gluing optics

[teknofon]

is there anything i can use instead of epoxy when gluing ar coated optics?
is silicone okay?
i want something that is elastic like silicone.

/martin

[dsli_jon]

heya Martin -

is silicone okay? i want something that is elastic like silicone.

Yeah, silicone is 'ok', if you don't mind the 'wait'.. A better alternative (..cuz it's also 'removable' / flexible..) is 3M's 'VHB' glass-mouting tape, commonly used in the automotive and sign-shop industries for mounting stuff to glass, specifically...

http://www.uline.com/BL_6042/3M-4905-VHB-Acrylic-Tape



..stuff is the shyte, I'm tellin ya... a bit 'tricky' to learn to work with, cuz , yeah it's *sticky* (but not 'gooey'..) and it dampens vibration, isolates from thermal-expansion, and... when it's time to remove, a bit of gentle-heat from a heat gun (..even a 'hair dryer') and a flat-razor blade, and yer off... no residue, no chipping, etc.. just have to be *patient* and careful when removing ie: really-thin mirror-stock, cuz, well... snappy-snappy.. You should be able to Google-find where you can get it over there.. not 'cheap', but 1 roll should last you a lifetime..

..course, this is only good for 'edge-mounted' dichros / mirrors, etc - for 'pass-thru' style mounts of round-optics, etc, then yeah, silicone or 'rtv' is next of kin..

Hope this helps..
cheers
j

[teknofon]

great thanks

i'm worried about the silicone leaving a residue on the coated optics when curing
like loctite superglue does (bad loctite experience

i'm trying to mount a round camera filter as a output window on my projector.
i want the glue to be elastic to minimize the chances of breaking the window if the front plate flexes (it's only 3mm alu).

btw. what is rtv?

/martin

[LaNeK779]

i got a small alarm set off n my head with silicone. something to do with a wierd malfunction i read about here, something stanwax dealt with
i do remember something about silicone emmiting some sort of organic fumes of acidic nature that turned the glue that held a dpss innards to powder????

but i can't find the post... it was old, like 3 year old. then, maybe it is all a product of a deranged memory bank of mine...


why don't you try normal hot melt glue with a glue gun?

[steve-o]

A place I used to work stopped using silicone on electrolytic capacitors because it was detemined that it affected them in some way (never did find out the details) .

[dsli_jon]

..i'm worried about the silicone leaving a residue on the coated optics..like loctite superglue

No, silicone won't leave-residue / damage-like cyanoacrylate 'superglue'.. stuff is really best-only for 'last-ditch emergency repairs' and girls' fake-nails..
..But of course, in any-case, you just don't put the adhesive anywhere's near the 'business-end'...

..yes, silicone 'outgasses', but, should-not, significantly, once it's 'fully-cured'.. then-again, you should never use it inside of a 'tightly-enclosed' projector / laser, etc, anyway... that's what epoxy is for..

what is rtv?

http://www.google.com/products/catal...61022490184316

..I'm sure you can Google where to-find, there.. most automotive-parts stores should carry the stuff, hard to find, otherwise... Of course, yes - there's a whole *world* of adhesive options out there, but these should be good for your-purposes..

cheers..
j