How to make slate glue

Slate has been used as a roofing material for a long time. It has many advantages and one drawback - under critical loads it cracks, leaks appear, and it is difficult to make airtight connections at the joints of the roof. If the material is reused, nail holes remain. All problems can be eliminated with the help of effective, cheap and affordable homemade glue.

What you will need

To prepare the mixture, you need to have a suitable container (a cut-off five-liter water bottle will do), approximately 250 ml of gasoline and pieces of foam from old packaging or insulation.

Glue preparation process

Cut off the top of the plastic bottle to create an open container with a capacity of approximately one liter.

Pour 200–250 ml of gasoline into it. The container should be placed on a flat surface and should be used outdoors. Strictly follow safety regulations.

Dip pieces of foam plastic into gasoline. A chemical reaction immediately begins and the polymer dissolves. If the foam is large in size, then it must be cut. Constantly stir the composition, work carefully, do not allow the container to tip over.


Continue dissolving the material until the consistency of the mixture resembles rich sour cream. Keep in mind that you will need quite a lot of plastic. If you have small cracks or crevices in your roof, you can reduce the amount of glue.

Joints, cracks and holes are coated with a paint brush. You need to start using the glue immediately, the gasoline quickly evaporates and the mass hardens. The specific hardening time depends on the thickness of the applied layer, on average it takes 40–50 minutes.



If there are a lot of problems on the roof, then it is better to make several small portions and repeat the manufacturing process as necessary.

Any unused mixture is discarded and is not suitable for re-mixing. After hardening, the glue resembles glass in appearance, but it has slight ductility. This is very important for the roof - slate increases/decreases in size with temperature fluctuations, thanks to its plasticity the composition does not crack or peel off.

Conclusion

As practice shows, the glue is not afraid of the negative effects of atmospheric factors, including hard ultraviolet radiation. It has excellent adhesion parameters with most building materials, but before application it is recommended to thoroughly clean them of dust, dirt and moss.

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