Unfortunate accident - Best glass adhesive please?

[michael]

I’ve just installed a five armed brass electric pendant light that I retrieved from a skip. Quite nice really with lots of cut glass fittings. Each of the five arms has a 4” diameter glass tray a bit like small ashtrays which I guess are imitation candle drip collectors.

Unfortunately whilst propping the light up to get a fixing in the ceiling with a Heath Robinson contraption comprising of a step ladder, loads of cushions and a length of rope, the light / cushions slipped and fell breaking one of the glass candle drip trays.

I’ve managed to save most of the tray, now broken into four pieces. The other four trays and glass fittings are all ok.

Could anybody advise the best type of glass adhesive for gluing the broken tray back together?

 

[Penners]

This looks promising http://www.repairproducts.co.uk/page39.htm

I've used ordinary glass superglue in the past.

 

[Andrew Bodenham]

Oops - bad luck! Time to invoke the aid of the Greek goddess of bodging, Araldite. Or her faster sister, Araldite Rapid.

 

[Penners]

Araldite will probably be the better choice if you need some gap filling capability, but if you've got good mating surfaces, I'd still go for a glass superglue.

I'm sure there's a dirty joke in there somewhere, if I think about it.

 

[Cloudscape]

I've used the light-sensitive 'superglue' linked to above, and it was very effective. It relies on some sunlight to trigger the set (so maybe this isn't the best time of year!). It even has some gap-filling potential. You can gradually bridge gaps with successive applications. I have had no luck at all with Araldite and glass. The problems seems to be that the glass is too smooth to provide a key.

 

[MdB]

Araldite goes soft when heated. Useful on occasions but not when trying to fix something that might get hot, like a light fitting.

 

[biffvernon]

The best material is HXTAL NYL-1 epoxy
Here's a video of how to do it:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=i6Ysd04b05Y

Seriously though, this is the stuff used in class conservation for repairs. It doesn't go yellow with age like ordinary araldite.
Here's an article on more familiar territory:
http://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/stainglass/stainglass.htm