Stainless steel is a tough material to bond. Without the right adhesive, you’ll work for nothing and see no results even after countless tries.

This guide will tell you about the properties of stainless steel, the types of glues that can bond it, and how you can achieve this at home.

This material has a few specific traits that make it ideal in certain circumstances. But bonding is the more difficult part of the process.

The adhesive must be strong enough to hold the steel in place for a long time. It should also be rigid or flexible, depending on your needs.

Lastly, it should have high resistance to external hazards.

Keep reading to find out more about bonding stainless steel!

Types of Glue for Stainless Steel

There isn’t just one adhesive that can bond stainless steel. Because of the large variety of glues, I had to make a guide with the best adhesives for stainless steel.

But first, I’ll present the types of adhesives for every situation. Depending on the circumstance, you’ll need a different glue for stainless steel, and this guide will help you choose one:

Super Glue

Super glue has the highest tensile strength out of all glues, even in the case of stainless steel.

It’s especially good for stainless steel because this material has low surface tension and high shear strength.

As for particular super glue brands, you’ll get them in my guide below.

Contact Cement

You can use contact cement to bond stainless steel. This water-based adhesive won’t react negatively to the metal and damage its surface or corrode it in any way.

A contact cement adhesive is specially designed to bond various materials together. Think of rubber or plastic and metals like copper and bronze.

Back then, contact cement adhesives were created as an alternative to soldering, but in time, they became more versatile, and people used them for more applications.

Epoxy Adhesives

When it comes to metal, epoxy adhesives are great at filling gaps, crevices, or when you want to cover imperfections on the metal surface.

Epoxy glue is often used as a preparatory glue before applying another adhesive.

Polyurethane Glue

A common problem with adhesives is that you often have to sacrifice flexibility for durability and the other way around. But you don’t have to do that with polyurethane glue.

This adhesive is both flexible and durable, and it can hold various materials in place, allowing free movement or keeping them in a rigid position.

If the adhesive is exposed to water, it’ll grow even more durable.

Some glues, however, don’t work with stainless steel, such as regular metal glue, liquid nails, wood glue, Gorilla super glue, hot glue, and epoxy resin.

Best Glue for Stainless Steel: What Works and What Doesn’t?

Here are my recommendations for the best glue for stainless steel.

1. OSI Sealants 2 Oz Weld Bonding Compound 130700 by Loctite

This adhesive is a 2-part epoxy that contains a resin and a hardener. After mixing these two, you’ll obtain the main glue that can bond stainless steel in a couple of minutes.

The setting time is quite short, so you’ll do more work in less time.

This weld-bonding compound by Loctite has a super-strong bond that will keep the metal stable over time.

Moreover, the bond is also very resistant to corrosion, water, and heat. Thanks to its incredible holding strength, Loctite can be used for weight-bearing applications of industrial-grade difficulty.

It’s not just for small-scale projects at home. You can also use this glue for indoor and outdoor projects.

However, everything has its limits, and Loctite is the same. You shouldn’t assume that the adhesive can hold any weight down because its strength is not that big.

Despite this, the adhesive is very easy to use, so it’ll be a cinch to reapply some glue if necessary.

This glue is also great if you need glue for aluminum.

2. Gorilla 2 Part Epoxy

Gorilla has always played a big part in the adhesive industry. The 2-part epoxy we have here is a professional glue with a strong bond and gap-filling capabilities.

It’s made for repairing metal appliances and building with metal materials. You can mix the resin and hardener freely and create a composition of your liking.

The syringe is very easy to use for precision work, and you can work on small-scale projects with wood flooring, upholstery, metal railing support, windowsills, and more.

It even works on larger-scale projects involving stainless steel and other metals. In about 10 minutes, you should be done with applying the glue.

Once dry, Gorilla 2 Part Epoxy will blend into the environment and absorb the material surface.

Despite being difficult to clean and taking a long while to harden, Gorilla 2 Part Epoxy is a great choice for stainless steel!

Gorilla 2 Part Epoxy also works great as glue for glass to metal.

3. Original Gorilla Glue

Few types of glue compare to the Original Gorilla Glue. It can single-handedly finish your project in just a few moments.

Compared to other adhesives, Original Gorilla Glue is stronger, more durable, faster to set, and more resistant to external hazards.

It’s also very versatile since you can use it to bond plastic, ceramic, wood, stainless steel, fabric, and other metals.

Check out my guide on the best glues for fabric to wood for more tips.

According to the manufacturer, its bonding strength is up to ten times stronger than that of traditional glues.

From personal experience, I can say that Original Gorilla Glue is very difficult to remove once it has dried and cured.

This stands testament to its durability in time, of course.

4. Loctite Super Glue Gel

Loctite Super Glue Gel can fix almost anything, including stainless steel applications and appliances.

