Sticking card to metal.

[Station X]

I've had the indicators from a Servant Bell Board replated as they were rusting and I've printed new flags on to glossy photographic card. What would be a suitable adhesive for sticking the two together? I've tried UHU which is supposed to be good for jobs like this, but it is useless, peeling easily off the metal. I'm wndering if silicone sealant would be any good for the task?

The originals were stuck very firmly indeed and were destroyed in the removal process. I think perhaps animal or starch based glue was used.

Thanks.

[Alistair D]

Double sided sticky tape. The kind that is like a thin layer of rubbery glue.

Al

[Brian R Pateman]

I use double sided sticky tape for a wide variety of jobs like this.

The important thing is to make sure that the surfaces are clean and grease free, as with any adhesive.

[paulsherwin]

A spray can of PVA? It won't form a hard bond to the metal but should be adequate. Don't forget to key the metal first with some glasspaper.

Failing that, there's always Araldite

[Station X]

I have no intention of keying the metal, as it's been replated and I don't want to remove the plating. I'll try the double sided tape first. As you say there's always Araldite. Given how difficult it is to remove sticky price labels from things there's obviously some adhesive which will do a good job.

There's hardly any load on the joint, just the weight of the card. Gravity will try to slide the card off rather than peeling it.

[Alistair D]

Since UHU didnt work there may still be chemicals leeching from the plating. It might be worth a chat with the plater to see the best way of cleaning the metal.

Al

[wireful3]

Double sided tape might be enough. I gather that B&O use this often for sicking brushed aluminium panels to the main structure in some of the Beocenters.

[kalee20]

Spray-on adhesive from art shops or wherever (I bought a big can of Ultratape from Poundland).

Sticks very well, but if you want to remove the labels, you can clean the residue off with white spirit, paraffin, 3-in-1 oil, etc. You can't do that with Araldite!

[Station X]

I did a test using scrap metal sheet, scrap card and Araldite. It's brilliant, attempting to peel off the card delaminates it leaving some stuck to the metal. I'll try a test with double sided tape before deciding what to use.

There's no requirement to remove the card from the indicators, as it carries no label, just red and white vertical stripes. The room names are painted in gold on the glass front panel.

[paulsherwin]

I did suggest Araldite as a joke, and it's probably OTT for this application. It will almost certainly work, but it will be very difficult to remove should the need ever arise.

[Station X]

Given that the last lot of flags lasted about 80 years I doubt I'll be removing the new ones. The old adhesive was hard to remove, not being soluble in hot water. I had to abrade it away with wire wool. Each indicator took about an hour to clean up.

If double sided tape does a good job I'll use that.

[chipp1968]

I would probably try contact adhesive. PVA may work but take longer to dry.
Sticky tape may not last more than a few years though.

[Station X]

I did a test with double sided tape. It was better than UHU, but not as good as Araldite. So I decided to use double sided tape. If it peels I'll restick with Araldite.

This part of the restoration is now complete.

Thanks everyone for your help with this.

[christge]

Originally Posted by kalee20

Spray-on adhesive from art shops or wherever (I bought a big can of Ultratape from Poundland).

Sticks very well, but if you want to remove the labels, you can clean the residue off with white spirit, paraffin, 3-in-1 oil, etc. You can't do that with Araldite!

I agree, the best is what is known as contact adhesive. It comes in many forms spray can as mentioned above, tube form (universal + car shops sell it this way), in a jar for mounting pictures (art shops). I'd go with the spray first. Lay the label down on some scrap card, spray, then mount. Better adhesion can be achieved if you spray both parts, wait a couple of minutes for the glue to be tacky, then mount.