Use of epoxy for levelling

[mekanik]

Hi Guys
Have been following the progress of this thread and think there might some advantage in using trace heating cable on the bed to provide a stable temperature prior to resin pour, bed can be uniformly heated then knock off the power and let the bed cool to the desire temperature and do the pour.
Regards
Mike

[Rich]

Clive - a soldering iron to the head of the bolt should stop that. Apply just enough heat to let it dissipate from the thread.

Cheers Mike, like you suggest, if you are going to apply heat to lower the viscosity of the resin, it needs to be applied uniformly. A heat gun is a little too intense and random IMHO. Adding an aluminium plate to the nozzle would certainly help the situation - a more consistent heat over a wider area.

Heating the frame with trace heating ... that's a lot of metal? Have you seen this thread: http://www.mycncuk.com/threads/6565-...dy-Eddy/page18 , photograph 6, you'll see a piece of flat bar below the film. There's no reason why this bar couldn't be used as a heat shield - held at a prescribed height above the dam (pre-drilled holes and placed back below, once the film had set). Ideally, it would be a little wider, but this approach would put the heat gun back on the menu, switch to full power with little risk of over-heating the surface ) I'd be inclined to test that last comment, especially as the thread of the bolt holding the bar is sitting in epoxy. If you are happy to keep waving the heat gun around in a consistent fashion, it would have the desired effect - reducing the viscosity of the resin and if you are patient and consistent i.e feet per second, you'd be well on you way towards curing the epoxy within specs. This assumes a thermometer, temperature gauge or such like between the flat bar and dam and the bolts don't become the focus of any heat build up.

Anyway - thanks for entertaining these ideas. If someone could let me know how much tinker time should be allowed for setting up the rail, it would help.