Hi all, I enamel copper and would like to make some brooches. In the
past I have used commercially available one piece pin backs glued on
to the backing enamel. However, it occurred to me that I might obtain
a more “professional” look if I used the smaller commercially
available findings. My motivation is to increase the price of my
brooches yet still reach the local market. The suggestion of
soldering these on to the metal surface is not feasible for me
because the findings move during the firing process, presumably
because my firing temperatures and times allow the solder to melt
once again. Brazing is much too difficult for me at this time because
I have not found a brass alloy that flows well.
Has anyone tried to use the cyanomethacrylate glues? They are the
ones that you see in the advertisements with the guy’s hard hat stuck
to the rsj. Do these glues have sufficient shear strength to tolerate
the movements? If not, could I use the epoxy resins?
David, I would not recommend ‘crazy glue’ for the sort of attachment
you are making. These glues are made for quick attachments that
require strong ‘pulling’ power. But they are brittle (shear easily)
and are especially subject to breaking down in water or high
humidity. Stick with the epoxys. Cheers from Don at The Charles
Belle Studio in SOFL where simple elegance IS fine jewelry! dcdietz@comcast.com
“crazy glues” are usually very brittle and I find them to be of
little use in jewelry work. Also they usually emit a vapor as they
are drying that will dry on top of the item that you are gluing ,
leaving a fogged discoloration. Epoxies ar usually slow drying, and
seems that the slower the dry- the stronger the finished product.
Just plan on clamping, bracing, holding , etc … in a way that will
let the item(s) dry like you planned. Often I save any glueing till
the end of the day, so that it can dry overnight, undisturbed, and
ready for cleanup,etc… the next morning. Also , make sure that any
surface that you glue is clean, and maybe even rough up or abrade
the immediate area where the glue goes for better adhesion.
I have soldered the small pin findings on enamelled pieces using IT
solder. I counter enamel after soldering and haven’t had a problem
yet. Have you tried this? --Vicki Embrey
David, I tried Super Glue and it didn’t hold for long, I also had a
pin that I used epoxy on and it held for 18 years and when I was
showing someone how strong it still was, it popped off. Although
it’s a lot more time consuming, I bezel set the enamel onto a
backing with the pin parts soldered on. Donna in VA