glass mosaic tile art studio of william j enslen jr
How to Make Glass Mosaic Tile Art: Is Weldbond Really the Best Adhesive for Mosaics?
Which type of adhesive is best for your glass mosaic art? The answer depends on several factors, such as the mosaic's foundation, the mosaic
method, if you’re working horizontally on a table or vertically on a wall, if the mosaic is exposed to moisture, and your personal preference.
Lots of websites claim that Weldbond is the best glue for mosaics and that mosaic artists worldwide prefer it to everything else. I often ask,
“Why?” I like to dig deep for the answer, so my question to those who claim Weldbond is the best is, "What makes Weldbond so much better than
other polyvinyl acetate (PVA) glues, such as Elmer’s Glue All?" White PVA glue is the common white glue we all used in grade school. If you’re
like me, you wonder, “Why do so many websites claim Weldbond is the best, but none of them explain what makes it better than others or why it’s
better?” Maybe the webmaster (who oftentimes is the mosaic artist) heard something about Weldbond and simply restated it to another artist
without knowing the facts. Maybe a mosaic supply salesman rakes in a bigger profit by selling a 4-ounce bottle of Weldbond for $5.00 than a
7-ounce bottle of Elmer’s Glue All for only $1.50. I suspect that those who make such claims have no clue whether Weldbond really is better than
plain 'ol Elmer's.
All white PVA glues are made from PVA emulsions. All basic PVA emulsions have the same properties. They're water-based, odorless, easy to
clean up, colorless, non-toxic, water resistant, and they're not too heat resistant compared to other adhesives.
Varieties of PVA glues can be made by adding small amounts of materials to improve specific characteristics. For example, simple clay can
improve a PVA glue’s high-temperature strength. But, the differences in varieties aren’t that great because if too much extra material is added,
then the glue’s adhering properties weaken beyond acceptable limits.
I tried to find out the chemical properties of both Weldbond and Elmer’s Glue All, but I couldn’t find anything that defines the ingredients. The
Elmer's website states that their ingredients are proprietary. I assume Weldbond’s ingredients are proprietary, too. I also couldn’t find
independent laboratory test results that define Weldbond’s shear strength, adhesion strength, and cohesion strength. Same for Elmer’s.
Therefore, without the data, I couldn't compare the ingredients to determine if one really is stronger than the other in shear, adhesion, and
cohesion strength.
Sure, one brand may be stronger than the other, but for indoor mosaics that aren't exposed to moisture, 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.) No. We couldn't care less.
For example, do we care that one brand might support the weight of two elephants while the other brand might support only one elephant? Of
course not. All we care about is whether the glue can hold a small piece of glass (or other tessera material) that weighs less than an ounce to the
foundation material (assuming no external forces are acting on it, such as walking on it or beating it with a hammer). Therefore, in terms of
adhesion strength, how do we choose whether to use Weldbond or Elmer’s for our simple, light-duty, indoor, mosaic art application? Remember,
we don't need a glue that can hold two elephants instead of only one, so do we automatically disqualify the glue that can only hold one elephant? If
the "inferior" glue can hold the weight of one elephant, then it surely can perform satisfactorily in our light-duty mosaic application. So, again, how
do we choose whether to use Weldbond or Elmer’s for our simple, light-duty, indoor, mosaic art application? The answer is easy--we perform our
own unscientific experiment.
Read the ebook to see the details and results of my experiment and learn which brand performed better. The results may surprise you. The
ebook 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 tile art, is it worth $5.00 for 4-ounce bottle of Weldbond instead of $1.50 for a 7-ounce
bottle of Elmer’s Glue All? Read the ebook!
Which type of adhesive is best for your glass mosaic art? The answer depends on several factors, such as the mosaic's foundation, the mosaic
method, if you’re working horizontally on a table or vertically on a wall, if the mosaic is exposed to moisture, and your personal preference.
Lots of websites claim that Weldbond is the best glue for mosaics and that mosaic artists worldwide prefer it to everything else. I often ask,
“Why?” I like to dig deep for the answer, so my question to those who claim Weldbond is the best is, "What makes Weldbond so much better than
other polyvinyl acetate (PVA) glues, such as Elmer’s Glue All?" White PVA glue is the common white glue we all used in grade school. If you’re
like me, you wonder, “Why do so many websites claim Weldbond is the best, but none of them explain what makes it better than others or why it’s
better?” Maybe the webmaster (who oftentimes is the mosaic artist) heard something about Weldbond and simply restated it to another artist
without knowing the facts. Maybe a mosaic supply salesman rakes in a bigger profit by selling a 4-ounce bottle of Weldbond for $5.00 than a
7-ounce bottle of Elmer’s Glue All for only $1.50. I suspect that those who make such claims have no clue whether Weldbond really is better than
plain 'ol Elmer's.
