Here we go again . . . MK4

Pain that it didn't quite go as planned...

I have no experience with pouring epoxy for rails, but from having done other things where bubbles can be a pain I definitely suggest thinking about putting the epoxy in a container you can seal and plug into a vac pump or even just shop vac for 30 mins to de-aerate... if you can vibrate it at the same time (I sometimes use an old orbital sander stuck onto the container) it speeds up the process.

Once poured, is vibrating the frame an option? Can help bring bubbles to the surface.

Better luck for round 2!

Thank you for all those great and useful replies. I seem to remember reading on the West site (?) maximum of 6 pumps from each tin before mixing which meant about 150ml. I needed 4 of these mixes to fill the channel so I needed to mix then pour then mix then pour etc.
This means it all needs to be choreographed. If I could mix it all in one go and then stir with the drill and bent wire method that could have done advantages.
Shop vacuum and some vibration sounds interesting.

Maybe now I have a bit spare I can experiment with a method which combines all the good ideas above and still flows out before it starts to cure. Away from workshop until weekend do plenty of thinking time. Thanks again really appreciate it.

I'll try to capture whatever works in the next video to help the next guy out !

Am i reading this correctly total epoxy required 600ml ? had a look @ my measuring jug and 150ml is a really insignificant amount. the larger the quantity the bigger the exothermic reaction but i would have thought with the slow setting hardener exotherm would be reduced. i would drop West an email and see if you could do the 600ml in one mix, will make life a lot easier.
Good luck on your next attempt.
Regards
Mike

This is why, for Thor, I did not go Epoxy. I ended up with DWH Diamant, different approach.

Hi Chaz
did you detail the procedure in you build log, i do remember reading it but didn't notice a detailed description, would be interested in the process.
Mike

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Originally Posted by mekanik

Hi Chaz
did you detail the procedure in you build log, i do remember reading it but didn't notice a detailed description, would be interested in the process.
Mike

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Hi, might be some in my Thor thread, not sure. Can explain it again if needed.

Hi Mike
I went 150ml as I remember reading that 6 pumps was max before mixing. To be honest now I've done one round of this I think doing it in one shot would work OK. Maybe rig up a cordless drill on a stand with bent wire in the chuck and run this slowly between every 150ml added and then one final stir at the end.
Chaz
Would be interest in the Diamant. The 1kg epoxy kit i used was about £40 plus postage, how much was your kit ?
I'm expecting to have to dial in the last bit of level so would be interested in how you got on.

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Originally Posted by routercnc

Hi Mike
I went 150ml as I remember reading that 6 pumps was max before mixing. To be honest now I've done one round of this I think doing it in one shot would work OK. Maybe rig up a cordless drill on a stand with bent wire in the chuck and run this slowly between every 150ml added and then one final stir at the end.
Chaz
Would be interest in the Diamant. The 1kg epoxy kit i used was about £40 plus postage, how much was your kit ?
I'm expecting to have to dial in the last bit of level so would be interested in how you got on.

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If you buy it in the UK, around £200 per litre. Its pricy stuff.

I paid less via a friend in Germany.

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Originally Posted by Chaz

If you buy it in the UK, around £200 per litre. Its pricy stuff.

I paid less via a friend in Germany.

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Oh wow. 200 per kilo?

I paid 75€ for 3 kg.

Not West though.


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Originally Posted by driftspin

Oh wow. 200 per kilo?

I paid 75€ for 3 kg.

Not West though.


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What do you mean with 'No West though'?

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Originally Posted by Chaz

What do you mean with 'No West though'?

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I was unable to get 105 icw 209 so i looked for a alternative epoxy.

With similar end strength properties an slow hardning like west 105 / 209.



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Quote:

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Originally Posted by driftspin

I was unable to get 105 icw 209 so i looked for a alternative epoxy.

With similar end strength properties an slow hardning like west 105 / 209.



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Ok, however different application here.

Episode 16 is now ready. Having another go at the epoxy leveling . . .

https://youtu.be/FDrcpnVUcEE

Much more better,Looks promising.
Mike

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Originally Posted by mekanik

Much more better,Looks promising.
Mike

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Thanks Mike. Yes much better this time thanks to help on this forum. Something to note - I edited it out because it didn’t work but I had an electric sander in the vice (no paper) inverted which I rested the Epoxymatic container on but it just fizzed the water bath and the epoxy did nothing. I think the sander was too strong and the epoxy was isolated by the rubber washer. Mixing slowly, draining from the bottom (I mixed a bit more than I needed), and using a stick to pop the bubbles all helped.
Getting up close there is still the occasional small bubble but it is much better than before.
Need to leave it a week or two and not be tempted . . .

Very nice and what patience, I have done a similar thing with a plastic jug with a hole in the side with tape over it then removed the tape for the pour. Nice work with the broken tap as well:applause:

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Originally Posted by Clive S

Very nice and what patience, I have done a similar thing with a plastic jug with a hole in the side with tape over it then removed the tape for the pour. Nice work with the broken tap as well:applause:

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Cheers Clive. Yes I thought about your tape method but in the end I wanted to also have a warm water bath around it to help with the bubble removal so went with the water butt tap. As it turned out I only put a bit of hot water in and then chickened out as it felt like the plastic was relaxing and I had visions of the rubber washer failing letting the water into the epoxy. In the end it was pretty hot in the workshop ( heaters on again) and it flowed ok. Not sure I would go with the water bath again . . .