The adhesive dries in a couple of seconds and comes in a convenient gel form that’s easy to apply and use.

The no-drip concept helps you accurately apply the glue without making a mess.

But if you’re not careful, it may stick to your fingers, and that’s a real problem. Superglue dries very fast, and removing it will be a hassle if it drops on your skin.

Use hot water and soap to do it! Otherwise, Loctite Super Glue Gel is excellent for repairs and construction projects involving stainless steel.

This glue works excellent in the role of glue for magnets.

5. J-B Weld KwikWeld Epoxy

J-B Weld Epoxy is your glue if you need a quick-setting epoxy that’s easy to use and forms a super-strong bond.

The adhesive has a special syringe design that you can use as a marker. You can seal the marker with a cap and keep it fresh when you need it again.

Once applied, J-B Weld KwikWeld Epoxy will set in approximately 6 minutes and finish curing in about 4-6 hours.

Once it finishes curing, KwikWeld will have a dark-grey color and a holding strength of 3127 PSI. It also resists temperatures of up to 300°F.

J-B Weld KwikWeld Epoxy is great for all types of automotive, plumbing, marine, and household repairs.

You can also use it on various ceramic, concrete, automotive, brick, and other materials.

Properties of Stainless Steel

To bond stainless steel properly, you first need to know its properties. First off, this material is resistant to corrosion, which is also its selling point.

Since this steel won’t degrade due to corrosion, it’ll remain durable for much longer than regular steel.

Stainless steel adhesives should address that reality and keep everything firm.

Of course, the type of glue you choose depends on the type of application you’re building.

How much will the entire application be if you’re using stainless steel? Are you building it indoors or outdoors?

You could use polyurethane-based glue or a silicone caulk because they are versatile and work in most circumstances.

How Do You Bond Stainless Steel?

Before starting the gluing process, you must prepare the surface for proper bonding.

You’ll start with degreasing the surface and cleaning it of any debris and then applying a primer coating.

Lastly, you should apply a wetting that activates the resin component of your adhesive.

But water-based adhesives aren’t good for surfaces that shouldn’t be slippery. Think of floors, ramps, or stairs.

But these adhesives are very good for other applications like glass bonding and stainless steel bonding.

The preparatory process begins with the cleaning step. You’ll need to make the surface more adherent to the glue by cleaning it of any residue like dirt and oil.

Use a solvent or a good cleaner to smoothen the surface. Don’t use any water or other source of moisture. Once you clean the surface thoroughly, start degreasing it!

You need to remove toxic residue using solvents and other dry-cleaning agents to remove oil and other residue that could make the bonding process more difficult.

Then, you need to apply the primer coating, enhancing the adhesive’s performance.

The last step is wetting the surface with water before applying the adhesive.

This will increase the overall penetration and performance of the glue when it comes to bonding joints.

It will also reduce the exothermic reaction that may lead to heat buildup.

Apply as much water as necessary, depending on the type of application and environmental conditions.

Think of the ambient temperature and the types of joint materials you want to bond (wood, metal, and so on).

The humidity level is also important because higher humidity means the water will evaporate slower.

However, the wetting procedure needs enough water, so don’t be afraid to pour enough!

Now, you’re ready to bond stainless steel. Follow the step-by-step guide below to do it properly:

• Get your supplies ready – You should have sandpaper, adhesive, and stainless steel ready
• Sand the surface using sandpaper. This way, you will eliminate scratches, rust, or other impurities that could interfere with the adhesion process. You should use 220 grit wet/dry sandpaper to remove every impurity. This includes dust particles from when you cleaned the materials.
• Apply the glue on both surfaces at the angles where they will come into contact, but do it at a 45-degree angle. When you’re done, both surfaces should be fully covered in glue, or the adhesion process will not be completed properly. Once you clamp them down, wait 30 seconds for the curing process to finish. During those 30 seconds, you can remedy any mistakes.
• You should leave the materials overnight to set and apply clamping during this time fully. You could put something weight on top of the glued object to apply stress and create a makeshift clamping method. Don’t use any power tools on the bonded materials until 24 hours have passed. The band hasn’t set yet and is still weak against vibrations.
• Now clean up your work area and wash your hands or eliminate any glue on your skin.

That’s it; now you’re done bonding your stainless steel application using high-quality adhesive!

Wrap Up

There isn’t any specific instruction for bonding stainless steel. With the right adhesive and by following the instructions on the label, you should have no problems finishing quickly.

I recommend Osi Sealants 2 Oz Weld Bonding Compound 130700 by Loctite as a top choice for bonding stainless steel, thanks to its versatility, high tensile strength, durability, and stress resistance.

If you have other questions, feel free to leave them below, and I’ll reply as soon as possible!