Using sawdust for epoxy fairing material

You can use almost anything as a filler in epoxy. Sawdust will work fine and will probably be the easiest all things considerd. Silica (basically sand) is a common filler and might be a good idea for adding traction and durability to a wear surface such as your step, but it's not going to be workable after the fact.

For boat building, we normally use 'peanut butter' consistency for filler

Rich

Using sawdust as a filler for epoxy represents a total waste of good epoxy.

Micro-balloons are dirt cheap.

Talk to the tech folks at West.

Lew

How do you guys blow up those little balloons?

Would you still say that if it were for purely aesthetic reasons, such as crack-filling in semi-naturalistic work?

...and how _do_ they blow up those tiny balloons, so cheaply?

:>

:> Using sawdust as a filler for epoxy represents a total waste of good :> epoxy. :>

:> Micro-balloons are dirt cheap. :>

: How do you guys blow up those little balloons?

micro-compressors yuk, yuk, yuk

Probably.

Last time I bought a 30 lb(4 cubic ft) bag of micro-balloons, it was less than $25 which was just after a 20% price increase the month previous.

I just don't worry about it.

Lew

Do a Google for "Dicaperl" and "HP500".

Dicaperl is the mineral brand, HP500 is the grade.

Strictly an industrial item, but should be able to buy a bag on a cash basis.

Lew

No one has said as much yet but I think the relevant point here is that 'micro' sands much more easily than any other filler material.

Because the spheres are hollow, much of the material being removed is air.