Thread: Help! Drilled through a laminate top ( my new router table).

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

Good Morning hellofellow

The ratio of resin to hardener is critical - often 5:1 but it can even be 1:1 - different brands - Master Splinter says be accurate to 6% - Gougeon Bros (founders of WEST) say 3% - and it is very difficult to measure small quantities so accurately. I use two sets - one each for resin and harder - of el cheapo plastic measuring spoons and wipe them immediately after measuring.

The quantity of thickener relates totally to the texture of the epoxy required - thin liquid, thicker liquid, putty, whatever. But the resin/hardener ratio is scarosanct. I use or have used the following common thickeners:

• colloidal silica - very good for reducing runs and slump on vertical surfaces - expensive,
• micro spheres and microfibres - excellent, but relatively expensive,
• talc - bathroom variety works well but industrial product in 20kg bags is cheap - works well,
• sanding and saw dust - my preference as its free and works very well. I save them - jars of Huon pine sandings, celery top sandings, blackwood sandings, etc - and it camoflages to epoxy to a large extent.

Clean up is with acetone or MEK (marginally better) and either can be used to dilute the epoxy if a runnier texture is required - eg for penetration. Also wet epoxy hates moisture - goes cloudy.

For a small hole like yours I would do the following:

• clean hole of loose material, and flatten any drilling hump,
• mix small quantity epoxy, stir well until all signs of streakiness disappear,
• with small artists paint brush, moisten inside of hole with thinner (acetone or MEK) - aids penetration,
• dry brush, then immediately paint inside of hole with epoxy,
• add thickener to epoxy until desired texture is obtained, stirring very well until all streakiness disappears, then add thickened epoxy to hole with brush or spatular,
• when set but not cured - 24 to 48 hours - sand with 400 grit.

IMHO, epoxy is the best and most versatile glue and filler currently available, but there is a definite learning curve with its use. It is worth mastering, but it takes effort. And heed the safety rules.



Fair Winds

Graeme

Thanks Graeme,

Just ironing out the fine details now...

1. So in my case seeing it drys regardless of thickness, does it even matter how thick I make it? Is making it thicker just going to make it easier to use?/Any other advantages?

2. I just started looking online and one of my original questions came up again.. There are epoxy resins listed for casting and moulding such as this: Castin' Craft Clear Epoxy Resin : Adelaide Moulding & Casting Supplies
For my purposes I imagine this would work fine, but for future reference can I use this 'casting epoxy resin' as a glue in replacement of araldite?

I guess its all just names and they stick a label on it but at the end of the day they are all adhesives, and all can be used for casting?

Thanks so much. Its great to learn so much about epoxy, not just for this job ( sure I wouldn't mess it up to much), but it sounds as if it will be valuable knowledge for the future, thus all the questions on casting vs adhesives etc.

It dries (or rather cures) because of a reaction between the resin and the hardener. They chemically link and form a polymer.

And while that casting epoxy might be fine as an adhesive, I'd stick (ha ha) with one sold as an adhesive, if adhesion is what you want.

Keep it thin to allow it to soak in - if you do it upside down, it's not like you need anything to keep it in place in the hole aside from a strip of tape.

And spend several hours reading the West Epoxy site.

Okay so my plan now is:
1. Buy some west epoxy resin + Hardner from that site or similar
2. Might grab some filler for $10, microbeeads or whatever they are called.

I'll add some filler to make it space occupying, and easier to work with. ( but keep it thin enough for good penetration.

When I need epoxy in the future the west can be used as adhesive!

I think the plan is as follows:

As it really is a very small hole ( I'm just obsessive) and I don't want to make it bigger than it is, I'll drill down 5mm or so from the top, put some good painters tape or duck tape over the hole and drill through it again do as to protect the surrounding table. Add the mixed epoxy/hardner/ filler mix, sand down to the duck tape ( so I don't sand adjacent table) with 400 grit once cured.

Thanks all! All help was fantastic.

Good Morning hellofellow

Master Splinter has pretty well answered your questions. Like MS I have not used that brand of casting epoxy, so I cannot comment.

However, I have used WEST epoxy for casting and it works fine. It is routinely used on custom yachts to cast winch bases where the point loading is measured in tonnes - properly handled it is very robust and very versatile. The thickening just makes it a little easier to hand, but at the expense of its penetration abilities. Where penetration is an issue I thin it with acetone/MEK to make it really runny!

As MS says, read the WEST website, or get the Gougeon Brothers book and read it. You will learn a lot that you did not know existed. It is exciting stuff. I have had their book for 25+ years and still keep finding new stuff and new approaches.

And do a little practice. I still rehearse before each job.




Fair Winds

Graeme