Acraglas question

[Jerry V Lape]

I have to reattach a piece that broke out of the breech inlet as discussed in an earlier post.  To hold the piece while the Acraglas sets I have made a wood piece to hold it firm. This is my first experience with Acraglas so I am going slow here to get this right.  Will the release agent work to separate my wood clamping block from the repair or do I need to do something else like Saranwrap or shipping tape to keep the glue from bonding the clamp too? 

[Rich]

I've used the saran wrap idea. It was fool proof, if it doesn't tear. If the release agent doesn't work, you will have to cut the wood off. If you brace with metal rather than wood, heat can be used to release the acraglass if it sticks.

[ddoyle]

When working with epoxy saran wrap is your friend.  Also being very conservative with the amount of glue you use. Coat both pieces let sit awhile to soak into the wood a bit clean things up and then press em together. clean up what squeezes out. Make a nice smooth, wrinkle free wrap over the joint. if you see any air trapped under the saran poke it with a pin. put another nice smooth taunt wrap on it.  clamp as you see fit. Not sure about acra glass but most epoxies I have had the misfortune to need can be cleaned up with vinegar. Maybe consider unclamping/unwrapping a bit before total cure and clean away any offending overflow while you can still cut it with vinegar.

Just a thought (experiment at your peril) I used to use packing tape directly in contact with epoxy to form epoxy fillets/act as clamps/act as cofferdams etc. Quick easy way to clamp odd parts together.

Try and keep the epoxy off your skin. trust me getting sensitized to it sucks.

[FDR]

I use wax paper. Wax the clamp first if you want to be double sure.

[longcruise]

X2 on wax paper.  Saran is hard to handle and has a way of getting into your glue joint.

[Dphariss]

I have to reattach a piece that broke out of the breech inlet as discussed in an earlier post.  To hold the piece while the Acraglas sets I have made a wood piece to hold it firm. This is my first experience with Acraglas so I am going slow here to get this right.  Will the release agent work to separate my wood clamping block from the repair or do I need to do something else like Saranwrap or shipping tape to keep the glue from bonding the clamp too? 

I would use   something like Titebond for the fix, then acraglas the tang to give it little extra. On finished wood, or anything you don't want stuck I use paste wax as a release agent.  With Carpenter Glue a 15 minute clamp us generally enough. Clamping often requires creativity. Plastic wrap will work, waxed paper. Clamp with surgical tubing and no worry. But the tubing can break things with multiple wraps so think. Large rubber bands, as many as needed to get the force needed will work too.

Dan

[ddoyle]

Packing tape is "the" clamp for epoxy work. Self releasing.

[Turtle]

  I use candle wax rubbed on the surfaces I don't want epoxy to stick to-works great.
                                                                    Rich

[rich pierce]

In any glueing situation requiring clamping of rounded or non-parallel pieces of wood I use slit bicycle inner tubes.  Super strong and free.  Go to a local bike shop and ask them for an inner tube from somebody's flat tire.  If you ask them to cut the valve off they will believe you're not trying to get an inner tube for your bike.  Offer a dollar and they will give it to you for free.  I slit it into different widths for different applications.  Because it lays flat it is better than surgical tubing in my opinion, which some folks use.

[Kingsburyarms]

As I build, holding the barrel in place, or clamping for Acraglas, I use Velcro strips. You can get a roll of them at any big box store as they are used as cable and wire wrapping. (One side is the hook, the other side is the loop, so no adhesive) They are cut to length already, are reusable many times, adjustable and about a penny a piece. They work well "strapping" any parts together.

[Jerry V Lape]

Report on how the Acraglass repair turned out.  I made a small maple block to fit into the partially completed tang inlet simulating the barrel and tang shape.  Wrapped that in waxpaper and used a small bar clamp to hold it in place supplementing the positioning of the repair part with a tiny wood wedge inserted behind the wax paper to refine the fit.  The Acraglass did not adhere to any of the surfaces other than those intended with just a touch squeezed out along the margin of the repair. This I cut off this morning with a carving chisel.  Repair seems solid and I will resume inletting shortly.  Because I stained the wood beforehand as recommended and colored the glue the seams the break is not going to be apparent.

Measuring the portions of resin and hardener with the cups supplied by the kit was not workable.  I appropriated a set of measuring spoons from the kitchen which worked well and vinegar cleans things up nicely.

[Ky-Flinter]

RMeasuring the portions of resin and hardener with the cups supplied by the kit was not workable.  I appropriated a set of measuring spoons from the kitchen which worked well and vinegar cleans things up nicely.

Yeah, a set of my wife's measuring spoons disappeared mysteriously a couple of years ago.  Never have turned up. 

-Ron

[goodtime7]

Another option to measure out small amounts of Acraglass is to use 3 cc disposable syringes.   They can be used several times.   I just put them back in the case, label at least one (resin vs hardener) and put them back in the Acraglass box, and they are ready to go when you need them for mixing small amounts of glass.   

[T*O*F]

Measuring the portions of resin and hardener with the cups supplied by the kit was not workable.

Jerry,
There are two kinds of acraglas, the gel and the runny $#@*.  Which were you using?

I use the gel for almost everything and it is mixed 1 to 1.  If a thinner consistency is required, I thin it with lacquer thinner.  The 1 to 1 is not critical and can be eyeballed.  I use plastic coffee can lids as a mixing palette and measure approximate sized blobs with a popsicle stick, one end for each component.  Then I mix and apply it with a 2nd stick.  The sticks can be re-used...wipe the measuring stick with lacquer thinner or acetone.  Once hardened on the applicator stick, it can be ground off with a belt sander or grindstone.  After it hardens on your palette, you only have to flex it and the material will pop off.

If you have large areas or need to squeegee it into cracks, I save those fake credit cards you get in the mail and use them.

[Ky-Flinter]

Good tips Dave.  Thanks for posting.

-Ron

[kutter]

I ditched the runny AcraGlas years ago. Messy to use and too touchy to mix w/it's 4:1 ratio.
I've used their different 1:1 acra mixes. Gel, Steel Bed, ect. They all mix to a peanut butter consistancy and stay put w/o running out all over the place. Like T*O*F says, you can eye-ball the 1:1 and it still sets up just fine.
I use an old bent dull edge screw driver to measure by the 'gob system'. I mix the stuff up on the throw away  slick peel off backing papers from stickers and the like. The dull edges on the screw driver keeps from tearing up the paper while mixing.

Put the glued up parts under a  pre-Al Gore light bulb for some heat and the stuff will set up rather quickly.
I usually pull it apart when the glue has set so I  know I can easily separate the parts (applied enough release agent... (soft car wax). Then I put them back together and let them sit for another 10  hrs or so.

I color them with water base artist colors, the kind that are sold in a squeeze tube. 

[Jerry V Lape]

TOF I wanted to make a thin glue line where I rejoined a chipped off corner and assumed the runny stuff would help with that.  It appears to have done exactly that.  If I were glass bedding something or filling in a hole I think the gel would probably be preferable. 

[oldtravler61]

 For mixing I use the top lid of ice cream buckets. There clear an large enough to mix the gel very well. Also use packing tape. Just keep the glue off anything u don't want permanently bonded.