Cleaning: To make gluing a successful bond it is essential to take time to prepare the surfaces; Use a good solvent to remove all traces of grease, and apply with a lint free cloth. Cellulose based thinners such as Trichloroethylene or Acetone (nail varnish remover) are good solvents. Once the area is clean ensure that surfaces are not touched once clean.

 

Roughen the surface: If gluing silver/metal components then file or stone the surface, on other materials use wire wool. Ensure that the joint gap is small since most gles can only fill a gap of upto approx 0.1mm.

 

Use an applicator: If the tubes nozzel is large do not apply glue directly from the tube, you may squirt too much onto the join and your fingers! For best results it is a good idea to dip a length of thin wire into the glue to pick a drop and apply to one side of the joint. Spread the glue thinly over the surface and apply to the second surface and hold for a few seconds. Provided the glue was not too thick the joint will set almost immediately. The hypo cements below have an applicator to ensure that too much glue is not applied to the surface of your items.