weldbond for $4.50 than a
7.5-ounce bottle of Elmer’s for only $1.50.
Let’s think about it. White glues are made from PVA emulsions. All basic PVA
emulsions have the same properties: water-based, odorless, easy clean-up,
colorless, relatively non-toxic, water resistant (not waterproof), and not
too heat resistant compared to other adhesives.
Varieties of PVA glues can be developed by adding small amounts of materials
to improve specific characteristics. For example, simple clay can improve
the glue’s high temperature strength. However, the differences in varieties
aren’t that great because if too much extra material is added, the glue’s
adhering properties unacceptably weaken.
I tried to determine the chemical properties of Weldbond and Elmer’s, but I
couldn’t find anything that fully defines the ingredients. The Elmer’s
website says their ingredients are proprietary, so I assume Weldbond’s
ingredients are also proprietary. I also couldn’t find independent
laboratory test results that define Weldbond’s shear strength, adhesion
strength, and cohesion strength. (The key word is “independent.”) Same for
Elmer’s. Therefore, I couldn’t compare the two to determine if one truly is
stronger than the other in shear, adhesion, and cohesion strength.
For our indoor mosaic applications, do we really care if one brand is
stronger than the other by a ga-zillion Pascals? (A Pascal is a unit of
pressure equivalent to one Newton per square-meter.) I don’t think so. For
example, do we care that one brand might support the weight of two elephants
while the other brand might support only one? Of course not. All we care
about is if the glue can effectively hold a small piece of glass tessera
that weighs less than an ounce to our base material without extreme external
forces acting on it (e.g., forces such as walking on it or beating it with a
hammer). So, in terms of strength, how do we choose whether to use Weldbond
or Elmer’s for our simple, light-duty, indoor, mosaic art application? The
answer is easy--perform our own unscientific experiment.
Read the eBook to see the details and results of my experiment and learn
which brand performed better. You’ll be surprised at the results. The eBook
also explains more about PVA glue, so you’ll understand whether it’s
possible to manufacture one brand significantly better than another brand.
So, the question still remains: For our indoor glass mosaic art, is it worth
it to spend $4.50 for a 4-ounce bottle of Weldbond instead of $1.50 for a
7.5-ounce bottle of Elmer’s? Read the eBook!
Remember, making mosaic art is easy. You can do it. Yes, you can!
About The Author
Bill Enslen has created glass mosaic art and mosaic tables for 30 years. His
new eBook gives you step-by-step details for creating your own mosaic
masterpieces. Visit him at http://www.glassmosaictileart.com and read the
free sample chapters. Let him show you just how easy it is. With Bill's
help, you can do it. Yes, you can! See beautiful stained glass mosaic
tabletops at
http://www.glassmosaictileart.com/mosaic_table_top_furniture.html
Source :
ArticleCity
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