My shop press is actually rated for 30 tons but I have used a 20 ton bottle for a safety margin. Until recently, my preference has been a hand pumped 20 ton bottle on my press. The reason for this is that when pressing barrels, pins, etc. I like to “feel” how much pressure I am applying. Years back, I bought a 20 ton air over hydraulic bottle from Harbor Freight as guys told me it was faster. What this means is that an air-operated mechanism pumps a piston and extends the bottle. For a variety of reasons, it sat by the press and never got installed – mainly I did not have an airline there and I didn’t really have the need – as my grips business increased, free time to build AKs decreased.
At any rate, with the new SWAG shop press, I didn’t want to stand around pumping the bottle so I ran an airline and installed the bottle.
Installing it was a breeze (not including running the air line). I just screwed in the head of the ram of the old bottle enough to pull it out. I then slid in the new bottle and adjusted the screw head until it was nice and snug. Done. I’m using regular 3/8″ air line with 1/4″ Milton quick connect fittings and it seems to have plenty of air.
Boy is the end result nice — I can use the air system to run the ram down to where I want to then take over by hand and feel what is going on. What a time saver.
One annoying issue I had to overcome was the pressure relief valve. The bottle still has one of the little “+” shaped valves that you have to slide the handle onto. SWAG makes a replacement handle you can slide onto the shaft and reinstall the pin but my budget was spent and then some. Instead. I found some tubing in my shop and made a little “T” handle and cut a relief into one end with my band saw for the pin to slide into. It’s way more convenient than using the long pump lever arm.
So the that’s it for the bottle. The next post will talk about the lower bending die and the series is done.
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I’ve used presses for many years and have watched them bend stuff and or even shoot stuff across a room. One of the scariest sounds I used to hear was the “BANG” when an AK barrel pin would finally let go and come out. My point is that with a press, you are working with tons of pressure — literally. If you have a 20 ton press, that means you could apply somewhere around 40,000 tons of pressure.
Presses are pretty simple really – you have a frame made of steel with an adjustable shelf and a hydraulic bottle jack. As you pump the jack, the ram assembly is pushed/pressed down and applies pressure on whatever you have underneath. The shelf is open in the middle and arbor plates, or some metal plates are used in the middle to hold the work when pressure is applied.
The problem is that many of the press plates supplied with presses are not up to the task. I bent the plates that came with with my press — they were basically two pieces of thick U channel mystery metal that couldn’t handle the load. Now some guys have reported their cast iron press plates shattering under load and causing injury.
A few days later a couple of heavy Priority Mail boxes arrived with one plate in each.
I looked at the plates and did some thinking – I planned the cut it such that my most likely used opening would be available. I then used my PowerMax 45 plasma cutter to cut the plate. The 1.5″ thick piece was way past the unit’s limit. I went real slow from one side, turned it over and then did the other. I then did some grinding to clean it up.
Here’s the SWAG brake sitting on the plates.
Nothing is permanently attached. The press and the plates can be pulled out if I need to do any work that requires a different configuration.
The following two plates are smaller but you can get them off Amazon:
6/2/2019 Update: These plates are awesome. I have put some tremendous pressure on them when pressing parts using a 20 ton air over hydraulic bottle hack and they have not given at all. They are well worth it.
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I occasionally run into situations where I need to bend thick sheet metal or even bar stock to make brackets. I needed to make a new battery box for my plow and decided it was time to get a press brake. I did some digging around decided to get one from SWAG Off Road – their “20 TON Press Brake Heavy Duty” model that you can buy built or as a kit. They made the tablesaw system that holds my Milwaukee Portaband and that is a really sweet set up. At any rate, the maximum width it can bend is 19.25″ with a 110 degree radius bend.
Now, what really caught my eye were the dimensions of mild steel stock this press brake could bend:
19″ wide if 3/16″ or thinner
15″ in 1/4″
13″ in 5/16″
11″ in 3/8″
6″ in 1/2″
3″ in 5/8″
Most of the stock I bend is 3/8″ or less so this was right in line with what I wanted.
The brake is designed to work with two different 20 ton Harbor Freight press models – the 32879 and 606043. My press is a 30 ton IIT H-frame so I had to make sure the total width of the brake was going to work – 22.125″ – and it did with room to spare. Note that while my press frame is 30 ton, I run a 20 ton bottle jack on it so I matched the press brake to my the actual press capacity I I run.