All white PVA glues are made from PVA emulsions. All basic PVA emulsions have the same properties. They're water-based, odorless, easy to
clean up, colorless, non-toxic, water resistant, and they're not too heat resistant compared to other adhesives.
Varieties of PVA glues can be made by adding small amounts of materials to improve specific characteristics. For example, simple clay can
improve a PVA glue’s high-temperature strength. But, the differences in varieties aren’t that great because if too much extra material is added,
then the glue’s adhering properties weaken beyond acceptable limits.
I tried to find out the chemical properties of both Weldbond and Elmer’s Glue All, but I couldn’t find anything that defines the ingredients. The
Elmer's website states that their ingredients are proprietary. I assume Weldbond’s ingredients are proprietary, too. I also couldn’t find
independent laboratory test results that define Weldbond’s shear strength, adhesion strength, and cohesion strength. Same for Elmer’s.
Therefore, without the data, I couldn't compare the ingredients to determine if one really is stronger than the other in shear, adhesion, and
cohesion strength.
Sure, one brand may be stronger than the other, but for indoor mosaics that aren't exposed to moisture, 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.) No. We couldn't care less.
For example, do we care that one brand might support the weight of two elephants while the other brand might support only one elephant? Of
course not. All we care about is whether the glue can hold a small piece of glass (or other tessera material) that weighs less than an ounce to the
foundation material (assuming no external forces are acting on it, such as walking on it or beating it with a hammer). Therefore, in terms of
adhesion strength, how do we choose whether to use Weldbond or Elmer’s for our simple, light-duty, indoor, mosaic art application? Remember,
we don't need a glue that can hold two elephants instead of only one, so do we automatically disqualify the glue that can only hold one elephant? If
the "inferior" glue can hold the weight of one elephant, then it surely can perform satisfactorily in our light-duty mosaic application. So, again, how
do we choose whether to use Weldbond or Elmer’s for our simple, light-duty, indoor, mosaic art application? The answer is easy--we perform our
own unscientific experiment.
Read the ebook to see the details and results of my experiment and learn which brand performed better. The results may surprise you. The
ebook 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 tile art, is it worth $5.00 for 4-ounce bottle of Weldbond instead of $1.50 for a 7-ounce
bottle of Elmer’s Glue All? Read the ebook!
| Mosaic Resources |
Here, you'll find a variety of information from various resources that will help you on your journey into the fun and exciting world of glass mosaic tile art.
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| Thank you for your patience as I build my list of preferred mosaic resources. My website is new and I'm working to update this page. |
Mosaic Matters calls itself an online magazine for all things mosaic. They have a mosaic glossary, book reviews, galleries of featured artists, and much more. It's a
great site loaded with information, so check it out.
Craft Site Directory: Your guide to arts and crafts on the Internet.
Dupoini Silk Drapes - We are committed to providing high-end luxurious fabric stitched with quality and care. Finest Selection of Designer Drapes & Curtains.
Unmatched Quality, Unbeatable Prices!
Erotic Art - eOlivia is an Official site for artist Olivia De Berardinis. We offer Olivia books, posters, Bettie Page Clothing and other pin up art like paintings, calendars,
greeting cards, pictures, Tees and sketches.
great site loaded with information, so check it out.
Craft Site Directory: Your guide to arts and crafts on the Internet.
Dupoini Silk Drapes - We are committed to providing high-end luxurious fabric stitched with quality and care. Finest Selection of Designer Drapes & Curtains.
Unmatched Quality, Unbeatable Prices!
Erotic Art - eOlivia is an Official site for artist Olivia De Berardinis. We offer Olivia books, posters, Bettie Page Clothing and other pin up art like paintings, calendars,
greeting cards, pictures, Tees and sketches.
| Copyright © 2008-2009 by William J. Enslen, Jr. All rights reserved. Any use - including the reproduction, modification, distribution, transmission, republication, or display - of the content (text and illustrations) is strictly prohibited. |
| Remember, creating beautiful glass mosaic tile art is easy. You can do it! My eBook teaches you all the details that other books and websites don't. Start your fun and exciting journey into the wonderful world of glass mosaic tile art today! |
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