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Thread ID: 124956	2012-05-29 23:37:00	Question about 2 part epoxy	Tony (4941)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1278325	2012-05-31 03:34:00	That would have been useful at the beginning as it is totally unlike what I thought you wanted. I will give some thought as I have no brain waves at the moment. On the final item you want to work on is it all the lettering or only some of it?	mikebartnz (21)
1278326	2012-05-31 03:49:00	It will probably be all the lettering, depending on how easy/well/messy etc the filling turns out to be. I actually think I may have found a product. It is CRC Minute Mend, which is another kneadable epoxy putty like Knead-it. It seems preferable to Knead-it in that it dries white, and if you can clean up with water before it goes off, which may remove the cutting back/sanding problem. I've just had a chat with someone from CRC, who says the durability should be no problem, and while it will yellow slightly, it is only a little, and because it is a filled product rather than a resin the chalkiness thing is only very minor, and is just a surface effect rather than a total deterioration. I'm just doing some testing now, so watch this space...	Tony (4941)
1278327	2012-05-31 05:09:00	There is also Emerkit, which I'd forgotten about, but used to use all the time. That really is a miracle product - easy to use, dries white, cleans up/shapeable with water. I've just been speaking to the guys who makes it (in Dargaville, of all places!) and I am definitely going to give it a go. He reckons he used some to repair a concrete step about 5 years ago and it is as good as new. He also tinted his with oxide, which means I could do the same and obscure any yellowing. Sounds very promising.	Tony (4941)
1278328	2012-05-31 10:48:00	Someone you could ask is a stone/memorial mason (en.wikipedia.org) (gravestones, need to last a looong time :)).	feersumendjinn (64)
1278329	2012-05-31 11:42:00	Someone you could ask is a stone/memorial mason (en.wikipedia.org) (gravestones, need to last a looong time :)).The lettering was in fact sandblasted by a monumental mason. The sandblasted lettering on granite headstones is actually painted. And it doesn't last for ever, but has to be renewed from time to time - which was something I didn't know before I started this exercise.	Tony (4941)
1278330	2012-05-31 12:18:00	Oh, ok. How about if you filled the letters with something (porcelain (en.wikipedia.org) clay?) that turns white with firing (again) and using a clear glaze over the top with the same or another firing (or don't you want it to have a shiny finish?).	feersumendjinn (64)
1278331	2012-05-31 20:03:00	Another thought, if your climate will include frosts, then the effect of water expanding into ice will be another factor to degrade your inset letters. If any moisture can penetrate the compound or the well the compund is in, then you'll face problems. Any hope of a final protective glaze over the whole thing?	Paul.Cov (425)
1278332	2012-06-01 01:03:00	How about if you filled the letters with something (porcelain (en.wikipedia.org) clay?) that turns white with firing (again) and using a clear glaze over the top with the same or another firing (or don't you want it to have a shiny finish?).The original plan was to fill the letters with a white glaze and then re-fire it. Unfortunately on the actual tile (not the test in the photo) the firing wasn't very successful and the effect was marginally acceptable but not totally satisfactory. I then tried re-glazing and refiring on the test tile, and it split in half - for reasons that are unclear. I really don't want to take that risk with the real thing as I have had about 10 attempts just to get it to where it is at the moment. Hence my research into alternatives.	Tony (4941)
1278333	2012-06-01 01:07:00	Another thought, if your climate will include frosts, then the effect of water expanding into ice will be another factor to degrade your inset letters. If any moisture can penetrate the compound or the well the compund is in, then you'll face problems. Any hope of a final protective glaze over the whole thing?I don't think the frost thing will be an issue, as I am in Auckland, but it is a good point. An overcoat of something or other would actually solve a lot of the issues we have been discussing here, but I really don't want to do that as the more operations like that I do, the less it becomes a piece of pottery and more some sort of mongrel. Just discussing the epoxy fillers is going away from my original concept, which was to have a purely clay object.	Tony (4941)
1278334	2012-06-21 06:02:00	I thought I'd bring everyone up to date. It is still work-in-progress, but I'm using Emerkit that I mentioned earlier. This is a seriously good product. The huge thing for me is that it can be softened with water, right down to the consistency of cream, and it still goes off and sets properly. This has meant I can just dribble what I need into the letters, with no hassle. It takes much longer to go off like this, but that is not an issue in this context I've also discovered that even after it is cured, small bits of residue on the tile can be cleaned up with acetone. It seems mostly to be available in spa/pool shops. I told one of the paint managers at Mitre 10 Mega in Lincoln Road about it, and he seemed quite interested - but will they stock it?	Tony (4941)
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