So, armed with that, I bought the kit for $224.95 shipped off Amazon and it showed up about a week later coming in several heavy USPS Priority mail packages.
The kit was very well packed and the instructions were very straight forward. I actually had a fun time assembling it. All you need is a welder, grinder, and a square (in my case, I used a 1-2-3 block for most of the squaring).
Their instructions were very straight forward. I am going to follow their steps in my write up and also add commentary.
I laid everything out and made sure I had all of the the parts before I started and I did.
Step 1 Weld in the Guide Rods and Ears
I hammered the rods part way into the bottom plate and made sure they were square. The fit is tight on purpose so you need a good sized hammer and a solid surface. You don’t hammer them in all the way as you are going to weld from the bottom. Be sure to tack weld the rods first and double check they are square one more time before you do the final weld. I used a 1-2-3 block to true my bars up. You do want to make sure they are fairly square as the brake’s blade assembly needs to be able to rid up and down them.
Next, they talk about tacking the “ears” back on that you can use to secure the brake in your press. These are the little tabs that go into the notches on the front of the lower assembly. Now save yourself some time and make sure the dimensions will work for you. I went through the whole building process and found out the tabs stopped my brake from going back far enough in the press to align with the ram and I had to cut them off. Knowing SWAG, I bet the brake lines up like a charm on the two Harbor Freight press models they mention so this is because I am using a very different press (It is something like 20+ years old now too :-). If the ears do work for you, you may need to file some excess metal off. One of my ears had just a bit of waste metal left after cutting that filed right off in just a few seconds. You can see the fit is great. As with the other stuff, fit it in place, tack weld and then do the final weld when ready. By the way, tack weld first to avoid the metal warping from the heat and moving out of the position you need – this is true for the whole kit.
In case you are wondering, I am using a Miller 211 MIG with gas. It works great for me. It has a far better weld and duty cycle than the Harbor Freight model I started with years go.
To protect my eyes, I use a very well regarded Antra AH6-260-0000 Solar Power Auto Darkening Welding Helmet that works great for me.
Step 2 – Weld the Vertical Guide Tubes
Next carefully position the guide tubes on the brake’s blade. I used a Harbor Freight steel welding table and a number of magnetic clamps to get everything in position and secure before I then tack welded, tested the fit and then did the final welds. Note, the blade edge of the die is facing up and the guides are aligned to what will be the top of the die. I am a bit obsessive with welding. I had the heat cranked up on the welder and did two heavy passes. My welding will never get me any awards – even I admit I am a grinder 🙂 I forgot to get a picture of the welds at this step but you’ll see them later.
Step 3 – Welding the Bottom Die
The first step is to weld the two carriage bolts into place that will hold the guide later. You *must* do them now as you will not have access to them once the angle iron is welded in place. I simply turned the heat down on the Miller, put the wing nuts on the bolts to hold them in place and did a few quick welds.
Now the next part is to weld the angle iron in place. In their instructions, SWAG said I might need to grind the bottom of the angle iron to get it to sit evenly in the channel. That did not seem to be a problem with my parts. To align the angle iron in the channel, I sprayed non-stick on the upper die and then installed it on the lower die and checked alignment. This seemed to work really well – the weight and position of the blade lined the angle iron up perfectly (a month later an I am still happy with it). I then tack welded the angle iron base in place on the lower die and then welded it in place doing a section at a time on opposing sides. I welded a closing X – starting with the corners and then moving inward a few inches at a time to avoid warping.
Step 4 – Weld the Shaft Collar
For me, the collar helps be center on the ram of my press but I do not leave it connected. I definitely wanted it though so I welded it on. I measured and found the center, positioned the collar, tack welded it and then did the final weld.
Step 5. Paint It
My shop is basically an unheated garage so I have to fight condensation. Unpainted / unoiled surfaces tend to rust so cleaned all the parts when brake cleaner and applied three coats of Black Satin Krylon that combines a primer and the paint in one finish. Definitely let it cure for a day before you reassemble — this is an important lesson I learned years ago – dry to the touch and cured ready to use are two different things.
At this point I had to get the press ready and that meant installing real press plates that could safely (emphasis on safely) handle 20 tons of pressure. Candidly. the cheap cast iron plates that come with most presses are not up to the task so we’ll talk about this in the next blog post.
