Slate or marble repair

[Mike306p/Ansoniaman]

Hello all. I have seen the question asked before and can't remember what the answer was. What is recommended to reglue the 1/4 inch slate /marble on mantle clocks? It is not broken , someone picked up the clock by the top and it just came apart. It looks like tile mastic was used .Would mastic work to reglue the slate to the clock ? Liquid nails ,PL200 or PL400 is modern adhesive? What would work ?I would think the thinner the adhesive the better to squeeze down.Your thoughts Please. Mike 0136966

 

[Mike306p/Ansoniaman]

Hello all. I have seen the question asked before and can't remember what the answer was. What is recommended to reglue the 1/4 inch slate /marble on mantle clocks? It is not broken , someone picked up the clock by the top and it just came apart. It looks like tile mastic was used .Would mastic work to reglue the slate to the clock ? Liquid nails ,PL200 or PL400 is modern adhesive? What would work ?I would think the thinner the adhesive the better to squeeze down.Your thoughts Please. Mike 0136966

 

[craig]

Mike,
Plaster of Paris works best for joining sections back together. Make sure the areas to be "adhered" are quite damp (wet it with a sponge) before you apply the plaster of Paris, otherwise the dry stone or mortar/mastic will suck the moisture out of the plaster of Paris before you can blink an eye. Wait until the plaster sets before you try to clean up, which is very easy. Just run a toothpick around the joint, and let it finish drying. The plaster can be tinted dark gray with a little dry fresco powder (also known as tempera paint) available from your local hobby/craft store. The pre-tinted plaster will save you from having to mess with it after it cures.

Alternatively, you can lightly brush on the tempera paint (water based...yeah! reversible...yeah!) after the plaster has dried and you won't have to worry about compromising the strength of the tinted plaster.

Plaster of Paris doesn't stick to the shiny surfaces, so clean up is a breeze.
Hope this helps.

 

[craig]

Mike,
Another thought...
If you use liquid nails or epoxy and someone several years from now wants to take the case apart to shine it up...they will be sorely disappointed if you use a non-reversible "adhesive".
Epoxy, cement, etc. are a headache to clean up. Plaster is so easy, and that's why it was originally used in a production environment.

 

[Mike306p/Ansoniaman]

Ok thanks Phil and Craig. I can get that at a hardware store close by . We are all just keepers of these clocks and watches and must think of the next guy/generation.Good Point.Thanks Mike 013699

 

[Mike306p/Ansoniaman]

Ok I used plaster. First I brushed all the loose debris , scuffed up all surfaces to be mated, mixed up a batch of plaster, spread it like apple butter and ...presto .It appears that there are no gaps between the 2 surfaces also.I let it set all night and it appears to have worked. I brushed the residue away with a toothbrush .So I thought that I would share this.This was the first time that I used this plaster. Thanks for the suggestions. Mike 0136966