Laminating Glass with HXTAL NYL-1 Epoxy

What Makes HXTAL So Great?

Many people wonder why they should use HXTAL over other epoxies or adhesives. The first and best reason is longevity.

HXTAL has been around the restoration and art glass industry for about half a century now, so its track record of holding pieces together and maintaining clarity is unsurpassed in the industry. HXTAL was made to bond pieces together and keep them held together over time, temperature, weather, and exposure.

It has the lowest and slowest yellowing of any other adhesive today. It can fill cracks and replace larger missing areas of pieces.

It can bond glass, metal, stone, precious minerals, ceramics, porcelain, and wood. HXTAL can be used for water-white joints and repairs on pieces, and it can be tinted to match the color of your glass or porcelain.

First Steps are Important

One of the most critical aspects of using HXTAL is correctly mixing it. While HXTAL is not extremely strict about its 3:1 ratio, getting as close as possible is essential to obtain the best results from your bonding.

If you are working with small amounts, you can work by the dropper, but if you are mixing any quantity, you need to use a digital scale to keep close to the correct mixture ratio.

HXTAL will work best at room temperature of around 68–72 degrees F and relative humidity of around 46%.

Tiny Bubbles

Bubbles are the bane of working with any adhesive.

If you trap a bubble in your joint, then it shows up like a spotlight in your piece every time the light hits it. While you can leave HXTAL for a few hours to de-gas on its own after mixing, you can also invest in a low-cost vacuum pump setup to de-gas your epoxy quickly and easily and continue working.

Cleanliness is next to...

Well, you know.

If mixing is vital to getting good results with your HXTAL, then cleaning your glass properly ranks right up there with mixing. If you don't clean your glass well, then HXTAL will bond to whatever is on the surface of your glass and not to the glass itself. Our favorite cleaner is Whiting, as it is inexpensive, easy to use, and does a phenomenal job of cleaning everything off the surface of your glass.

Do you need a promoter?

While many may think the A-1100 Amino-Silane material is a glass cleaner, the truth couldn't be further.

A-1100 is an adhesion promoter, not a cleaner. While it does have Isopropyl Alcohol in the mixture, you still need to clean your surface with something like the above Whiting and then use the A-1100 to chemically alter the glass surface to allow the HXTAL to better bond with the silica.