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For my job, I wind up travelling and I can’t tell you how many times I have had luggage parts come loose or need to fix a zipper. The beauty of these Swiss+Tech tools is that they are tiny and light. They will never win a brute strength contest but when you need a simple screw driver or a small strong set of pliers/tweezers, or wire cutter these things kick butt. I think it is rather unfair when people compare them to full sized tools – they were never designed for that. Look at the pivot pin – it’s a tubular rivet!
I’ve had both tools for years. I just bought this new set off Amazon to put in luggage. The 6-in-1 goes in my carry on bag and then 19-1 goes in my check-in. If you just want to buy one, get the 6-in-1. That can get just about any small job done and are cheap off Amazon.
By the way, you can fix a ton of problems when travelling with the 6-in-1, a roll of electrical tape and a few zip ties of varying lengths. For example, if a zipper pull comes off, insert a small zip tie, run 4-6 layers of electrical tape around it and then cut off the excess zip tie. Done.
Another plus is that they are so cheap you don’t feel bad if they get lost. I gave my wife one as a stocking stuffer and that went over like a lead brick – don’t do that 🙂
So, can you fix a car with these? No. Fix stuff better than fingers alone when travelling? Absolutely.
7/20/19 Update: I can’t tell you how many times these little things have bailed me out on trips. When I lose one, I buy a new one – in other words they are worth it to me. Also, I’ve not had one fail. I’ve yanked up stuck zippers, tightened screws on luggage. cut small wires, etc.
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Guys, I like multi tools when I travel or go camping. I have torn up a boat load of cheap imported ones and a Stanley just by trying to use the pliers to grab on to something really tight. I have never had a problem with a Gerber or Leatherman tool – let me say that up front.
At any rate, I wanted to find something compact and with locking blades. I have a Gerber multi tool that I have used a ton since 1998 and my only issue is the lack of a lock on the blade. You don’t really think about the lock until the first time you are really yanking on something to cut it and that blade starts to close! It’s been my goto tool for years and is showing its age.
At any rate, I did some digging around and decided on the Gerber Suspension. All the tools I worried about have a positive locking system and the handles fit your hand pretty well. It has 4.6/5 stars with 1,493 reviews on Amazon. That is a pretty darned good score! I get the warm fuzzies when I see scores like that and the unit was only $23.49 shipped with Amazon Prime.
Here are features and my thoughts
Needle-nose Pliers – Important
Wire Cutter/Stripper – Important
Straight Blade – Important
Serrated Blade – Maybe – they work great on rope
Phillips Screwdriver – Important
Large and Medium Flathead Screwdrivers – Important
Scissors – I have no idea if I will ever really use this but it is an interesting design and seems solid
Bottle Opener – Important – this is an Emergency Beer Access Tool
Can Opener – Important – I can’t tell you how many cans I have opened over the years thanks to the can opener in my old Gerber]
Saw – not that important
Awl – not that important
Lanyard Ring – not that important
Open, it is 6.5″ long and closed it is 4″ long plus it has a little belt / storage pouch.
Here are photos of mine:
So far, everything seems solid. I tested the locking mechanisms and they work. I took a steel rod and grabbed on with the pliers as hard as I could and nothing bent. I’ve had tools in the past where if I did that the handles would crumple. Literally, I put a bar in a vise, grab hold with the pliers and then try and turn the bar which is pretty much impossible. The Suspension held up just fine.
I’m going to be using this more over the summer and we’ll see how it holds up.
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I have a lot of fun experimenting with stuff. I tend to need punches fairly regularly and what I had was a mishmash of sizes and models from Craftsman, Astro, Harbor Freight and who knows what else. I was working the other day and had stuff laying everywhere and thought to myself that there must be a more organized approach plus some of my punches were looking pretty abused (I’ve bent the crap out of some of the real small ones trying to start pins) so I started digging on Amazon. Interestingly enough, TEKTON makes an 18-piece gunsmith punch set that gets very good reviews on Amazon – 4.6 stars with 181 reviews is pretty remarkable. So, I ordered it and was pleasantly surprised at what arrived – it was very well done.
The set was well packed and includes a walnut bench block that is laser etched with what punch is to go in what hole. Now for a slob like me, that is a God-send.
The punches have a nice heft, feel good, are well finished and have worked fine so far. TEKTON claims they are high carbon heat treated steel and seem to be holding up just fine.
