Some time ago I did a posting about getting to grips with epoxy so I
thought it about time to move onto the next stage and actually make
something with a practical purpose. If you are new to using epoxy and
you read the previous post then you might be itching to make something
if you have not done so already. I needed a new battery box and so this
is what is featured here, but you could make a tool box or if really
adventurous a water tank, just make sure that y seal and paint the
inside of the tank well though. Here's how to go about making the
battery box.
You won't need many tools and the strength of epoxy means that fancy joints are needed. This is beginners project and even stopping to take pictures as I went along completing the box was easily accomplished in an afternoon.
1. After measuring the battery make a box out of plywood which will allow enough room for the battery to sit inside the box with about half and inch all around. Mix up some epoxy thickened with fillers (see the last posting by clicking here for more details on this) then brush this onto the inside of the corners and use some pins to hold the bits together while the epoxy sets. Incidentally the nails are not required for strength, the epoxy is plenty strong enough on it's own but it will allow you to continue without waiting for the epoxy to set up.
2. To make the box extra strong form epoxy fillets all around the bottom and the four corners. Make these as neat and smooth as possible because they are very hard to sand smooth once the epoxy has set. Leave the box to set overnight.
3. We are going to be covering the outside with glass cloth which makes the box super strong and impervious to water. Sharp corners will snag the cloth and prevent it from lying smoothly on the surface so round off all the corners to a generous radius. A grinder with a sanding disc makes short work of this although it is rather dusty so you might want to do this outside.
4. A 4 oz cloth is perfect for covering the outside of the box. Drape a piece over the box then cut darts in the corners so get rid of the extra in these areas. Although you can cut it later when it has been saturated with epoxy try to do it now, it will avoid frustration and more importantly you won't get epoxy over all of your tools.
5. Mix up a batch of epoxy and start pouring some into the center of the cloth. Spread this with a plastic squeegee saturating the cloth and smoothing out onto the plywood at the same time. Avoid using too much epoxy which will tend to make the cloth 'float' on the surface. It is better to use too little initially, if it looks too dry spread on a little extra.
6. It you have to do any trimming of the cloth a razor blade seems to make the best job. Cutting when the epoxy is at the 'green' stage in other words when it has just started to turn to toffee consistency is the optimum time. It is easy to cut but you won't be dragging the cloth from the surface. Leave until the epoxy is fully cured then you can sand the surface and either paint or varnish as you prefer.
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