These "Tips and Tricks" are intended to help you to work safely and efficiently with ConServ epoxy restoration products. Always observe what we call "Good Housekeeping" to lessen the chance of working messy and forcing a mistake.  If you haven’t done epoxy repair work before it will take a bit of concentration and that is more easily done when the jobsite it clean, orderly and safe.  Leave yourself ample space to spread out your ingredients and tools so they are within reach when you need them.  Plan on working smart and safe so no one gets epoxy on their skin, their clothes, their eyes or the surrounding area.  Prevent spills by using dropcloths and paper, have wipes or cloths nearby for when they do spill.  Don’t count on solvents to remove epoxy from surfaces, they are more hazardous than the epoxies.  Try to use disposable gloves, spreaders, containers and cleanup supplies.

You can increase potlife or the working time of the materials by reducing the heat buildup in the mix.  Epoxy is "exothermic" meaning it produces its own heat as a result of the reaction between resins and hardeners.  This heat is your worst enemy because the greater the heat, the faster the curing time, the shorter the working time is.  Unlike paints and solvent based finishes that will dry more quickly when spread thin, epoxies will "dry" or cure more slowly when spread out.  Therefore the best method for application involves getting the mixed epoxy out of the can as quickly as possible and spread out into some rough portions in order to allow the mix to "breath" or vent off its own heat.  I like to use a small piece of plywood or stiff cardboard just big enough that I can comfortably hold it in one hand as an artist uses a palette.  Stretch a small trash bag over the board and tie a knot in one corner.  This will make disposal of the messy leftovers easy later as the bag is simply pulled inside out off of the board and into the trash.  When prepared, you should then empty the entire contents of the mixed can onto the palette and or onto the various affected work areas.  Roughly divide the mass of epoxy into a number of smaller dollops or portions, thereby separating the epoxy and allowing it to vent off heat.  Once dispensed you can take up the task of actually going from area to area and applying the required amounts of epoxy in each repair.  Apply the material as if icing a cake.  Since heat buildup is detrimental to your working time you should refrain from working or placing the material in direct sunlight or warm enclosed areas.  Portions of mixed epoxy can be slowed by "icing down" or placing in a cooler while waiting to be dispensed.

Sometimes you might open a can of Epoxy 100 or 200 and discover a white waxy substance suspended in the A resin can.  This is a normal occurrence and usually indicates that the resin can has been subjected to some cold temperatures and or cool storage for a prolonged period of time.  Freezing should definitely be avoided at all costs because this will ruin a can of epoxy product during storage or mixing.  However this byproduct of cool storage is actually only a brief crystallization of one of the components and is easily reconstituted by reheating the resin.  This is easily done using a heat gun or by placing in a pan of water and applying gentle heat on the stove.  After a minute or two the product will dissolve and appear clear again.  Allow the resin to attain room temperature before mixing in order to prolong potlife.  If a can of epoxy has been frozen or you suspect it may have been subjected to sub-freezing c on ditions at some point, do not use it!

The best way to mix the ingredients properly for Patch/Filler 200 is using a power mix attachment in a drill.  Our system is designed to be easily mixed in the can it ships in.  To use an entire batch you should open the plastic bottle and introduce all of the B into all of the A in the can.  Mix thoroughly for about three minutes using the mixer, trying not to introduce many of air bubbles into the mix.  At or before the full three-minute mark begin to introduce the C powdered filler into the can while running the mixer.  Incorporate all of the reddish powder into the mixture and continue mixing until fully "wetted."  The addition of this powder will fill up the mix but not effectively alter its viscosity or "pourability."  In order to stiffen the mix and produce a product sufficiently thick enough to stay put you should introduce as much or as little of the D white thickener as required.  We often liken it to adding flour to gravy, the more you add ... the thicker it gets!  Continue to mix the batch until all seems completely wetted and uniform in color and consistency.  IMMEDIATELY plan on removing the mixture from the can and onto a work surface or palette.  Keep cool all unused portions of mixed epoxy while application proceeds.

Fiberglass rebar dowels or rods can be incorporated into a joint or tenon or splice very easily using simple techniques.  Align the mating members and orient drilled holes at the desired locations for rebar.  Drill corresponding holes to a diameter 1/4" to 3/8" larger than the rods and 1/2" deeper than the rod lengths.  These holes can be drilled short and shallow for smaller pins or dowels using standard length twist or spade bits.  Longer holes can be attained using available electricians' bits to easily locate splice rods.  At times rods can be "let into" the back or top of a beam using a daddoed or routed grooves to encapsulate the rods.  Once oriented the rods should be removed, the holes blown out with air to evacuate any debris and epoxy injected to a depth of about 3/4 of the hole.  Rod insertion will squeeze out some epoxy while twisting the rod.  Now the adjoining pieces can be buttered together using epoxy and mated as planned using clamps to hold in place for 24 hours.

Structural epoxy casting requires several steps to properly introduce the components in the required proportions and correctly apply them.  ConServ Structural Epoxy 600 is thin enough to be used as a consolidant right out of the cans.  Mix equal parts of A & B in a 1 to 1 ratio a pail or container.  Use the power mixer bit to smoothly blend the two components for about 3 minutes until fully combined.  As a consolidant this material is ready to be poured, brushed, squirted or sprayed on as it now stands.  However, if you intend to pour it into a desired shape or mold and must use a lot of material requiring several inched of depth you should follow these important steps.  Mixed 600 should be combined with dry mason sand and or dry pea gravel aggregate at a ratio of 3 to 9 parts by volume.  This mixture of aggregate will provide sufficient thermal mass to dissipate some of the excess heat built up during the curin g process.  This provides a safer, denser pour and reduces cost by eliminating straight epoxy. Care should be taken in forming or applying this material as its density and final cure hardness make it difficult to trim in place.