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Question glass chipping issues - glue doesn't want to chip

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abullock22

New Member
New to glue chipping and trying to get a decent chip on the glass.
This is my second test peice - Got the glass sandblasted exact same way as i did previously which chipped fairly well but this time the glue just seemed to not do anything. it dried into tiny tiny little chips which give a texture but im missing the really big chips. It did a few at the edge and then it merged into the smaller chips. I washed the glue off after a few days and reapplied the glue chipping again - same issue. I washed glass again and did a final coat with brand new glue and again same result.
Am i laying the glue down to thick (was going for an 1/8th thk and its just not drying properly - is the glue im using just not the right stuff? (its rabbit hide glue)
Once I add the glue i let it dry for a couple days on top of some florescent tubes in a low profile carboard box. I left this final iteration drying for a week and still no real chip. (my house it a constant 68-72 deg range with low humidity.)

anyone out there who can read the glue like tea leaves and let me know where im going wrong. im about to start a final test so would like this one to actually be a success lol.
TIA!

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tbullo

tbullo

Superunknown
Only thing I can think of was maybe the etching wasn't cleaned off good and didn't allow to glue to grip it good. Just a guess. Been a few years since I've heard the popping glass chips.
 
A

abullock22

New Member
JBurton said:
I have no clue what you're aiming to do, but sometimes a reply gets other eyes on here, plus I want to see where this is going...
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appreciate it my friend! Im trying to do a process called glue chipping.
In a nutshell: Sandblast the glass, pour animal hide glue on sandblasted areas, glue dries, glue rips up chunks of glass as it dries, reverse paint or gild with leaf, frame, hang on wall.
Should be that simple but the process falls apart at every chance lol - at least for me so far. Just trying to get my head around it currently.
 
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abullock22

New Member
tbullo said:
Only thing I can think of was maybe the etching wasn't cleaned off good and didn't allow to glue to grip it good. Just a guess. Been a few years since I've heard the popping glass chips.
Click to expand...
funny you should say that because I did the idiot move of not cleaning the glass right after sandblasting.
It came out just like shown in the photo. When i went to redo the piece and washed all the glue off I could feel the grit of the sandblaster so that was a definite not good start.
So I chalked that upto a lesson learned and thoroughly washed the glass in the sink until i couldn't feel anymore grit coming off it.
Then re masked the same piece carefully in the same place and poured a new layer of glue as a fresh start.
My line of thinking being since there was now some slight chipping that had occurred its
just more texture for the glue to grip. But it still dried the same as shown in the photo - tiny little pockets of chipping.
 
Boudica

Boudica

Back to "educational purposes"
For interested spectators who like to learn things.... And are visual learners...Can you show an example of what this would like as a finished project? Not this particular project... But what you're going for.
 
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abullock22

New Member
Boudica said:
For interested spectators who like to learn things.... And are visual learners...Can you show an example of what this would like as a finished project? Not this particular project... But what you're going for.
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no problem - this would be something similar - not my work btw.
The glue chipping which I'm trying to achieve is the background texture.
the glass could then backed up with gold leaf

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Boudica

Boudica

Back to "educational purposes"
abullock22 said:
no problem - this would be something similar - not my work btw.
The glue chipping which I'm trying to achieve is the background texture.
the glass could then backed up with gold leaf

View attachment 169649
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That's beautiful! Wish I could help... Watching like a student...

So, it's the texture? But like a second surface texture effect on the glass. Do you have to mask out the graphics part so it's not part of the texturing process?
 
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Johnny Best

Johnny Best

Active Member
It has been like 50 years since doing and glass chipping but using rabbit skin glue and had to make sure it was in the right ratio when desolved and heated so did not hsve the probłem of removing as your pics showed, when it starts to dry is when the glue does the crszing of the glass, sometimes two or three times to get effectʼ but like I metioned it has been long ago and details of it are blurry. Not a fan of the look or the tkme it takes to get the result.
 
C

citysignshop

New Member
Not an expert.....I've only done a few....but we used horse-hide glue. Did you have success with the same glue, and water ratio, and sandblast grit, and same glass type before? Hard to nail down if there are multiple variables.
Got it VERY hot before applying, then after partial drying, hit it with a heat gun. Thicker glue generally = deeper, larger chips.
It would nearly explode when the glass broke under tension!
YMMV....good luck!
 
JBurton

JBurton

Signtologist
See, I knew I could help!
Reading about rabbit hide glue, heating to the particular temp was critical, beyond boiling reduces the adhesion, too low and it doesn't dissolve properly. Are you using a thermometer or eyeballing it?
 
A

abullock22

New Member
citysignshop said:
Not an expert.....I've only done a few....but we used horse-hide glue. Did you have success with the same glue, and water ratio, and sandblast grit, and same glass type before? Hard to nail down if there are multiple variables.
Got it VERY hot before applying, then after partial drying, hit it with a heat gun. Thicker glue generally = deeper, larger chips.
It would nearly explode when the glass broke under tension!
YMMV....good luck!
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appreciate the thought - yes lots of variables which always make it tricky but been trying to keep it consistent - same glue used, same water ratio, same sandblast grit, same type of glass. I have an electronic temp gauge so get the glue to 120 deg. which is what i was told was the correct temp. Ill then let it dry over fluorescent lights for a few days to let it thoroughly dry out. Really bit of a head scratcher.

edit: so i just did some quick googling and im seeing some people say it should be heated to 140 - 150 deg. - maybe thats the issue?
 
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A

abullock22

New Member
JBurton said:
Hard to say, but I'd give it a go!
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I did another smaller test piece last night and accidently overheated the glue to 150 so used it anyway and its been drying all day. hopefully by the time I get home it will be chipping away like normal and thats the answer!
 
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