I worked a couple pounds of that didymium from you... it was great stuff! Asked for more, but didn't hear back... assuming it's all long gone. Thanks for the video, I learned a lot!
Thank you so much for your gracious reply on my earlier question! Hating to impose, wondering if you might indulge one follow-up as I’m about to order a substantial (1/2 pound, $80) HXTAL supply for my one big ALABASTER repair project. My (parents’) chandelier has an inverted bowl, very heavy at about 20-25 pounds: the internal diameter is 13”, about 4” deep and quite thick all around. It never fully broke into pieces from its fall, but rather got substantial cracks much like the seams on a skull, but broken enough that the biggest crack-surrounded area will shift slightly in place when nudged. One of the cracks runs along the entire bottom center of the bowl. Frankly I’m scared of something so heavy, suspended on a 2.5” wide plate at the bottom (but resting by the top edge within a surrounding metal rim), with glued-together cracks in it. Even HXTAL cement. It’s about 18 feet over people’s heads, 25 pounds of glued-together rock which may have invisible cracks or earlier cracks spreading under the load of the alabaster’s own weight. So my question is: while I could use a $20 1.3 ounce bottle of HXTAL and easily fill all the discernible cracks (there aren’t very many by the way, but they are long essentially dividing the whole thing into 3 sections, one essentially bisecting the whole unit). But could it be helpful to buy the larger $80 HXTAL, 1/2 pound, and essentially laminate the entire inner surface of the globe (my math tells me it’s almost exactly 300 square inches; 6.5 x 6.5 x 3.14 for the bottom area; the 4”round side added on… 300 square inches)… if I were to layer on the entire inner surface about 1/8” or 3/16” thick HXTAL, will I have very substantially decreased any risk of failure? Does this seem like a plausible strategy to increase safety with no aesthetic compromise? Coatings of these thicknesses would be 21 and 32 fluid ounces respectively. I really have no idea if 1/2 pound (their $80 size) would give such a thick coat. Again hating to impose, but would really appreciate any thoughts on all this. Oh one final thing: is any tape ok (masking; clear packing; or Seran plastic wrap), to prevent dripping out of the cracks during curing? Are all these (including their own sticky adhesive) completely non-reactive with HXTAL? I may be paranoid, but I worry that both adhesives are complex chemicals, and would fear the HXTAL would react with the chemicals in the tape. Thank you so, so much for any insights or suggestions, so EXTREMELY appreciated!!
Sorry for the late reply, I would recommend just repairing the existing cracks in the material and re-checking the piece after those have cured to see if there is any shifting in the piece. I hesitate to coat the entire interior as this could stress the existing cracks due to a larger surface area of epoxy and higher surface shrink rate when cured. Plastic wrap works well as a mask for HXTAL.
@@hisglassworksinc thanks so much for replying!! Somewhat coincidentally, your response comes just as my HXTAL project had gotten underway (filling in the cracks, first round; I only yesterday received the delayed shipment of my jewelry scale for measuring to .01 grams; waited for it for perfect ratios…); I did indeed purchase the 1/2 pound Hxtal and found it amazing to work with, in terms of filling in the cracks on the mildly heated (about 120-125 degrees) alabaster. It was very satisfying to see the adhesive flowing so smoothly like a thin syrup into the cracks. I will do perhaps 3 rounds of this until all discernible cracks filled in and no more Hxtal is absorbed on either side. I have been following the guidance of another amazing colleague of yours. You both agreed on the laminate scheme being unnecessary, if all discernible cracks are filled in, but he agreed with me that a very thin coating (about a 20th of an inch thick; .06” according to my calculation) would add extra insurance. Since I already purchased the 1/2 pound for this coating (about 300 square inches), I’m very tempted to proceed given that it’s a very thin coating which would seep into any hidden cracks. And alabaster is so soft (unlike glass) as stone material goes, I’m thinking/hoping benefits will outweigh any risk you mention of stressing the cracks. Overall the whole object’s been remarkably stable even before the Hxtal in cracks treatment. I’ve been hoping that any Hxtal further added will only solidify the whole structure. Hating to impose, I wonder how substantial you consider that stress risk to be, and about the idea that such a thin lamination will fill in any unseen cracks and further connect everything sort of like jigsaw puzzle glue. I only want the best result, but having purchased this 1/2 pound, both want to use it, and question whether that impulse (per your comment) is counterproductive. I thought there was virtually no shrinkage with Hxtal by the way; first time using it, obviously! Any reply so sincerely appreciated!! Andrew
I'm repairing a glass art piece and found this very instructional. Could you provide a list of materials/manufacturers etc needed for this process and where you got them, please? Thanks, in advance.