(8) roll pin punches: 1/16, 5/64, 3/32, 1/8, 5/32, 3/16, 7/32, 1/4 inch
(2) solid punches: 1/16, 3/32 inch
(1) center punch: 5/16 inch
I have it sitting to the side of my bench and now I can move the whole set right to where I need it vs. digging for whatever punch I need.
So if you are shopping for punches with a stand, take a look at this set. It is a great deal when you look at the cost relative to the quality you get.
2/27/20 Update: I’ve beat the heck out of mine and most punches are still holding up. I’ve bent a few of the smaller ones but I have really beat the hell out of them trying to free stuck pins so I am not surprised. Guess what I did, I bought a second Tekton set for spares. I’m still happy with it. All the sizes let me grab one for use as a slave pin as well like what you really need to align all the components with Glock hammer pins.
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I tell you what it is really hard to get by without a compressor but it can also be but it can also be a real headache if the circuit breaker regularly, or even unpredictably, trips when the compressor tries to top off the tank. There a couple of really easy modifications we can do to the compressor but before that, let’s step through a couple of things first just in case there is another issue at hand:
Safety Stuff
I actually spent more time trying to think about the what-ifs than actually writing the two options to make your compressor start softer but I do want you to approach this safely. I am assuming you are handy with a basic understanding of electrical wiring and compressed air to do this work.
First, you should be using a properly sized circuit or at least one that is very close. If your compressor needs far more than what your circuit is sized for, say 30 amps and you only have a 15 amp circuit, then the fix I am going to tell you may not help. It does often help when you have a circuit that is very close to the required amps but when there is a heavy draw, it exceeds the circuits capacity so the breaker trips. My experience is that consumer air compressors list a low draw number like 15 amps and can draw more than that under peak load. So, for example, if you have a 15 amp circuit and a compressor that says it needs 15 amps – you may be having some challenges that this modification might help with.
In terms of properly sizing a circuit, engineers and others can give you rules of thumb such as doubling the circuit capacity to allow for spikes in demand or to allow 6 amps per 1 HP for 1 phase or 1.25 amps per HP for 3 phase. Doing this means running new wire and installing new breakers. DO NOT JUST PUT IN A BIGGER BREAKER! The breaker is protecting the wiring from over heating and catching fire. Each thickness, or gauge, of wire has a limit to the number of amps it can carry. Never put a higher capacity breaker on a smaller cable – you are asking for trouble in the worst way.
Second, plug the compressor directly into the wall. An extension cord will likely introduce too much resistance and cause the breaker to trip so do not use an extension cord (assuming your compressor is not an air nailer or air brush model – they draw so little that they can use extension cords).
Third, I have only encountered this a few times over the years but breakers can wear out over time. If you investigate and it seems that you should have enough capacity and can’t figure out why your breaker is tripping, then try installing a new breaker and see if that helps. Again, install the right size and don’t put the wiring at risk of fire. If in doubt, bring in an electrician to straighten things out.
Fourth, if you look at your outlets and/or wiring and they look burned, there is any trace of soot or a burned smell stop and get an electrician to inspect the line. It may sound funny but I have seen lines fail over the years for a ton of unexpected reasons.
Now, on to making a compressor softer starting
IMPORTANT SAFETY ANNOUNCEMENT – BE SURE YOUR SYSTEM IS FULLY DRAINED AND THE COMPRESSOR IS UNPLUGGED (ENSURING THERE IS NO WAY IT CAN TURN ON) BEFORE YOU DO ANY WORK. The pressures involved can hurt you and we do not want that.
Make sure the unit is unplugged also just to be safe.
So, with those things said, let’s say you need to make your compressor work better with the circuit you have for whatever reason, let’s talk about what some folks call a “soft start” modification. It’s called this because it makes it easier for the pump and compressor to start and come up to speed before a heavy load is introduced.
The way a compressor works is that a motor has to turn the pump and send air through a filler tube into the main tank. Between that little tube and the tank is a check valve that screws in right at the top of the tank that keeps air from rushing backwards. Now when the compressor fills the tank each time, the switch controller opens a bleed off valve to empty the air in the filler tube to make it easier for the compressor to start next time. The problem is that the volume of air in that tube is relatively small and when your compressor starts, it can only turn a few times before the tube is full and then the motor must work much harder and thus draw more amps to overcome the check valve to put air in the tank. Depending on the amps required, this can then trip the breaker.
