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I am currently looking into make some snow globes and I would like to bond the acrylic insert of the snow globe with the metal top. Does anyone know a glue that can bond these two materials together? I have tried superglue and it did not hold when I put the cap on the globe. I have acrylic epoxy but it says that is dangerous to come in contact with metal.

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    Do you have a photo of the connection? How much contact area do you have? Is it just the rim around a metal stand or is there more contact area underneath?
    – Robert Cartaino
    Commented Dec 30, 2016 at 19:58
  • It is not just the rim, it is the whole cap. Think of it like a jar cap. The contact area is a disk with a diameter of the inner diameter of the jar. I do not have a photo readily available.
    – J. Shupperd
    Commented Dec 30, 2016 at 20:07

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I use a cheap (A$2) bonding agent with names such as 'Bond-Crete', or this one in the photo is 'KS Bond'. You can find this type of glue at any "cheap" or discount store (i.e. the $2 Shop, The Reject Shop, etc.). I use this glue to adhere metal to almost everything.
I make my own jewellery and I have not had one glued item come unstuck yet. And I've been using this type of glue for as long as I remember. I have used this glue on items I fit in my 'Fairy Garden' as well, items which have sat outside for over 2 years. The glue is still holding, even after rain, freezing temperatures and moss growing over everything.

The description reads:

Strong adhesive. Chloroprene cement.
Use: Bonding vulcanised rubber and leather. Metal, stone, glass, porcelain, sponge, paper, textiles, wood and plastic to themselves or each other.

https://i.sstatic.net/TSHpz.jpg

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    Welcome to Arts & Crafts. I couldn't find those specific products in the US or at Amazon, but they should be very similar to some products sold as shoe repair glue or wet suit repair glue (although those are a lot more expensive than what you can apparently get these products for in Australia). Chloroprene is the generic name for Neoprene (the DuPont trade name), and what those other glues are also based on. These glues are pretty similar to E-6000 (mentioned in my answer), although E-6000 uses a different material than neoprene.
    – fixer1234
    Commented Jul 24, 2021 at 8:09
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I would recommend using a 2 part epoxy resin: Gorilla offers a good one. 2 part epoxy resins require 2 elements to complete the adhesive solution - a resin and a hardener. Typically after mixing, there is a short curing/ hardening period. Some advantages of this:

  • Strong adhesion to similar and dissimilar substrates
  • Holds strong against shearing and tension
  • very long lasting

Here is an article for more info: https://www.hotmelt.com/blogs/blog/8-benefits-of-using-a-two-part-epoxy

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I would recommend a hot glue gun for gluing these very dissimilar materials. Hot glue gives you a bit of work time to get the pieces situated correctly, and it works phenomenally well for holding tight even if the two materials may not mate together perfectly.

Product Search: Hot Glue Gun

I have never built a snow globe from scratch, but I've repaired a few, and this is exactly what I used to re-afix a snow globe that came lose from its stand.

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  • I will give this a try
    – J. Shupperd
    Commented Dec 30, 2016 at 20:54
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    Glue gun is not the best to bind to metal, it is rubbery and can come off easily
    – harshikerfuffle
    Commented Aug 4, 2021 at 14:57
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    @harshikerfuffle not just that, hot glue is generally not the best to bind anything to anything, it's a terrible choice 95% of the time, but everyone's favorite terrible choice.
    – Allison C
    Commented Aug 4, 2021 at 15:04
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Acrylic and metal have very different expansion coefficients, so you need something that will not only bond with both materials but will remain flexible. The question isn't clear as to whether the metal will be sealing the snow globe (described as a jar cap). If so, the adhesive and the bond also need to be unaffected by the liquid in the globe. Common liquids for this purpose are water, glycerin, or baby oil/mineral oil. Water or oil can be a problem for many adhesives.

  • Dow Corning DOWSIL 832 Multi-Surface Adhesive Sealant This is the best adhesive I can think of for this purpose. It's a silicone adhesive and sealant designed to bond strongly to acrylic and many other plastics and most common metals (not all silicones bond well with acrylic). This will also be impervious to any of the liquids typically used in a snow globe if it is being used to seal the globe.

  • E6000 This is another adhesive that ought to work but I've never tested it for this purpose. It bonds strongly with many plastics and most metals. Once it dries, it isn't affected by the liquids typically used in a snow globe.

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There is a product called pl. I don't actually know of something it wont hold together. Finding a craft friendly applicator might be tricky.

http://www.loctiteproducts.com/p/pl_ca_prem/overview/Loctite-PL-Premium-Polyurethane-Construction-Adhesive.htm

*additional note: they have a spray product that I haven't personally used, but could be worth a shot. http://www.loctiteproducts.com/p/14/17/a_cntct_high/overview/Loctite-High-Performance-Spray-Adhesive.htm

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