Epoxy

whammo57

whammo57

Kim Walker
Silver Member
I have read several threads on using epoxy. There have been much talk about the strength difference of fast set vs slow set, Devcon, West system, and System three, just to mention a few. One of the latest conversations involves the A joint and tenon diameter. I have not been around long enough to make all the mistakes and I look here for direction.

Having said all that......on to the question.

Has anyone experienced any epoxy joint failure on a tenon, a ring, joint collar, splice, point, butterfly, etc etc. If so, what was the cause. Was it temperature, a bad mix, old epoxy, misuse, etc....

I guess I want to cheat and learn from the mistakes of others and not have to experience them all myself... lol !!

thanks

Kim
 
I have seen improper measuring

better known as doing it by eye, causes epoxy not to set up properly and not harden. Personally I prefer the use of an accurate scale , an O'Haus lab scale, and weigh to a fraction of a gram, for all my epoxy before mixing. I have no issues to report. Also: mix just enough to do a job with very little waste, so thrifty too.
I have been told that epoxy stays fresh many years if stored in the dark, and at moderate room temperature.
I find West brands as the best of the slow setting epoxies, though I admit I use most brands out there from time to time. They are all great quality if applied to clean surfaces, properly spaced and fitted, and mixed according to factory recommendations.
 
They have a shelf life and once it expires it's reliability expires with it !!! In the past I used some old stuff and after a few pins loosened I figured it out . It's wise to buy what you'll use in a year , and replace stock annually . I like the slowest cure made for bonding steel , flexible and the most impact resistant . Some formulas are runny but you can heat as you mix by using a heat gun and it will cure slightly faster as it cools . Not too much heat because it will slightly diminish strength and elasticity . Good luck ...:cool:;)
 
Correction!

West System resin and hardener will last many years if stored in sealed containers in moderate room temps. That is according to the manufacturer, not a guess, or theory.
Any other epoxies I use like: five min, or 30 min, I buy small quantities of, so I never had them in my shop for any extended length of time. Never experienced a failure perhaps because I never bought large sized bottles of those other glues? But I buy my West resin by the gallon. Sorry for not making myself clear earlier.
And I stand resolute: mixing errors are the most common cause of failure. Weigh out your resin and hardener.
 
I weigh but always leave a little extra in the cup to check and make sure the next day it hardened up properly.
 
whammo57 said:
I have read several threads on using epoxy. There have been much talk about the strength difference of fast set vs slow set, Devcon, West system, and System three, just to mention a few. One of the latest conversations involves the A joint and tenon diameter. I have not been around long enough to make all the mistakes and I look here for direction.

Having said all that......on to the question.

Has anyone experienced any epoxy joint failure on a tenon, a ring, joint collar, splice, point, butterfly, etc etc. If so, what was the cause. Was it temperature, a bad mix, old epoxy, misuse, etc....

I guess I want to cheat and learn from the mistakes of others and not have to experience them all myself... lol !!

thanks

Kim
Click to expand...

If you assembled a cue without a treaded stud, I bet it's rattling now.
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=219665
I used devcon 30 min epoxy.... I don't think it will really ever fall apart.

Kim
Click to expand...
It sure didn't take long.

Think of epoxy as an insurance to a mechanical bond.
OVERKILL stress areas of the cue.
Plan ahead.
 
Last edited:
JoeyInCali said:
If you assembled a cue without a treaded stud, I bet it's rattling now.
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=219665

It sure didn't take long.

Think of epoxy as an insurance to a mechanical bond.
OVERKILL stress areas of the cue.
Plan ahead.
Click to expand...


Yes, JoeyInCali ... I feel the knife in my back... lol

btw.... thanks for the lessons

Lessons I have learned here.... never trust just an epoxy joint... something threaded needs to be in there also.... no more 5 min epoxy... I only use a slow set... west is best, I do weigh my epoxy mix and I know that by volume is not always the same as by weight.


On another topic... in the threaded A joint I have seen that people use steel, aluminum, phenolic, wood..... has anyone used nylon? or anything else?

Kim
 
I think regardless of glue used, even Elmers come to mind, I think some (most ???) failures are caused by the wood shrinking. I think some laminated woods dowels and shafts are bonded by PVA glues (Elmers white glue is PVA) and I have not seen any that has failed. I'm not saying use the cheapest glue out there, its just that some may blame the 5 minute epoxy glue for failures caused by something else
 
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