Rectangular or square edge strips tend to get out of alignment between mold stations, especially where the bend is tight and the planks have to be forced into position. You can build intermediate mold stations in these areas to support the planks in more places. Continue reading
Rectangular or square edge strips tend to get out of alignment between mold stations, especially where the bend is tight and the planks have to be forced into position. You can build intermediate mold stations in these areas to support the planks in more places. Continue reading
In Epoxyworks Number 7 I wrote The Structural Repair of Wingspread about engineering and construction involved in the structural stabilization a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house in Racine, Wisconsin. At that time, the East Wing of the house was undergoing stabilization. Now, one year later*, work on the East Wing is complete and work is progressing on the Great Hall. The cast of characters remains the same for this phase of the project as it was for the East Wing. Robert Silman Associates, Inc. is the project engineer. Bentley & Son Construction Services is the general contractor and Palmer Johnson, Inc., a yacht builder, provides the laminating crew. Continue reading
Jon Staudacher, renowned boat and airplane builder, and his wife Kathy recently designed and installed a unique floor in their house in Bay City, Michigan. Their extensive collection of house pets were more than the existing carpet could take, so they decided a wooden floor would be more wear-resistant and easier to maintain. The resulting floor is easy to keep up, while maintaining the contemporary look of their house. Continue reading
Adding a coloring agent to WEST SYSTEM® Epoxy is frequently done to make colored castings, highlight an epoxy coated surface, act as a colored base coat for paint, etc. Most powdered pigments are satisfactory, as are acrylic paste pigments and universal tinting pigment. Continue reading
My son was sailing his older model Hobie 16 when the aft trampoline post suddenly gave way. The support structure holding the post in place failed, allowing the deck to deflect downwards and also punching a hole in the hull. Paul used WEST SYSTEM Epoxy and the following techniques to repair the damage. Continue reading
Cover Photo: Wingspread, a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed residence near Racine, Washington.
Wingspread, a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed residence near Racine, Wisconsin, was in desperate need of stabilization. The roof and side walls were showing movement and cracks caused by extreme snow loads and previous remodeling. Because this house is on the National Register of Historic Buildings (NRHB), the owners and architects were restricted to stringent guidelines in making repairs. Continue reading
Mold building is a straightforward concept. Way, way back when I was in kindergarten, I made an imprint of my hand in clay for a Mother’s Day gift. I was given a ball of soft clay into which I pressed my hand. When the clay hardened, a permanent reverse shape of my hand, or mold, was created. If I ever needed to, I could coat the mold with a thin coat of wax, pour in some plaster and reproduce exactly what my hand looked like when I was 5 years old. I could do this hundreds of times if I so desired. Continue reading
Cracks in poured concrete floors and foundation walls allow water to leak into basements and cause damage. With WEST SYSTEM® epoxy, you can, in many instances, fill the cracks from the inside and stop the water penetration without digging up your yard. WEST SYSTEM epoxy’s adhesion to concrete is excellent. It is very resistant to moisture penetration, and the tensile and compressive strength of the epoxy (about 8500 psi and 10,000 psi respectively) easily exceeds that of concrete. The following process is one method of epoxy injection that effectively seals cracks without requiring excavation outside the walls. The actual filling process takes some time, so use a slow hardener if the temperature is above 60°F. Continue reading
Someone I know patched the cracks in the concrete block walls of her house using a different technique than the one I described in Repairing Cracks in Concrete. When it rained hard, her basement took on a lot of water through cracks in the walls. The cracks ranged in size from 1/16″ wide to some so large she could see daylight through them. Since concrete blocks are hollow, injecting WEST SYSTEM® Epoxy into the cracks would be unacceptable. So she decided to fill the cracks using epoxy thickened to a mortar-like consistency. Continue reading