MINWAX – HP wood filler – feedback??
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Does this stuff hold up in the weather?
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I like the way it handles, but I wonder about the long term.
Acts like a polyester resin and my experience on boats shows that polyester resins and wood are not a good match. At some point they part company and water enters.
Which is why I like WEST epoxy – but it is rather costly. Bought some today. Sitting looking at the bill in shock. Have not opened anything.
Perhaps they have improved this stuff, but are my repairs going to be tight in ten years? have learned to avoid the New and Improved. “Been using the stuff for 30 years.” is what I want to hear.
The ToolBear
“You can’t save the Earth unless you are willing to make other people sacrifice.” Dogbert
Replies
I've used the minwax since it was about 8 bucksa tub. Just saw the ticket for the last batch and up over 14 bucks.
Never seen it fail
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've used the minwax since it was about 8 bucksa tub. Just saw the ticket for the last batch and up over 14 bucks.
Never seen it fail
@@@Good to hear that. It was 12.97 at the HD in Huntington Beach, CA today.I may return the West and go with the flow.The ToolBear
"You can't save the Earth unless you are willing to make other people sacrifice." Dogbert
Last time I was in HD, I saw a whole gallon of bondo knockoff for about eleven bucks, and I had a discount coupon ( only thing that gets me in there) so i ended up buying that for less than ten bucks. Haven't used it yet though - hope I don't regret buying cheapo
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I saw a whole gallon of bondo knockoff for about eleven bucks,@@@That's a very good price. But will it stick to woods. And how long?My last boat (ketch) had fibreglass decks bonded with polyester resin over plywood. Of course they developed cracks at the deck/house joint. The line was well known for this.Left untreated it led to rot in the ply. I spent a summer grinding out the cove joint, cleaning it up and setting down a custom teak trim piece set in LifeCaulk (which sticks to Everything). Decks didn't rot. Next/current boat was a 36' sloop - all fibreglass.The ToolBear
"You can't save the Earth unless you are willing to make other people sacrifice." Dogbert
I probably won't use it in critical junctions,just face spackle and filler
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I probably won't use it in critical junctions,just face spackle and filler
@@@Roger that. Where my gut sez 'poxy, 'poxy. They build boats out of it.I thing they are doing aircraft wings and other things.The ToolBear
"You can't save the Earth unless you are willing to make other people sacrifice." Dogbert
I wouldn't swear to it, but I bet the minwax is just bondo in a different can. I use a lot of bondo, but mostly as a hole-filler. I've rebuilt wood parts outside that weren't in direct exposure...ie: under a porch roof and it works great. I've used it on checked windowsills to very poor results. Just flakes off eventually.I think the the liquid hardener gives the minwax something to bond to better. I wonder how Bondo would stick to it. Bondo now sells a re-labeled can as wood filler. Costs a buck more, but it's got to be the same thing. They just package it with white hardener rather than red. Makes it harder to tell if you are mixing it up well enough, so I stick with the automotive bondo with the red heardener...about 10 bucks a quart instead of 12 bucks a pint for minwax.Steve
Think you are right. It is about the same chemically - a polyesther resin two part catylyst mix. for both. They smell same when sanding it too.How well it sticks with the wood hardener - that consolidant is important with poor old wood where surface cells would be likely to flake away from the underlying lignans, but nothing is needed for working over new wood.And when the material being repaired is further gone, it does need a low viscosity epoxy though. The consolidator is not strong enough.
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I wouldn't swear to it, but I bet the minwax is just bondo in a different can.@@@I don't know about Bondo in drag, but it sure looks like a polyester filler. No requirements to mix in a ratio. Kicks faster with more hardener.The ToolBear
"You can't save the Earth unless you are willing to make other people sacrifice." Dogbert
Yeah. The West is most common here because of the boat builders.Last summer I restored a large round window with curving muntins that had come apart at all the joints.it had supposedly been 'restored' by an 'expert' from away at high dollar about 4 years before.All he had done was to run some screws in ~ kreg joinery ( yeah sure on a moveable window sash only 1-5/8" thick - on a couple joints and then some putty filler. That left the wood fractured and the whole thing out of plane about a half inch so it couldn't close tight. I was lucky to get it out of the frame and carried down three flights of stairs in one piece. I clamped it to a piece of 3/8 ply to carry.dug out all the crud, drilled saturation holes, and used west with beads to rebuild the joints tight, then used minwax to fill missing surfaces
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Yeah. The West is most common here because of the boat builders.@@@Wonder if you get a lower price owing to the builders? It's about 39/pint on the Left Coast at West Marine (yes, the word "marine" triples the cost,but they were down the hill that day - I need to Goggle some sources)Sounded like an interesting project. Now we need a duplicate window done all in Minwax for comparison. Think BruceX used some sort of 'poxy gel that we saw at the JLC Expo to redo some gonner beam tails down at the beach. One of those "carve it, sand it... versions.The ToolBear
"You can't save the Earth unless you are willing to make other people sacrifice." Dogbert
I can't recal for sure, but think my last gallon last summer was about $75 + hardener for about 110.
