I use West 5 min. epoxy to fill hairline cracks in bowls. Is there a common solvent that will thin it a bit (either before or after mixing ? I have noticed that a dab of alcohol based dye will make it more stringy but not thinner. Strength is not important, but hardness after curing is. Thanks.
Lacquer thinner
From the horses mouth:
-BR
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"G. Ross" wrote in news:Y_2dnbiTFtB-VQPJnZ2dnUU7- snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:
Thinning epoxy is rarely required in boat building - it's more likely to need to be thickened.
That said, I do recall Gougeon Brothers recommended heating to thin epoxy. They have an article on the subject here:
Other folk seem to favor cyanoacrylate for filling hairline cracks.
John
----------------------------------------------------- You could use denatured alcohol up to about 5% by weight; however, for what you are trying to do, think I would hit the crack with a heat gun after applying the epoxy.
I have zip experience with 5 min epoxy but they have already played with the formulation to get the 5 min time.
Lew
Thanks!
I would heat BEFORE adding the epoxy. The exoxy will thin on contact, and the epoxy will cool the substrate, causing the air to shrink, drawing the epoxy in before it cures.
GetRot, another epoxy product available from West Marine, is what you want. It is formulated to be lower viscosity.
Or? Captain Toleys Creeping Crack Cure (Also at West Marine) Good stuff. Not a two part mix, but sinks in well and waterproof when dry.
Richard wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.com:
Just for clarity, West Marine is not the same company as West System (aka Gougeon Brothers).
Almost everything West Marine sells is available cheaper from Jamestown Distributors or Hamilton Marine. I only shop at West Marine when I need something _now_ (because they're just across town), otherwise I mail order.
John
I would use the slower finish epoxy, which is runny and will run into the crack. It takes 24 hours to cure well, and about a week to really harden.
But like Lew said, heat. either a heat gun (overkill) or a hair dryer.
Good point, heating the wood may cause air bubbles to form.
Virtually guaranteed if you heat it after applying the epoxy.
Heating the wood before using 5 minute epoxy might turn it into 3 minute! Graham
That's fine if the 5 minute epoxy is thinned by the heat and drawn into the crack by contraction of the air in the crack by cooling in 2
1/2 minutes.
Fast cure epoxies have no place in my basket of tricks. When I need lower v iscosity I add a bit of benzyl alcohol, or still better, take advantage of the epoxy's natural sensitivity to microwaving. Fortunately, almost everyon e can find a nice big used microwave oven for little or no $$ that can acco mmodate some fairly large turning pieces. MEK is probably the best cleanup solvent, acetone second best, as both are used industrially in epoxy bondin g to aluminum. SmoothOn has a lot of technical data on their epoxy offering s, which takes the mystery out of what works with what.
Joe
Thanks Joe.
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