On the other tap I could have ordered a carbide drill but I had it fixed within the hour and it was on with the build !

Meticulous as always! Looks more promising this time.

Broken taps... what a pain!

Cheers Zeeflyboy !

Looks much better this time. Couldn't resist a quick look tonight (I only poured it yesterday) and it looks so much better than before . . .

I used a ground flat edge and there was no rocking.
Attachment 24281

Attachment 24282

Then I noticed something at the far end !!!
Attachment 24283

Checked it with the flat edge and it is very slightly raised:
Attachment 24284

This is where I popped and removed the last bubbles with the stick so it looks like it was starting to set. I'm confident I can lap this back down when dry.

Onwards . . . !

Quote:

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Originally Posted by routercnc

Episode 16 is now ready. Having another go at the epoxy leveling . . .

https://youtu.be/FDrcpnVUcEE

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Good job, I bookmarked this vid for when I have a go.

Episode 17 - time to find out if the epoxy worked and how flat it is . . .

https://youtu.be/ebc7tiAAEZ8

I am prepared this time!:joyous:
Attachment 24490

Haha ! Nice one.:eagerness:

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Originally Posted by routercnc

Haha ! Nice one.:eagerness:

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The timing was amazing, I was preparing this pop corn for the kids when I saw at my email that there is an update to your thread,imagine what happened next!haha!!!

Edit:I didn't ate all the pop corn, just took the nominal taxes!:tyrannosaurus:

Episode 18. More metrology measurements and flatness checks . . . . then a bit more building to finish the bed.
https://youtu.be/0X1BItweoSY

Nice! You are a true inspiration :)

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Originally Posted by Nr1madman

Nice! You are a true inspiration :)

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Thank you !

Awesome looking build!

Is that a piece of granite worktop you are using to measure flatness from?

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Originally Posted by diycnc

Awesome looking build!

Is that a piece of granite worktop you are using to measure flatness from?

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It’s a marble plate from our old fire surround. I checked it against other ground surfaces and it is pretty flat at least down to 0.05 mm. Also a ground block placed on it starts to wring together like gauge blocks so it must be close to flat.
Obviously nothing like a grade A plate or AA plate but it was free.

I keep looking at the proper granite blocks for metrology but they are pricey . . . One day maybe

Episode 19 is ready. This time we are mounting the gantry and getting it moving.

https://youtu.be/BRpSN7UU1cs

Episode 20. Significant progress !

https://youtu.be/aw0pM_uV1kw

Cool!!! I am a great fan of your work and now that I see that you know karate,I understand it from the way you brake the mdf, I am even greater!!!:witless:
Nice work!

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Originally Posted by Nickhofen

Cool!!! I am a great fan of your work and now that I see that you know karate,I understand it from the way you brake the mdf, I am even greater!!!:witless:
Nice work!

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Thanks Nick. I’m only messing around to add a bit of interest. Less karate and more video editing.

I've been following on YouTube. I have just one question, why the epoxy leveling? Great machine by the way. I was thinking of combining ideas from several projects and picking the best bits from about 4 DIY CNC router machine builds I've seen on YouTube. Yours has been an inspiration. Hopefully being a complete beginner I'll find some very helpful people here.

I plan on starting my design this week and hopefully some time in the next fortnight I will have a solid idea and start working on a bill of materials after finishing the design. It will be very much like yours at about 1.5m square work area.

Again thanks for the great videos on YouTube. You have added an unholy amount of ideas and knowledge to this community and inspired everyone who's watched your YouTube series of 20 videos so far on this project :-)

Sorry I missed this post. I don’t check the forum too often.

I used epoxy to get the surfaces level and parallel to each other. I don’t have a milling machine and if I did it would need to have 1000mm of travel.

Thanks for the kind words. If it is inspiring others then it makes the video creation worthwhile.

Wow... Man that's looking amazing.

Great stuff. I need to do some catching up on this thread!

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Originally Posted by routercnc

Sorry I missed this post. I don’t check the forum too often.

I used epoxy to get the surfaces level and parallel to each other. I don’t have a milling machine and if I did it would need to have 1000mm of travel.

Thanks for the kind words. If it is inspiring others then it makes the video creation worthwhile.

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I may have access to a CNC mill but I have been looking at extruded aluminium as well. I can't yet decide what I want to use because I need to consider milling steel and aluminium on the CNC router build I am designing pretty much from scratch.

I may also produce gantry ends, end stops and motor plates with a CNC mill as the person with access to the mill may accept 3D plans from me. I have yet to design it all but hope to make a start on the plate designs some time during this or next weekend. I am familiar with a few 3D design packages but I have not decided what I wish to use yet. I am hoping Fusion 360 will suffice for all my CNC build needs. I do not wish to build a single item of my CNC mill with hand tools and would much prefer the precision and finish of a professional CNC mill as it is likely that a mill will be available via a friend who is a mechanical engineering apprentice.

I'll open a build log as soon as the 3D design is done :-)

Things are always a compromise. Cutting steel needs rigidity and a mill style layout is better, but then the travels are low. Router style with moving gantry has a much larger cutting area but then rigidity is less.

Episode 21 now complete . . . .

https://youtu.be/YLJWRtgedpI

Hi Routercnc,

If i ever have a promotion video to be produced... Great job again.

Grtz Bert

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