All About Adhesives!

 

When it comes to joining jewelry items together, it can sometimes get confusing, but with Beadalon Adhesives in your jewelry making toolbox, you'll be prepared for most sticky situations. Whenever you are working with glue, we advise using both safety gloves and safety glasses and working in a well ventilated space. Use caution to make sure you do not get any glue on your skin, clothing, or elsewhere and be sure to keep away from children and pets. 

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Beadalon G-S Hypo Cement

Traditionally used in the watch making industry, G-S Hypo Cement has become the "go-to" adhesive to use when making knotted jewelry with silk cord. The pinpoint precision tip allows for getting just the right amount of glue onto the silk to secure the first and last three knots. Check out this handy PDF on pearl knotting to see how it's done.

Another great use for Beadalon GS-Hypo is creating illusion necklaces without crimp beads. Make a knot in Supplemax™ Monofilament Illusion Cord, use the precision applicator to place a drop of glue on the knot and slide the bead over the knot. Continue to space out the beads to create a “floating” effect.

PRO TIP: When working with GS-Hypo, hold the tube in your hand and allow the heat from your hand to cause the glue to flow out of the tip rather than squeezing.

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Beadalon® BeadFix™ Adhesive and BeadFix Gel 

When you need a strong bond for metal-to-metal applications, this jewelry adhesive is for you! It’s also great for adhering glass, stone, metal, plastic, wood and most other types of beads. Both formulas are the same, but the BeadFix Gel has a much thicker viscosity making it ideal for filling small gaps.

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Beadalon® Beadfix™ Two Part Epoxy Glue

Two part epoxy is the strongest bond for most gluing applications. The Beadalon Two Part Epoxy is a single use epoxy that eliminates the need for measuring. Empty both tubes completely onto a mixing surface (aluminum foil or heavy paper to be discarded after use) mix the two parts together fully and begin gluing.  Don't be tempted to squeeze out a little of each - we've done the measuring for you to make sure that the parts will work best together. With a little preparation of all items that you need to glue before mixing, you'll have just the right amount of glue without too much waste. Working time (pot life) of the Epoxy is approximately 20 minutes from when the two parts are fully mixed together.

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Safety First! 

Whatever you are gluing, we can't emphasize safety enough. Remember - safety gloves, safety glasses, and plenty of ventilation. Take your time, be careful, work away from children and pets, and read all of the additional warnings on the package to insure successful glueing. We've also created a cheat sheet with all of the information that you need - you'll definitely want to bookmark the All About Adhesives page in the Beadalon Learning Center to refer back to. And take a moment to check out Wyatt's YouTube Tutorial that has even more information. 

What is your favorite go-to glue? Let us know in the Jewelry Making with Beadalon Facebook Group. Have you made a project using glue? Post it on your socials and tag #beadalon. We love to see what you're making!

Until next time, happy beading!
Meredith