Mesouth Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 I have recently found a greenhouse that I made for my dear mother-in-law over 30 years ago. She had a real life greenhouse attached to her kitchen backdoor and she grew orchids. At one time she found several miniature orchids down in the Florida Keys and we entered the whole thing in a couple of orchid shows. We had such fun working on this together! So, now, I am repairing and cleaning it up and have quite a few glue failures where the thin plexiglass is glued into dados in the rafters. I have no idea what glue I used years ago, but I’ve tried several this week and still no luck. I was sitting at my workbench cleaning out the failed glues from the dado for the fourth time and thinking, “what glue would be best?” when it hit me! Ask the community of experts! What glue has worked for you when joining plexiglass to wood? Martha in Louisiana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NellCorkin Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 Martha, I'm not quite clear on whether you are talking about real miniature orchids. If so, I suspect moisture/humidity might have been a factor in the glue failure. Gave you considered using clear silicone to hold the panes jn place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mesouth Posted January 27, 2018 Author Share Posted January 27, 2018 Good point, Nell, as our humidity here in Louisiana is very high most of the year. The orchids were live miniature orchids and she kept them alive several years! I even have the names of the species because it was a part of the display. I don’t think she ever watered them in the mini greenhouse. I made the roof removeable so she could get them in and out. I have tried silicone, but it was so thick that there was a lot of visible gunk. Any tips on getting a thin enough bead of silicone so that it doesn’t ooze onto the plexiglass? I said it was 30 years old, but am realizing that it is probably 40 years old! Martha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeekendMiniaturist Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 http://thistothat.com/cgi-bin/glue.cgi?lang=en&this=Wood&that=Plastic I usually check this database, and when it is a two different materials that I am gluing together and I usually call a plastics specialty distributor--- nothing wrong with asking the professionals questions too. I have purchased from tap plastics and US Plastics. Here are a couple of links for your reference. https://www.tapplastics.com/product_info/plastics_information/adhesives https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/default.aspx?catid=486&parentcatid=795&clickid=topnavmenu Your greenhouse sounds lovely - I have never tried to keep an orchid; your Mom must have been an amazing gardener! Also asked about the shelf life of the product you are purchasing. I know I bought something for acrylic to acrylic and it evaporated before I could make what I wanted to make. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Hudson Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 To avoid oozing apply masking tape along the edge of the plex. Leave about half of the dado depth showing of plex. Once caulking is set up just run a sharp knife along the edge of the frame cutting through the tape and just peel it off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mesouth Posted January 28, 2018 Author Share Posted January 28, 2018 Thanks to all! Will post pics when finished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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