Soapstone help

[Andy London]

I have to glue some soapstone artwork to wood for a client. I had initially thought of drilling a T type slot in the back and using contact cement however the client informs me contact cement failed on another piece which fell and broke. From what I understand these are expensive although only 7 or 8 pounds each, about 8 X 10 in size.

I have searched the net and it seems like a poly no foaming glue will work, I have written various companies with no response.

I'm wondering if anyone here might have an idea, perhaps even a construction adhesive which in my experience seems to bond anything:rolleyes:

[Michael Ballent]

Have you checked http://www.thistothat.com Select the 2 items you want to glue and they will give you a recommendation. It's pretty amazing what they have out there in the world of advesives. :D



I have to glue some soapstone artwork to wood for a client. I had initially thought of drilling a T type slot in the back and using contact cement however the client informs me contact cement failed on another piece which fell and broke. From what I understand these are expensive although only 7 or 8 pounds each, about 8 X 10 in size.

I have searched the net and it seems like a poly no foaming glue will work, I have written various companies with no response.

I'm wondering if anyone here might have an idea, perhaps even a construction adhesive which in my experience seems to bond anything:rolleyes:

[Brian Dormer]

That website doesn't specifically go into stone. It suggests epoxy - bt that might not be the best choice. Epoxy gets rock hard - you need something with a little "give".

In a stone to wood bond, the wood is going to move around with changes in temperature and humidiy - but the stone is going to change very little. Over time, the wood coming and going is going to break down the glue bond.

This is similar to gluing wood furring strips to a cinderblock wall. Liquid Nails worked for me. I put up a wall where I didn' have the space for studs. So I glued furring strips directly to the cinderblock. The wall's been there about 20 years and it's still as good as new. The LN stays flexible over time so that the movement of the wood doesn't break the bond.

Note: I'm in no way affiliated with Liquid Nails. Other than I've used it and it works.

bd

[Lee DeRaud]

Have you checked http://www.thistothat.com Select the 2 items you want to glue and they will give you a recommendation.Closest they have to that combination is "ceramic to wood", answer is epoxy.

I think I'd want something better than just surface-to-surface gluing. 8x10", 7-8lbs sounds like it must be fairly thick, at least 1/2". I'd be tempted to ask if I could drill/rout a couple small shallow holes in the back, just deep enough to take a screw head: put the screws into the wood backing sticking out to engage the holes, and then use epoxy.

[Dave Richards]

Another product you might consider if you want some flexibility is 3M 5200 marine sealant. It'll stick to anything and won't ever be interested in letting go.

I think epoxy would be a good way to go. I don't really think you'll need to worry about the epoxy being rigid.

I wonder though. Is this a piece of art that has some value? If so, the mounting should be 100% reversible. In that case, I'd try to work out some cleats or some other method of surrounding the piece so it can't fall out but could be removed later.

[Jim Becker]

Soapstone will be a challenge for most adhesives as it contains a lot of talc and is quite slippery. My soapstone counters, however, we glued down with a silicone adhesive and the one joint was filled with an epoxy product designed for soapstone and other stone products.

[Matt Warfield]

Building on your thought of a T-slot or maybe even a dovetail...

Perhaps you could cut the slot/dovetail in the wood, have a piece of soapstone milled(cleat of sorts) to fit said slot/dovetail, and then bond the milled soapstone piece to the 8x10" piece of Soapstone.

If your client is producing these in quantity, you could even build a jig for them to apply the soapstone cleat and provide quantities of backer boards for them to use in the future.

Good luck!

Matt