Look at this next photo. See how short and small that left tube is? The pump can only turn a few times before that left tube is pressurized – it never has a chance to build up speed and momentum in the flywheel. As a result when the pressure of the tank is reached it puts a lot of strain on the motor.
Note, the second smaller tube, which is often a flexible plastic, provides pressure to the cut off switch that automatically turns the motor off when the tank reaches a specified pressure. We are interested in the larger tube that runs from the head (top) of the compressor pump down to the top of the tank. It is usually much larger than the pressure switch tube.
The fix is simple – increase the air capacity between the pump and the tank! You want the motor to be able to start and the heavy flywheel build up momentum before it encounters the pressure behind the check valve.
Option one: Simply make a longer tube so there is more potential volume to fill
There are two options to make this softer starting. One is to just add a long length of copper tubing in between the compressor and the tank. You roll it into a coil and it kind of looks like a moonshine still and it does the job. The con is that it looks really funky. I did this with one of my early compressors and the photo below shows about 8 to 10 foot of tubing installed. I would replace whatever the original tubing was with the same size so you would do the same. You need to replace the compression fittings also and you can do the job in about 30 minutes. Note that I used hose clamps to keep the coils from rattling. Ugly as heck but it worked until I finally wore out the pump. I checked the date on my photos and I ran this setup from 2010 to 2014 – it does hold up.
Option two: Add a reservoir to really increase the volume
The second approach is a little bit more elaborate and involves putting a 1/2 to 1 gallon small air tank between the compressor and the tank. This allows the pump and motor to come up to speed before they must overcome the check valve. This works great. The only slightly annoying thing you will notice is that once the pressure is reached and the compressor cuts off, the pressure relief valve opens and the air runs out longer because there is more air in the line.
A couple of quick design considerations:
I carefully bent the aluminum using a tubing bender and tried to avoid abrupt turns.
The small tank you see is a Firestone 9125 1 gallon 150 PSI tank. The compressor filled the main tank to 135 PSI so the tank needed at least that rating to be safe. Be sure your tank is at least rated as high as your compressor.
Factor in the length of tank and if you will have enough room. The one pictured is 12″ long.
The tubing should be at least the same diameter as the original and the tank’s fittings should be adequately sized. This is a fairly small compressor in the photo.
I secured the tank to plywood and the plywood to the original compressor using the screw hanger fittings you find with conduit. I wanted it to be relatively portable and I also wanted the wood to take up some of the vibration.
I installed a T-fitting at the bottom of the tank to drain off moisture and never really found any. I would recommend you still add it even if it just gives you an ability to bleed off air if something happens.
Use quality Teflon/PTFE tape on all of your fittings to prevent leaks
An optional recommendation I would urge you to do is to either use brake-line wrenches or at least quality fixed wrenches to avoid rounding over the fittings. It is easy for an adjustable wrench to slip and round over the edge of a fitting. You need to tighten things firmly so they do not leak or come loose.
I got by with the above for a number of years until I could afford to both get a bigger compressor and pay an electrician to run a 240 volt service into my shop. I don’t need it now but these two approaches got me by for almost six years before I bought my current Ingersoll Rand.
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Folks, I work a lot with epoxy and reply on it as a structural adhesive to both fill gaps and bond parts together. I’ve done everything from fixing car parts, wood furniture, tools, rifle bedding, scope mount bedding, custom knife handles and much more with epoxy. It is incredibly versatile but you need to do some planning to really get what you want out of it predictably.
In case you didn’t know it, “epoxy” is a general term for a wide range of cured polyepoxide resins glues with different physical characteristics such as how long they cure, strength, temperature resistance and so forth (click here if you want to learn more about the chemistry). There are a ton of options out there as quality manufacturers experiment with different resin and hardener formulations. In short, not all epoxies are the same and for people concerned with the quality of what they are building, they need to think things through. For quite some time I’ve wanted to write down a series of tips for folks to get strong reliable results so here they are:
Buy a quality brand epoxy to begin with
What I have found over the years is that not all epoxies are created equal so spend the money and buy quality epoxy. There can be a huge difference in how well the epoxy will last over time and/or how strong it really is. Do not buy the bargain basement junk. In general, if the maker lists all the physical properties then it is a well thought out and executed formula. I have three epoxies that I use the most in order are Brownell’s AcraGlas liquid (not the gel), Locite E-120HP, JB KwikWeld and ITW Devcon Plastic Steel. Once in a while if I need a fast cure epoxy, I will get a retail blister pack of some five minute epoxy and I’ll explain more in a moment.
