Letter 40084

How to glue pennies together? (Canadian cents) [Canada] 

March 28, 2006 As a hobbyist I am building/making miniature objects (houses, castles, sculptures, etc.) out of glass, wood, rocks, plastic and plexiglass. Now I am working on a new project. I am trying to glue Canadian pennies together for a while(In order to build a sculpture), but every product I have tried unfortunately has failed. Currently I am a student. I would be happy if somebody could answer my question. Thank you for your consideration. Josip (Joe) Hobbyist - Windsor, ON, Canada March 29, 2006 Clean the pennies well before adhering them, try Silaprene adhesive. Tavinder Channa - Toronto, Canada March 30, 2006 Dip the pennies in vinegar for a few minutes to clean them, let them dry and then glue them together with epoxy resin (eg Araldite). Trevor Crichton R&D practical scientist - UK April 14, 2006 Avoid epoxy adhesive if you want a reliable bond. Copper reacts with epoxy (or more correctly the hardener). Brass and copper can be epoxy bonded but need to be tin plated first. Geoff Smith Hampshire, England

Joe
Sorry I was interrupted before I had completed my answer.
The best "glue" for copper is solder. You need 60/40 Tin Lead solder sold for electronic work with a non corrosive flux core. It is common and cheap. It comes as a wire and you may need to flatten it slightly by rolling or gentle hammering - it is quite soft. Get your cents direct from the bank and handle them by the edges and you will probably not have to clean them. Cut (small) pieces of the solder wire and assemble the stack. Place in an oven at about 190 - 200 C (the solder melts at about 185C) To seperate the stack or to make other shapes, a small hobby blowlamp works fine.
PS. Don't get paranoid about the lead in the solder. It produces no measurable fumes below 400C Any fume is from the flux - don't go sniffing it!
One other fact you may be able to use - most modern copper coins are only copper over a steel core - they can be magnetised - be creative!!!
Good luck

Geoff Smith
- UK

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