Tag Archives: Brian Knight

Scheherazade under sail.

Testing Large Bonded-In Fasteners

by Brian Knight—GBI Technical Advisor

Above: Scheherazade, the 154’7″ yacht that required testing of large bonded-in fasteners.

Epoxyworks 19

Cover Photo: The 154’7″ Bruce King-designed Scheherazade resting on her massive keel at Hodgdon Yachts in East Boothbay, Maine.

Scheherazade is a 154′ 7″ Bruce King-designed ketch under construction at Hodgdon Yachts, in East Boothbay, Maine. Scheherazade is 60% larger than Antonisa, the last Bruce King/Hodgdon Yacht collaboration, and is the largest sailboat under construction in the United States. Continue reading →

Chair Repair

With WEST SYSTEM Epoxy

by Brian Knight—GBI Technical Advisor

Above: The chair repair.  Masking tape protects the seat, and the arm is clamped in position while the epoxy cures.

My cousin, Gary, brought me the broken chair shown in the picture below. The spindle and arm assembly was broken off where it attached to the seat of chair. Although the chair was not a priceless antique, it had sentimental value and he wondered if I could do a chair repair. While I was not concerned about the structural aspects of the repair, the cosmetics could be difficult. Fortunately, the spindles were not badly splintered so it was reasonably easy to make the repaired area look good. Continue reading →

The floating shelf installed in Brian's sister's house.

No Visible Means of Support

Installing a floating Shelf

by Brian Knight—GBI Technical Advisor

Above: The completed floating shelf, installed in Brian’s sister’s home and decorated with her colorful collection of birdhouses.

It was only after I said, “No problem” to my sister’s request for a shelf installed on the wall of her new house that she dropped the other shoe. She wanted a floating shelf that would be cantilevered from the wall with nothing visible holding it up. “Simple,” I said out loud, but I was thinking, “how the heck am I going to do this?” I decided to use hardware bonding to install the shelf. Continue reading →

Stabilizing a Concrete Block Foundation Wall

by Brian Knight—GBI Technical Advisor

I was in my basement applying some 2×4 furring to a concrete block wall in preparation for insulating and hanging drywall. I noticed a crack in a horizontal mortar joint about half way between the floor and the ceiling running nearly the length of the wall. I realized that this crack was an indication that the block wall was bowing inward. I don’t know how long this had been going on, or how much pressure it took to cause the problem. What I did know was that I had to take some steps to stop the wall from bowing more. Continue reading →

Fence and Gate Construction

The finished fence, of rot resistant cedar, is built by gluing pieces together instead of nailing.

by Brian Knight—GBI Technical Advisor

Rot is one of the major disadvantages of a wooden fence. Wherever there is a fastener—nail, staple or screw—there is a potential site for rot to begin. Water gets around each fastener and soaks into the wood. When the temperature and the moisture content are right, rot invades these areas. To make a fence that would not rot quickly, I used a rot resistant wood and eliminated fasteners, gluing pieces together instead of nailing. Not only was the process fast—I could assemble 42′ of fence a day—but warps and twists in the fence material were easily dealt with. Continue reading →

Thinning WEST SYSTEM Epoxy

by Brian Knight—GBI Technical Advisor

A question frequently posed to our technical staff is “can I thin WEST SYSTEM® epoxy so it will flow or penetrate better?” The answer to that question is “yes, but not without consequences.” Many of the advantages of thinning epoxy are offset by disadvantages in other areas of epoxy performance.

Continue reading →

Building Circular Window Frames

by Brian Knight—GBI Technical Advisor

Faced with the expense of having several custom round windows built for his new house, Jon Staudacher figured it would be cost-effective to build the frames himself. He used his background as a boat builder and some of the characteristics of WEST SYSTEM® epoxy to help him along. Here’s how he approached the project. It’s a neat technique that you could use for a variety of projects. Continue reading →

Stringer Repairs in Fiberglass Boats

by Brian Knight—GBI Technical Advisor
Epoxyworks 11

Cover Photo: Fiberglass boats can be repaired with WEST SYSTEM Epoxy.

Fixing damaged or delaminated stringers is one of the most common repairs associated with fiberglass boats. The usual causes of stringer failure are disintegration of the stringer core material, impact damage from slamming and grounding, and fatigue from normal use. Although each repair situation has its own unique problems, the following techniques are fundamental to stringer repair. These guidelines will help you repair almost any damaged stringer. Remember, stringers are structural support members. As you repair or replace damaged material, use your best workmanship. Continue reading →

Types of Strip Plank Material

by Brian Knight—GBI Technical Advisor

Modern strip composite construction uses narrow strips of wood or foam to make a low density core material. These strips are easy for one person to handle and are readily assembled into complex shapes. However, this assembled structure does not have much strength until it is covered inside and out with a high density fiber reinforced skin—usually fiberglass cloth. The process of making and fitting the narrow strips together is more time consuming than bending a sheet of plywood, but the technique allows for more creativity in the design. Continue reading →