Using an Epoxy to Repair a Toy

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

The A.C.Williams Cast Iron Truck Restoration

(Part 2)

     It turned out that the Lepage's Epoxy Steel dried much faster than I thought. Of course, I remember reading the instructions, but forgot. So I'm writing this instalment on Tuesday, for Wednesday! It even says on the label "Sets in 5 Minutes".

I.  The  Items Needed For The Repair 

1. A pair of scissors

 This is to cut the clear plastic  to hold the epoxy in place.

The epoxy is very viscous, but still will run or fall due to gravity.

I had to make a "sandwich of plastic" to keep the epoxy in place

2. A surface of heavy paper 

This is to avoid the epoxy from getting on a surface.

I used our kitchen table and if I got this epoxy on it, it would be the end of me and the table, if my wife saw me! 

3. Lepage's Steel Epoxy

I'm using this epoxy as a filler, rather than as a glue.

Please e-mail Lepage's for proper use or instruction!

4. A pair of latex gloves. 

This is to keep your finger oils from getting into the cast iron.

The oil from your hand will transfer to the cast iron. When this happens, the primer and paint will not adhere (stick) to the cast iron properly!

5. The clear plastic

This is to make a miniature "form"  as they do with concrete.

This is to prevent the epoxy from flowing where you don;t want it to, nd to of course, keep it where you want it to be.

6. A roll of masking tape

This is to hold the clear plastic in place.

I chose masking tape because it it paper based. I wasn't sure  how sticky the

glue would be. If I had to, grinding paper tape would be easier than plastic tape!

(I forgot to add the # 6 to the photo)

II.  Instructions

1. Remove the cap from the epoxy plunger.

2. Use a nail to  puncture each of the epoxy nozzles if they are clogged with dried glue.

3. Pour an amount of each half of the epoxy on to a small plastic surface.

4. Mix the 2 parts of the epoxy together until you get a uniform colour.

5. Place a piece of plastic on the inside of the repair (inside of the truck).

This will keep the glue in place from that position.

5. Use a small piece of plastic or even a nail to transfer the epoxy to the 

area needing to be repaired.

6. Once you have enough epoxy . use another piece of plastic

to "sandwich" the glue into position, and to keep it from running.

7. Wait 20 minutes for the glue to dry.

Better to wait longer than to have a problem with glue that is not yet dry!

8. Remove the masking tape and the plastic that held the epoxy in place. 

The epoxy is very smooth when it dries. That's what most likely made the removal of the plastic pieces holding the glue in place so easy to remove.

I'm going to let the glue dry overnight in order to ensure that it is totally dry through and through.

So that's it for today.

Thanks for visiting, and have a great morning, afternoon, or evening, wherever you may be.