I use GEII and holds up pretty well. I've had to reglue some things, but all in all, it has worked out well. It stays pretty clear, but if it is on thick, then it does look milky. I would think a totem or plate flower would last for many years....the plate flowers I've made with pottery type plates don't seem to last as long as ones made with glass plates though...they tend to start to flake off.

When using GEII I don't know whether to just use a very thin amount or a glob. When I attach the spoons on the back of my plate flowers I tend to glob it on. Does it work well when it's just a smooth amount? I have just started making small saucer flowers mostly ceramic and hope they will hold up as well as the glass plates. Time will tell I guess.

Some ceramics do flake off. I tell my buyers that ceramic needs to be brought in during the winter. The glass holds up well in my area as long as water doesn't freeze in them. I use the GE silicone. I use lots of adhesive for the spoons on the backs of flowers. If it oozes out around the sides of the spoon to the point it looks tacky I use a Qtip to take some off and give it a smoother look.

Oh, I'm glad you mentioned the ceramics flaking off. I wouldn't have guessed that would happen. When you put together your glass plate flowers do you use just a thin line of GE silicone? It doesn't look like it would hold when I smooth it out thin but when it goes on thick it looks milky when it dries compared to completely unnoticeable with E6000. I keep reading about everyone using GE silicone but I must be putting it on too thick.

My GE2 turns milky white,too. Last year , I bought some silicone that was crystal clear . Worked great ! Geeze, I can't remember the name - it was from ace hardware . I always use too much silicone -- my mind is hardwired to think "more is better" and it's not always true.

I frequent Ace Hardware a lot. I'm going to go there this weekend and see if I can find the silicone that is crystal clear. I've been using E6000 for over 3 years and have been extremely pleased with it but now after 3 years I see it turning that milky beige color and makes the clear totems look dirty. That's why I was wondering what people would think after spending money to buy one and then having it look not so beautiful after 3 or 4 years.

I usually put a pretty good amount in the center, then a line around the outer most part that they will touch.

E6000 makes UV6800 which is clear and UV resistant. I've only used it this year, but think the UV resistance will keep it clear.

HTH, Rosie

Oh, Rosie thanks for the information. I haven't seen that anywhere yet but then again I didn't know it existed. I'll certainly get some because I love the way the E6000 flows and is so easy to apply. This website is the best source for information!

I use aquarium sealant and it stays clear. I found that I had some early totems come apart because the GE stuff gets brittle. This doesn't seem to happen with the aquarium sealant.

Does the aquarium sealant hold up to 100 plus weather? Does it come in a small tube or like the GE II? I just wonder how long I can expect my totems and plate flowers to last using any of the glues. I have some that have been outside all year round for 3 years using E6000 and I'm curious how much longer they will hold together. When I sell them I hope that they will last for years but how many years would someone expect them to last? You don't really think about that when you buy something but if it falls apart after 4 or 5 years you may feel cheated.
Rosie, I went to Ace, Walmart and Lowes looking for the UV6800 and they don't carry it. Where did you find it?

flowers, sorry for delay. Have two online sources for the UV6800 - and I verified that the UV6800 will not yellow!

Think I'll submit another thread to get this info out to more folks.

www.excelbuyonline.com

www.glazecoat.com or you can call Ken @ 1 800 347 0930.

rafor, the GE silicone gets brittle?? I hadn't heard that before. I've always read that it stays pliable. hmmmm. Interesting.

Well I had some pieces come apart and when I went to clean off the silicone, it would break off in pieces rather than peel off. So I switched to the aquarium sealant and haven't had any problems since then.

In answer to a previous question: I have only found it in the small tubes, not in size that would go in a caulking gun.

I have to agree on the GEII silicone, here in the hot humid sub-tropical depths of Texas it lasts about 2-3 years and then starts to fall apart. Brittle if the totem gets sun on a daily basis and kind of like dry rot on tires for totems in shade.
Tally Ho!