Epoxy and Sawdust

[purplerobbie]

I have just repaired the teak grating in the cockpit sole and there are a couple of big gaps (a couple of millimeters) where some of the slats join.
I was wondering is is possible to mix some of the sawdust with epoxy to make like a filler effect?

Would the epoxy go off?
Would it have a similar colour to the wood of would it just look wrong?

Rob

 

[yourmomm]

hi rob-im no expert but ive recently filled fairly large gaps with epoxy and sawdust...finish was NOT good but unimportant to me since i was facing with mahogany in any event-i would not advise on cosmetic grounds if you intend to leave bare but on strength and curing grounds, the epoxy sawdust combination seems to work well (and is much cheaper than microfibres!) cheers ryan

 

[ianabc]

I find that the sawdust darkens the colour of the join....

Corn starch as a thickner works well,

perhaps a little cocoa powder would lighten the colour?

On the other hand perhaps

cocoa and powdered milk'll do the trick...

 

[ningcompoop]

If the epoxy surface is left uncoated and exposed to UV it degrades quite quickly, and will become discoloured, weak and fragile. Sawdust can be used as a filler for epoxy but it would need to be dried and i don't know if the high oil content of teak (sawdust) would effect curing. Do you have a scrap piece you could cut some large shavings from to fill the gaps, using a chisel or hand-plane?

 

[bigwow]

Simon is the epoxy expert, ask him.

 

[kds]

Yes, you can - it makes a good filler - stir well to remove bubbles.
The epoxy will go off.
Colour match is a problem - test first.
You must protect from uv. varnish will do.
Why not glue in a tiny strip of teak, it will probably look better.
ken

 

[Robin2]

West System warn against using sawdust as an epoxy filler due to the risk of it gong on fire while curing. Perhaps it would be ok in small quantities - but I would watch it carefully. I have not tried it.

 

[Tranona]

Micro fibres and brown microballoons. Just the job, although very fine sawdust would do if you only have a small job which does not justify buying the commercial fillers.

 

[DavidTav]

If this is just a cosmetic repair then take a small piece of beeswax and rub between your fingers until soft. Then rub it in some teak sawdust until the colour matches, then rub it in the join.

 

[savageseadog]

It always goes far darker than you think it would. Try some of the other fillers

 

[eyehavit]

'"I was wondering is is possible to mix some of the sawdust with epoxy to make like a filler effect?"
Yes.

"Would the epoxy go off?"
Yes.

"Would it have a similar colour to the wood of would it just look wrong?"
The wood grain is of course lost so obviously the overall continuity is lost. The "colour" of the mix is a plastic facsimile and visually critical and depending how important the final result is, a fair bit of tinkering will be neccessary; with respect to lightening the cured mix.

My advice is to screen off all but the finest wood dust before mixing with epoxy. Mix in as much wood dust as can produce a putty like substance. As others have already said,the colour will almost cetainly be much darker than the natural wood grain but it is possible to lighten the mix using minute amounts of TiO2 colourant. Trial and error I'm afraid.
Overall painstaking but when done properly is well worth the effort.

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

This a detail of the gunwhale of a 2-metre tender that I built last year. It is made up of two laminations of 6mm marine ply on either side of the GRP shell. The intervening space was filled with a paste using sieved sawdust mixed with epoxy resin and some thixo powder. Sanding was followed with four coats of Le Tonkinois varnish. UV degradation is not really a problem in practice; I think that we have far more UV rays down here than you do up north - UV Index in summer is usually around 10-11!

 

[Sixpence]

Failing all else, and if you want it straight from the horses mouth, This Clicky takes you to a very useful product, and they are quite happy to talk to people by phone or e.mail to give advice. Well worth speaking to the experts.

 

[LadyInBed]

I have used wood glue and teak saw dust successfully.
I would have thought a clear epoxy would equally do a reasonable job.
Remember to fill it proud and then rub it down.