Milliput.

[Capt. Clueless]

I've read here and there on this section about the use of Milliput. Does it really do what it says on the tin and adhere and set even though submerged in water? I've tried so many things in different applications, and in some cases been disappointed. Take "no nails" for example. Every time I've used it, it's given up the ghost and you end up using nails. Before I buy some, albeit it's not expensive, is Milliput really a great product please?

 

[Robert Wilson]

I've never heard of it, so I googled it:-
Milliput is an excellent adhesive and will bond any of the following to itself or to any of the others - wood, brick, cement, metals, concrete, plastics, glass etc, but note that Milliput is not intended as a thin layer adhesive. Milliput will set under water and is heat resistant up to 130°C.

Sounds like good stuff to have around the workshop/boat. I await the views of current/past users.
:encouragement:

 

[vyv_cox]

I have posted about Milliput several times. Excellent stuff that does just what it claims. Easy and mess-free to use, far cheaper than other epoxy pastes and IMHO far more useful. I use it often and always carry some aboard.

 

[RichardS]

I've used Milliput under seawater and under rainwater several times. It sets just as well as it does when out of water. The only thing to be aware of is that when under water the surface layer will start to drift away in a sort of small cloud of Milliput so if you keep rubbing it to fashion it into a very complicated shape the amount you will have to play with will get less and less. The trick is to not spend too much time massaging it underwater but, if you need to do this, make sure that you have made up a big enough lump to ensure that you can afford to lose it bit.

Of course, it will stick better to a roughened surface underwater just as it will out of the water. However, I once had to use it underwater in a situation where I could not really roughen the surface but it was still stuck very firmly once it had set.

I should add that although I have packs of white, black and silver (it's actually bluish rather than silver) I have never used the black underwater but I assume that it will be just as good as the others.

Richard

 

[PaulRainbow]

I have posted about Milliput several times. Excellent stuff that does just what it claims. Easy and mess-free to use, far cheaper than other epoxy pastes and IMHO far more useful. I use it often and always carry some aboard.

I bought some after reading Vyvs previous recommendations and agree with all he said above. Excellent stuff.

 

[Ric]

Yes, excellent stuff. Always have a few tubes on board. Especially useful for gel-coat repairs if you have a white boat.

 

[vyv_cox]

The photo shows our little motorsailer Cecilia. Built in 1972, all the timber strakes are attached to the GRP hull with carbon steel coach bolts, at about 2 inch spacing, i.e. hundreds of them. We have replaced as many as possible with stainless steel but many are impossible to access. Originally there were very many rust streaks down the hull as a consequence of the corrosion. We sealed all the top edges of the timber but rusting continued, until we realised that the problem was due to break-down of the teak plugs and adhesive over each of the bolts. Removal of these showed massive rusting of the bolt heads beneath.

Our solution has been to clean up the rust as much as possible, then replace the plugs with Milliput. Inevitably some of the timber has been wet and most of the work has been done in winter, when other treatments would be difficult. Milliput has worked perfectly, always cured as expected, easy to smooth off with a wet finger and it stains to match the surrounding wood. After nine months afloat there is currently one small rust streak for attention over winter.

 

[PowerSlapper]

Milliput is NOT the magic fix-all as some would have you believe. First it is a little messy to mix and nead the two pastes together. Wear surgical gloves to avoid getting it on your hands. While it will cure underwater the bond strength onto wet substrate is not as good as onto dry substrate. Curing time is upto 24 hours so do not expect a quick fix. I have worked Milliput hours after mixing. Mixing is crucial, if not fully mixed the resulting goo will neither set nor cure properly. Now that the doom has spread it is very useful, HWMO goes through a lot of it in the workshop for repairing cockups or plugging screw holes or repairing patterns / moulds. For straight bonding work (thin film) stay with something like West System epoxy and fillers. The biggest drawback with milliput is the longish setting/curing times but provided you can allow for that it is a useful item to have on board

 

[philwebb]

Re NO-NAILS
I've not found this much good either. Try GRIPFILL, the solvented one works best. It's pretty good for sticking sound deadening panels to fibreglass for example. Need to ventilate your boat a bit afterwards.

 

[vyv_cox]

Milliput is NOT the magic fix-all as some would have you believe. First it is a little messy to mix and nead the two pastes together. Wear surgical gloves to avoid getting it on your hands. While it will cure underwater the bond strength onto wet substrate is not as good as onto dry substrate. Curing time is upto 24 hours so do not expect a quick fix. I have worked Milliput hours after mixing. Mixing is crucial, if not fully mixed the resulting goo will neither set nor cure properly. Now that the doom has spread it is very useful, HWMO goes through a lot of it in the workshop for repairing cockups or plugging screw holes or repairing patterns / moulds. For straight bonding work (thin film) stay with something like West System epoxy and fillers. The biggest drawback with milliput is the longish setting/curing times but provided you can allow for that it is a useful item to have on board

It clearly is not some sort of miraculous fix-all. Nobody would use it as a bonding agent - it is a putty. I would say it is no more messy than pastry - it is water soluble and washes off the hands very easily. I don't find it slow to cure, are you sure yours is in date?

 

[RichardS]

It clearly is not some sort of miraculous fix-all. Nobody would use it as a bonding agent - it is a putty. I would say it is no more messy than pastry - it is water soluble and washes off the hands very easily. I don't find it slow to cure, are you sure yours is in date?

Quite so. I used some of the black Milliput today (I'm almost out of black now) on the Rangie for sealing a hole in a height sensor and it's perfect for that as it won't run into the hole and gum up the works. It washes off hands easily.

However, I tried to use it on the same car a few months ago to "re-weld" one of the drivers seat supporting brackets back onto the floor pan as it had broken loose. It failed after a few weeks in this application so I did it again with JB Metal which is much more liquid and would be no good for the height sensor ..... but on the seat bracket it's just like it's been welded again.

Richard