Glue.

Q: I'm making a treasure box for my four-year old neighbor and want to glue beads (various sizes, glass) to the top. The box will be pressboard or thin wood. Can someone suggest an appropriate glue which will dry invisibly and hold the beads well in the event of rough handling?

A: It's something like clear cement (IMO) that you are looking for. I have used the following successfully: '527 BOND', 'E6000', and 'Hypo-Tube' cement. I am not sure if they make a hot glue specifically for use with glass. I have seen "Goop" for jewellers, but never tried it. I used the '527 Bond' with aquarium pebbles to glass, and they held and dried clear. For something like that, I would use one of the "tacky" glues you find at the fabric stores. The one I have is "Twice As Tacky" and I use it successfully on that type of project. The advantage is that it doesn't set immediately, so you can move things around until you get it right. Let it dry/cure, and the glue will be invisible. I consider myself a glue queen, LOL, having sampled many, and figured out which really hold, and which don't, and just as important to me, which are toxic. '527', 'E6000', and many of the glues that hold really well give me a smashing headache. I get migraines. Smells are a trigger for migraines, and I have to be really careful. I started my jewelry-making career with 'Friendly Plastic' jewelry, which was all glued. Solution to beads and other found objects on a cardboard box: "Elmer's Stix All". They sell it at 'Lowe's', and most of the 'Home Depot'-type stores. It's not expensive, NON-TOXIC, and does not smell. It holds GREAT, is thick, and dries fast too. Normally, I would agree with you that these are excellent glues, however the original poster says she'll be beading on a wooden surface. I can't swear to this, but I'd be VERY cautious about using a cement of the strength you recommend on wood, ESPECIALLY if it's unfinished. You don't want to use a glue that's stronger than the material you are gluing. Over time, with humidity changes and so forth, the object, say the box, will flex or expand or contract slightly. If the glue is more rigid, and DOESN"T flex equally, you can end up with either separation of the glue from the box, or damage to the box. To be on the safe side, I myself would use a glue intended to be used on wood, like 'Elmer's Wood Glue'. These are quite strong once they dry, but won't eat the wood, or have the flexibility problems I mentioned.

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