Strongly consider what your application is
Epoxy comes in many formulations. They can vary the chemistry of the resin, the hardener and the filler to behave differently. Consider the following example characteristics:
Liquid, Gel/Paste or Putty/Bar — The liquid can seep into pores and fibers plus it can be spread but it can run into places you do not want. Gels and pastes tend to stay put better but do not seep in as well. The really thick puttys and bars are great for filling space or creating an impromptu clamp or to seal a hole but they definite don’t sink in much.
Temperature – you need to think both about the temperature when you are mixing and applying the epoxy as some will not set up at all if too cold. You also need to think about the heat when in operation because many epoxies soften and lose their bond the hotter they get. For example, you may apply epoxy to an exhaust manifold but it will blow off when it gets hot.
Pot life – this is how long you can still apply it before it starts to thicken. Some folks will refer to this as working time. You need to mix the two parts together, apply the epoxy, position and clamp the work before you run out of time. Keep this in mind.
Cure time – this is how long until the epoxy reaches full strength
Color – you can get epoxies in different colors
Ratio / mixing – some are by volume or by weight. The easy consumer stuff is usually 1:1 by volume but when you get into the more sophisticated epoxies the volumes vary or a digital scale is needed
Heat resistance – some epoxies resist heat better than others before they soften and “let go”
Shock resistance – some formulations hold up better than others before they start the break apart and “sugar”. Sugaring refers to the powdery look epoxy gets as it breaks apart. Brownell’s AcraGlas, Loctite E-120HP, JB KwikWeld and ITW Devcon Plastic Steel have all held up very well for me under shocks. My go-to epoxy for most work is Acra-Glas liquid because it holds up so very well.
Others – there are other factors that may matter to you but the important thing is to think through your application
Go with as long of a curing time as you can for maximum strength
What many people do not know is that the faster an epoxy cures, the weaker it is. Conversely, the longer the formulation takes to cure, the stronger it is. All things being equal, a 24 hour curing epoxy will be stronger than 90-second, 5-minute, 30-minute and so forth epoxies. Now there is a time and a place where speed is needed and also situations where strength is paramount. When I make khukuri hands and other things where strength is critical, I always use a 24 hour epoxy.
Use the Proper Ratios
Be sure to carefully follow the mixing ratios. For volume ratio work, I use 10cc or larger syringes without the needles on them to meter liquid resin and hardener. For example, I like AcraGlas and it is 4 parts resin to 1 part hardener. I keep two syringes separated that I re-use over and over. With the syringe in the holding cup labeled “resin”, I use it to draw 4 cubic centimeters (CCs) of resin out and squirt it into a mixing cup. With the hardener syringe, I meter out 1 CC of hardener into the cup. Now you can vary that. If you need a smaller about, meter out 2 CC of resin and 1/2CC of hardener. The syringes really help. If you are doing larger volumes then either use bigger syringes or disposable cups that have measurements printed on the side. Also note how I pour from the bulk container into the smaller intermediary containers that are easy to work with plus I avoid contamination, dropping a big bottle, etc.
The Loctite E-120HP comes in a specialized dispenser tube that uses a gun and tip to do all the mixing. It’s cool as can be for volume work where additional coloring or fillers are not needed.
For the Devcon Plastic Steel, I use my digital scale.
Here’s one thing not to do: Some guys have heard that if they add more hardener it will cure faster. This may be true but the resulting cured epoxy will be weaker. Do not deviate from the manufacturer’s recommendations if you want the physical properties they report.
Mix thoroughly
Folks, I can’t stress this enough. Mix the heck out of the two parts and combine them thoroughly. If you are doing larger volumes, consider doing what is known as a double pour. Pour the two parts into a first container, mix them thoroughly and then pour the combination into the middle of a second container and mix. What a double pour does is avoid having unmixed materials that have stuck to the walls of the container come out when you are applying the epoxy. Keep your pot life / working time in mind.
Most of the time I am using a generic 5oz plastic cup and plastic knife to do the mixing. I buy them by the hundreds for Ronin’s Grips and they are cheap regardless. Do not use styrofoam.
