STRONG
STRUCTURAL FILLETING MATERIAL
While building TOAD HALL, I occasionally found that I had to
fill a gap where I had not beveled a fit. I found what I think is the ideal
material for this purpose; ordinary household insulation fiberglass.
I use the pink stuff because I found that it changed colour with the addition
of the resin and I was able to discern exactly when it was fully saturated
by this change in colour. I tear off whatever I need from the batt and
stuff it into the gap, then pour in the epoxy. The fiberglass soaks it
up quite quickly. It starts out changing to a slightly darker pink
then, as the epoxy soaks in and you add more, it will turn a very dark
red. That's enough! It is fully saturated. The multitude of thin fibers
in the fiberglass I feel, add significant structural strength to what would
normally only be filler. One thing to be aware of though; the epoxy/fiberglass
insulation mixture has considerable density and this means the the set-up
time will be much faster than with just ordinary epoxy coatings. Be aware!
The finished fillet will be a little rough, (all those little fibres
sticking up), but you can sand it smooth and add a little smooth filler
on the top to even things up. The photograph shows the fillet between the
cabin sole and the hull sides of TOAD HALL. I did NOT try to fillet this
1 1/2" of plywood sole but instead left the sides straight. Then I filled
it with the structural fibreglass insulation and smoothed it off with the
smooth filler.
Worked great!
LATE BREAKING NEWS!
A friend of mine who is mentioned elsewhere in these pages, G.B. Fisher,
has contributed a refinement to the above. He gets fiberglass batting which
is meant as pipe insulation. It's about 8" wide by 10' long, by about 1"
thick. He dips it into a trough of epoxy, gets it thoroughly saturated,
and then stuffs it into the cavity that he means to fillet. It's easier
to use he feels than the larger fiberglass batts, and easier to manage
in his dip and stuff technique!