[owlhause]

I need some suggestions.

I need to adhere some 2' diameter glass balls/marbles to the top of some hiking sticks.

They came with small wooden cupped out holders that they just sit down into. I glued the holder onto the stick...no problem...then I used a clear two part epoxy to glue the glass ball onto the holder.
This seemed to work but after awhile they tend to pop off.

Can anyone suggest a more effective adhesive or alternate means of attaching the glass balls??

Thanks!

Greg.

[Colin_Partridge]

Greg,
I have never tried to adhere glass to wood except that I did some woodspirits with eyes only they were recessed. I would think that a good quality crazy glue would probably do the trick. I used it when I put glass eyes into the woodspirit and they have never come out and the carving sits outside day and night all year and has done for four years now and they are still firmly inset.
Colin

[AlArchie]

check your local hardware store...I saw some stuff specially made to work on glass/other material bonds. Can't remember what it was called though. CRS is catching up with me.

Al

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

silicon would work just fine, they use it to put aquariums together...

[FK]

You have a basic problem with difference of expansion/contraction of glass vs. wood end grain.

Some epoxy chemistry is more suitable for movement than others. One is used by custom fly rod makers, the rod flexes and gets very wet.

Cleaning the two surfaces is also very important for a good epoxy bond,,,,the cleaning should be chemical like acetone and done immediately prior to application.

One additional suggestion is to grind a small hole in the glass with a carbide burr and epoxy a threaded rod (cut off a small bolt). This will give a better bond than polished class to end grain.

Regards,
Fred Krow

100% rubber silicon with hold up just fine - costs about $2 at Walley world

[UNCLE_RICK]

Your local craft store should have a glue called '527'.
Glued a wood block to a glass display case with it, attached chain to case and could pickup the case with the chain. But cleaning is important. Silicone should also work.

Rick

[BasketballJones]

I had to take a crash course today at Lowe's on framing a window. Silicone will work just fine on wood and glass and you can also try glazing. The glazing comes in a tube or a can for easier spreading application. You have some time to scrape away the excess with the silicone.

Some people have an alergic contact reaction to the different brands of silicone. So don't be an idiot and take the gloves off then go back and rework the silicone. Evidently I missed that part in the tutorial. Sorry for digressing.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

the problem with glazing is that a clear glass knob, the glazing will show .....whereas, silicon would be less likely to be noticeable....imho :

[BasketballJones]

I see that now Dave, thought it was me doing something wrong. I also learned if you spray your hands with WD-40 the silicone won't stick to your hands.