Prepare the surface
Whatever you want to bond epoxy to had better be clean and free of oils, greases, waxes, release agents and so forth. Second, the more abraded the surface the better. If you abrasive blast a surface not only can you double the surface area being bonded together but the irregular surface creates many opportunities for the epoxy to get “under” material to create a better grip. If you can’t blast then at least sand the surface with 80-100 grit sand paper.
So here are two rules to bear in mind when it comes to the surface:
Clean, clean, clean and wear gloves to not contaminate the surface with oil from your skin
Shiny is bad. A polished smooth surface will not give you anywhere near the bonding strength that a blasted or abraded surface will. I blast everything that I can – metals, micarta, plastic and even wood. It makes a world of difference – seriously.
The following is a bakelite handle from an electric griddle of my parents’. The unit works great and has sentimental value so I cleaned it, blasted it, cut a quick cross hatch pattern to give even more grip and then cleaned it again. It set up like a rock and we used it all Memorial Day morning to cook hundreds and hundreds of pancakes with no problem.\
Heating Epoxy
Heat can help you two ways. First, by warming epoxy it tends to flow better. If you need to to soak into wood or other surfaces, consider using a heat gun to blow/chase the epoxy into the wood. Do not burn the epoxy – just warm it up. Second, in general, warming epoxy up tends to make it cure faster. Now there are limits and you need to either experiment or talk to the vendor before doing anything too radical. I will often use a halogen light or other heat source to warm the surface up to 80-100F. In chemistry, there is a formula known as the Arrhenius Equation that notes that for each additional 10 degrees Celsius added, a reaction rate doubles (click here for more info on the equation). My experience is that you want the heat to penetrate and warm all of the epoxy and not just the surface and you also do not want to burn the epoxy. In general, I do not exceed 100F but that is just me. I found something that works good enough and have just stayed there.
Also pay attention to the minimum temperature requirements for curing. Some epoxies will not do anything at all at freezing. Some take forever to cure at 50F. It just depends. When in doubt, use a lamp or something to gently heat the part.
Coloring Epoxy
What many folks do not know is that you can actually color epoxy. I have found two approaches that work. First, use powdered tempera paint. You can stir in a bit of black powder to get black epoxy. Now I did this starting out and have since moved to using epoxy dyes so I am added less powder to the mix because I want to save the volume for glass fillers which we will talk about next.
Fillers
You can modify the physical strength of epoxy by adding a substrate or fillers. For example, fiberglass is matted glass fiber that bonded together with epoxy made for that purpose. Folks working with carbon fibers are using epoxy for bonding that together. I add 1/32″ milled glass fibers to my epoxies to get more strength. If I want more of a paste, I add more glass fiber and if I want it to be more of a liquid, I use less. The exact volume of glass fiber depends on what you are trying to do. Some vendors will give you recommendations and others will not.
Clamping / Work holding
In general, you want to apply the epoxy and then clamp everything together really well and then let it sit. You may choose to use traditional clamps, vacuum, etc. Bear in mind two things:
1. Be careful that you secure the material and that it can’t shift while curing. I can’t tell you how many times I have checked stuff and found out it moved and had to change my approach. Figure this out before you apply the glue in case you need to make something, change your approach, etc. Check it regularly to make sure it hasn’t shifted regardless. Every time I think something can’t move – it does.
2. The epoxy will run out of what you are working on. Decide how you are going to deal with it. Wax paper can protect your tools and table. You can scrape the epoxy off after it has partially cured. You can wipe things down with acetone when partially cured. Just think it through otherwise you are going to glue stuff together really well that you do not want bonded – trust me. It is a real headache so plan for seepage/dripping and how you will deal with it.
Patience
This is something I have gotten better at over the years – wait the recommended amount of time. If they say 24 hours then wait 24 hours. If you have questions about using the part sooner then ask the manufacturer. For example, you might be able to assemble something after 10 hours but not actually put it under strain for 24 hours. Factor in the temperature. The colder it is then the longer it will take. Remember what I said about the heat from lamps above.
Safety
Yeah, I had to add this. Follow all guidance from the vendors. The resins aren’t too bad but some of the hardeners are nasty. Wear rubber gloves, use eye protection, work in a well ventilated area and wear a real good dust mask when sanding. I use N99 masks now for everything.
I hope you found this general epoxy guidance helpful!
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