I was in the process of filling a small 1⁄16-in. by 6-in. gap in a granite slab with a two-part epoxy. I measured out the appropriate amount of epoxy from each container onto a piece of scrap cardboard and began the usual practice of stirring and stirring until the product was blended. At that moment, I was struck with an idea. I placed an 8d common nail backward in my cordless drill and then used the rotating nail head to stir. I was stunned at how fast and easy this method was, and at how much better it blended the epoxy. I have since used this method for other small epoxy repair projects, and the results have been excellent.
T.E. Smith, Burlingame, Calif.
View Comments
I do concrete foundation inspections and core sample extractions for testing. Quite often I need a small amount of reliable fast-cure epoxy for a variety of reasons. I purchased a 3M DMA50 gun (McMaster) + 3M's DP100 Plus 2-part cartridges (1.64 fl oz) and a bag of 25 mixing nozzles (Amazon). I keep these in my kit and whenever I need an epoxy adhesive I pull out the gun, load the cartridge, put on a new nozzle and away I go.
No need to measure & mix. Once done, I leave the nozzle on the cartridge. A portion of the epoxy will cure and harden at the end of the nozzle but the rest stays good. Next time around I remove the used nozzle, put on a new one and I'm good to go.
I will say it's not inexpensive. But 1.64 fl ounces goes a long way for my needs. Purchasing nozzles in bulk keeps their cost down. The bottom line is that my time is valuable and the convenience makes it a no-brainer for me.