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can't recall for sure, but think my last gallon last summer was about $75 + hardener for about 110.@@@Can't beat that. I pay perfume prices.
The ToolBear
"You can't save the Earth unless you are willing to make other people sacrifice." Dogbert
Looks like it has gone up higher sionce then.http://store.hamiltonmarine.com/browse.cfm/4,205.html
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Looks like it has gone up higher sionce then.@@@How can that be? Why, gas at the Costco is now 1.99, down from 2.11 a few weeks past.Of course, at appx. 40/quart, the gallon price is not bad. Or is it two quarts/gallon. Should have gone metric 200 years back.The ToolBear
"You can't save the Earth unless you are willing to make other people sacrifice." Dogbert
4qts= one gal
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"4qts= one gal"Is that a US gallon or Imperial? :)BruceT
Bless Google. Got the Minwax MSD Sheet:<http://apps.risd.edu/envirohealth_msds/PhysicalPlant/Minwax.pdf>As suspected, polyester filler with talc.It's blonde bondo. Looks better on the job with the HO hovering. Bondo don't get no respect. Not like High Performance Wood Filler. (Is there a Low Performance model out there?)I would certainly wear rubber or nitrile gloves with this stuff. Once got a contact dermatitis from epoxy and it was no fun at all.Use for surface filler and holes. Not for serious putting together.
The ToolBear
"You can't save the Earth unless you are willing to make other people sacrifice." Dogbert
Same as Piffin.
I've been using it for well over 15 years, and while I haven't checked on all the jobs I've done with it, I havent gotten any callbacks, either. Not a one.
I think the trick is to use the wood hardener before the filler. I'm guessing the filler bonds better to the old wood after its been treated with the hardener.
I think the trick is to use the wood hardener before the filler. I'm guessing the filler bonds better to the old wood after its been treated with the hardener.@@@If you have 15 years without callbacks, I will use it with confidence.Bought a can of that too. We clean out the cavity as best we can. Termites are not an issue as their galleries are tight. However, the rots can use a hardener after getting the bulk of it out.The ToolBear
"You can't save the Earth unless you are willing to make other people sacrifice." Dogbert
I worked on an historical building in Manchester NH. The Hysterical Committe would not allow Mixwax, wanted me to use Abbatron. Just my 02
"Shawdow boxing the appoclipse and wandering the land"
Wier/Barlow
I worked on an historical building in Manchester NH. The Hysterical Committe would not allow Mixwax, wanted me to use Abbatron. Just my 02@@@If there is any doubt, I'd use epoxy. I know it works. Used it for years. The WEST system metering pumps make it easy to mix it right.The Minwax is about 1/3 the price and comes thickened. Points for handy and fast.The ToolBear
"You can't save the Earth unless you are willing to make other people sacrifice." Dogbert
http://www.abatron.com
I have rebuilt wood windows that had almost no wood left. Window sills that were sponge.
This stuff is great. Way more than 15 bucks, but worth it.
I have rebuilt wood windows that had almost no wood left. Window sills that were sponge.
This stuff is great. Way more than 15 bucks, but worth it.@@@Abatron...A real expoy. I see the price per unit is comparable with WEST expoy.I like WEST because of the metering pumps - no guessing. Precise. No "take equal amounts" and eyeballing. Expoy doesn't like guesswork. I have some from the '70s that might cure any day now. Not WEST. One of those Can A, Can B products.
The ToolBear
"You can't save the Earth unless you are willing to make other people sacrifice." Dogbert
i have had west go bad and not want to cure. Can't explain why, but heard from another guy with some on his shelf a long time that had it happen too
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i have had west go bad and not want to cure. Can't explain why, but heard from another guy with some on his shelf a long time that had it happen too
@@@Better keep my buys in the pint range. (Abatron will sell you 10 gal for about 650.)Wonder if it was the resin or hardener or both. The stuff in the 'poxy box on the boat still works - and I don't want to think when I bought it. Better start dating the cans.Abatron will sell you 10 gal for about 650.The ToolBear
"You can't save the Earth unless you are willing to make other people sacrifice." Dogbert
I've used the Abatron stuff only once. It was OK. The local living history museum here uses a lot of a product called flex-tec from Advanced Repair Technology. It's a two-part in a dual cartridge system seen here:http://www.advancedrepair.com/architectural_epoxy/artssystem.htmI've not used it myself, but seen it being used on building at the museum. It feels very rubbery and claims to be very flexible and fine for things like really checked sills as well as stiff enough to model and sand for large build-ups. I keep meaning to try it, particularly since they are actually a local company, but haven't thad the occasion to do so yet.Steve
roduct called flex-tec from Advanced Repair Technology. It's a two-part in a dual cartridge system seen here:http://www.advancedrepair.com/architectural_epoxy/artssystem.htm@@@Interesting web site. Looked at the pages, watched the video. Lot of good information.The ToolBear
"You can't save the Earth unless you are willing to make other people sacrifice." Dogbert