Will the hxtal not bond to the plastic sheet underneath? I need to bond 3" x 3" square tiles at their seams, they would need to be laid flat when bonded and curious what would be the best plan of attack.
Thank you for your video! I'm having a hard time finding Lead crystal Glass do you know of a supplier? Also how do you feel about using a vacuum bag to hold the glass together as it cures?
There are very few places to still get Lead Crystal. I know www.xyzglass.com in the Czech Republic is making it and I've heard that Gaffer will start making lead crystal in the US shortly, so I would check with them. The only issue with a vacuum bag is if the material bonds to the HXTAL when it cures.
Wow...what a great video. A few questions if you have time. If I want to build a glass layered stack with 4mm or (1/8") glass, how many layers can I do at one time? After 7 days how do you remove the "drips" off of the sides? Thank you so much...
It's tough to say how many you can get away with at one time. The biggest issue is keeping them all lined up for a minimum of 3 days. With any joint the glass wants to skate around on the HXTAL layer like an ice skating rink so multiple layers will tend to flow in all directions. The only thing that really limits the layers is weight. The more pieces you apply on top, the more pressure on the lower layers which can squeeze the adhesive out of the joint and cause glass to glass contact which would result in a bond failure in that spot. How many layers are you looking to do and what size?
Hello, Great Tutorial. I'm wondering if used as a Coating on Agate for example would it fill slight pits? In saying that, if a Pit wasn't completely filled, could a second coating of Hxtal be applied within a given time and not have a Problem with Laminating? I have a Project coming up and I'm also wondering if left for a Period of time (letting the Hxtal set up) the Hxtal would better fill the pits? I would greatly appreciate any of Your experience in this area. Thank You
You are correct in all your questions. HXTAL can be allowed to set up and thicken so it can more readily fill pits. You can also bond HXTAL to fully cured HXTAL if pieces need more than one fill. This is especially helpful for large fill areas where a large amount of HXTAL can cause some shrinkage on the piece so it's best to do multiple layer fills in those instances.
If I don’t care about color, but only strength and heat resistance (for a 20-25 pound heavy alabaster chandelier component), it will need to hold together with only vertical support from below, a small “platform” (disk) in the very center; and will be near low wattage incandescent (can substitute led probably) bulbs. Is Hxtal STRONGER than JB clear epoxy? Does it handle heat better? Thanks so much of you have any information about this!!!!!!!!!! So very deeply appreciated!!!!!!
For a disparate material bond we recommend mixing the HXTAL and letting it sit for several hours to get a thicker bond between the materials to allow for the differing COE between them. HXTAL will begin to break down around 400 degrees F so you'll need to know the ambient temperature around the bond area.
Thanks for posting such informative videos! I’ve been curious, since I’ve never used Hxtal, how it differs from UV glue (curing methods aside)? Is there a difference in strength or transparency between the two glues, or particular advantages that hxtal offers for lamination in particular? I’m really interested in trying it! Thanks!
There are a LOT of differing UV adhesives on the market. The main problem they all have is that curing takes place with UV radiation. If the piece is exposed to UV radiation over its lifespan, the adhesive will continue to shrink and yellow over time and eventually cause failures. UV adhesives are certainly much faster than HXTAL for bonding and laminating, but I don't consider them to be archival at all. The larger the joint, but more shrinkage UV adhesives have and the more chance of failures over time. Hope this helps some.
@hisglassworksinc Thanks! I'll probably grab something from a different seller. Amazon is abusive to their employees and all that. But it's nice to know the stupid cheap stuff is more than sufficient. I appreciate the reply!
We typically will use acetone on a lint free papertowel to clean excess HXTAL off the piece every few hours while it's curing. Once it starts to thicken up, you can use a razor blade to scrap excess off and then acetone on a lint free paper towel to clean up. Never put acetone directly on the piece to avoid damaging the joint
@@hisglassworksinc thank you for the response and the great video. Does hxtal lose its adhesive property’s as it thickens up? For example after mixing if you wait for 5 hours at room temp is there any loss of adhesion.
@@friedbergje No. It work quite well still. We have a lot of customers who will let it thicken up so they can mold it into areas that are missing chunks. It's a very adaptable epoxy.
I would recommend High Polish Studio if you are on the east coast or Grit City Coldworks if you are on the West Coast for any customer coldwork or repair work.
Yes. It will continue to cure slowly and get thicker over the 7 day cure time. You can also put it in the freezer to slow down the chemical reaction and store it there for up to 3 weeks. Just bring it back and let it warm back to up room temperature to use it.
