I have seen some wood workers use a colourless transparant epoxy for filling holes in wood. They said it was the same hardness as the wood and easily sanded.
Where might I find such a product and what would it be called?
I have a very nice set of salad servers made from olive wood, and unfortunately, one of the tines on the fork cracked and broke off, I'm hoping to use this product to repair it. It appears as though there was a natural fault in the wood at that spot which caused it to break. Will i be able to use such a product to repair this permanently?
I have a gallon of WEST epoxy left over from a boat project, and have tried to use it as glue. It doesn't work out very well. I recommend buying real epoxy glue. What ever they use to thicken it works much better than the saw dust I tried. (Laminating epoxy is very thin because it must easily saturate the fiberglass; it won't stay in a joint without being thickened.)
And no, trying to reattach a fork prong without any reinforcement would be a fools errand.
Jason Lewis wrote in news:40ff2821$0$27223$ snipped-for-privacy@news.syd.swiftdsl.com.au:
I think what you will end up with is going to be mostly decorative. Olive wood is usually going to do what you have already experienced. My suggestion is that you repair this, and then display, not use the pieces.
Have you tried System 3 or MAS epoxies? If so, how do they compare? Best pricing on epoxy comes from ________?
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System Three 5-minute epoxy. Don't get the wood filler, just the 2-part epoxy. Not only will it fix your salad tongs, it makes a marvelous clear grain filler for red oak (in my opinion). You squeeze out the viscous stuff from each tube to a 1:1 ratio into a small container and then mix well---I find that small wax-paper cups work marvelously, and I mix with small (1/2"x1/4"x6", e.g.) scraps from whatever project I'm on. Slather it on and don't clamp too tightly. WEAR BREATHING PROTECTION, as uncured epoxy is quite toxic.
When you fix the tine, don't clamp it. In fact, if you can, try drilling a teeny hole into both the tine and the fork base, pack in some of the epoxy and insert a short piece of wire as a dowel. If the olive is fairly oily, clean the parts to be joined with mineral spirits first and let dry.
Well, we are talking about epoxy glues here, not laminating epoxies, but I doubt that makes much of a difference. VOCs are not the only measure of toxicity.
Many, many people have damaged their lungs due to contact with epoxy. This is a well-known problem with boatbuilders and homebuilt aircraft builders. It is quite common to develop a sensitivity to the stuff as well that will affect the rest of your life. Happened to a boatbuilder friend---he developed both asthma and a general chemical sensitivity. I have seen him double over in agony after riding one floor in an elevator with someone wearing perfume that I could barely smell. It is not a pretty sight. I wear a vapor respirator now around anything that has to cure in my presence.
Don't take my word for it; I'm not a chemist nor a toxicologist.
Here is a government report on the subject:
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is a link to the material safety data sheet for System 3 two-part epoxy glue:
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is a list of stories from boatbuilders who have become sensitized to the "non-toxic" hazardous chemicals in laminating epoxy:
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gloves pass some of the chemicals through to your skin. Use nitrile or vinyl gloves. There is also a barrier cream that goes on very easily that is reported to help tremendously.
Here is a link from the Glen-L boat kit company on the subject:
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5 minute epoxy is inherently weaker than slower curing products.
Both of these are good advice, though I doubt anything stronger than
5-minute cure would be needed for a salad fork. BTW, I also wear a vapor respirator using acetone.
In truth, I find it hard to believe someone would actually advocate
*against* wearing safety equipment when using potent chemicals, but there's the net for you.
You're not likely to find that kind of epoxy in a hardware store. Your best bet is a marine supply place. One of the biggest problems with those brands (MAS, System 3, West etc) is they don't often sell in small quantities. It's easy to get a liter or more, but a quarter liter is another thing. I think West Systems makes a small repair kit, but I've never seen it in marine shops near me. Hope you're luckier.
One source for structural adhesives is Aircraft Spruce and Specialty , which has made special arrangements for Australian customers--delivery won't be quick but you won't pay UPS shipping from the US either.
So you prefer it over the other 2? Do you use the # of pump strokes or go by weight when mixing?
That's good to know.
So I see. =:-0
I wouldn't expect so, Mr. Deep Pockets. Average drum price?
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Before the resin cures, there are no vapors to be concerned with; however, having said that, protective clothing needs to be worn to avoid mixed but uncured resin from coming in contact with the skin.
After the resin has kicked but before having cured for about a week (AKA: green state), the dust created from sanding is a real problem and if you don't wear a dust mask, can cause all the problems you describe above.
After about a week of curing, the sanding dust is not as serious a problem, but a dust mask is still required.
Actually, I use two (2) sets of gloves, a latex surgical type pair covered by a pair of what are known as "canner's gloves" which has a cuff just above the wrist.
When I'm finished, remove the canner's gloves leaving the clean latex glove to be used to remove the disposable suit and shoes.
I've tried several, none seem to work for me.
I don't even keep acetone in the boat yard.
I'm definitely advocating that proper safety clothing needs to be worn when working with epoxy; however, a respirator is not required when applying laminating resin (glue).
OTOH, there are epoxy based coatings such as high build primer, "tank resin", etc that definitely do contain VOC's.
If you are working with these products, especially in an enclosed area, a good respirator is an absolute must.
I, too, prefer the nitrile gloves. Don't use them with MEK-based hardeners with resins (i.e. polyester, vinylester), but they are fine with epoxies.
I wear several layers of gloves. If the outer layer becomes too messed up to continue, I just tear off the outer glove and keep working. For something as simple as the OP's repair, I'd wear two layers and potentially reuse the inner ones if nothing happened to them.
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