Hello, apologies if this isn't the right place to ask this question, but I've been searching the internet for a while and I'm afraid my needs are too specific as I've had no luck. I'm not actually creating something for my garden, but it's garden adjacent and with the intention of making something with my own hands with things readily available, so I hope this forum is close enough. You know of fairy gardens, well I'm creating a fairy jar of sorts. It's a large 2 gallon jar, I've added the pictures below. (The beer bottle cap stool is for scale) I want to make the outside a cobblestone exterior out of rocks and seashells and things. The idea is that it's all over the jar except the backside, where one will be able to look in at the fairy house inside. I've made the roof out of pine cones and the doors and windows, but I'm not sure how to complete my cobblestone dreams. I've seen some people say cement can stick to glass and some can't. Is it a specific type? Do you think I could make it stick to the jar and then stick rocks on it without sliding off? I wanted to use cement (preferably brown or gritty) to make it look natural, like mud or clay that the fairy could've done itself (perhaps with the help of some strong mice), which is why I don't want to use glue. But could I use grout? I have no idea how to go about it. Can anyone help?
Glass is extremely difficult to get anything to adhere to the surface of it, other than a flexible adhesive which could be peeled off. Ideally you need to abrade the surface for a key, for an epoxy adhesive. A belt sander might do it, but you'll need quite a few sanding belts.
The problem with glass adhesives is that they're OK when they are securing a break, as although you can't see it the two halves of the break aren't smooth and the adhesive has something on which to get a grip. I'm not saying Loctite won't work but you'll need a lot of it and it would help if you could rough up the surface of the glass first.
Thank you all for the replies! I used E6000 glue to stick the pinecone shingles on the lid, do you think that could work in this case as well? Should I rough up the glass to help? And would the grout stick to the glass afterwards?
If you get the shells to stick to the glass well enough, the grout would only need to stick to the shells.
In my opinion, there is no better glue then Yuri Weld. It is literally of industrial strength - I used it on my heavy caliber shotgun. Because whenever I was firing those 3 inch magnum rounds, the merciless recoil would always shake lose the laser pointer and tactical lights... I literally tried every type of glue I could find. But nothing would last beyond half a dozen shots. Until somebody suggested me this! 3 years since, (and over hundred fires later), there still isn't a millimeter of drift in any sighting aid on my gun, and zero rattling. This glue really doesn't care what you apply it on. From glass, to metal, to plastics, fabric, even leather, plus everything else in between, including ceramics - This joins everything permanently! I know of a person who used it on his car's plastic bumper, (which had broken very badly in an accident). Then he sanded it and painted over it. And hadn't experienced any problems since. Nor can anybody now tell that the bumper had once broken - As it looks like it's still factory new. Just be careful when you are mixing it. Because it sets very fast, and produces a lot of heat during it's curing/hardening process, (really a lot of heat, enough to cause mild first degree burns on the skin if one isn't careful). And it gives off very noxious fumes too, (which will make your nose hurt and eyes water for days). So once you've mixed and applied it, go out of that area quickly until it sets. But once it's rock solid, you don't ever need to worry about anything ever again. Make no mistake, as this is literally industrial strength. Which needs to be handled and used with certain safety protocols - So how exactly am I able to get it here without any restrictions, is mystery - As such a product anywhere else in the world would be classified as a "hazardous material", and never be sold openly in retail...
