Arne H

Member

Registered: 18 Dec 2015

Posts: 21

Fillers for fillets --- problems with pump

Hello good people of Fyne Boat Kits, hello all, I have 2 questions:
i) For recent epoxy surface repairs last week on my Chesapeake 16, after some purging and cleaning I was able to reuse the old pumps that came with the kit that I built almost 5 years ago. They worked fine last week, I used them on 3 consecutive days, and I then left the epoxy containers standing for about a week with the pumps inserted. When I tried tonight, the pump on the resin failed on me. Needless to say, I made sure that the bottom of the pipe is well into resin, but the pump just did not pump up any resin - it seemed to make all the familiar noises and was easy to move --> no blockage. I unscrewed and reassembled all that I could take apart, to no avail. Any idea what that could be, maybe this is something you've come across before?
ii) I'd like to add proper fillets in 2 places where I did not do them well during the original build (bulkheads meeting underside of deck on 1 side of each bulkhead). I have plenty of silica dust, but hardly any wood flour left (only like 2-3 table spoons). Since I don't care about colour for these fillets, but only about consistency and quality of bond/hardness: Is silica dust sufficient for a decent fillet? If not: Rather than paying a lot for shipment for new sawdust from the UK or elsewhere, can I use something comparable that I might be able to find locally (Brussels area, Belgium) or even in any DYI store that I could use to substitute the sawdust?
Thanks for advice, or pointing at older postings that might have discussed these topics already and that I might have missed.

Last edited by Arne H (12 May 2020 9:29 pm)

Phil

Employee

Registered: 8 Jun 2011

Posts: 68

Re: Fillers for fillets --- problems with pump

Hello Arne

1) 2 potential issues here. Has the ball bearing got stuck in the pump and thus won't allow the Resin to pass. This will need a quick disassemble and reassemble after a quick clean. Other issue could be that the Resin has crystallised due to the recent cold weather you have just had. Does warming the resin help solve this problem?

2) Microfibre/Silica will make suitable fillets if you are not concerned about colour.

Thanks

Phil

Arne H

Member

Registered: 18 Dec 2015

Posts: 21

Re: Fillers for fillets --- problems with pump

Hello Phil,
Ok, thanks a lot for the responses. Right, I'll disassemble the pump completely, as cold cannot have been the cause in this case. Merci!

Arne H

Member

Registered: 18 Dec 2015

Posts: 21

Re: Fillers for fillets --- problems with pump

Hello again Phil, just to confirm that opening and cleaning the pump solved the problem. It turned out the little ball that is at the top of the pump was all clogged up and not a ball any more and thus unable to move and seal, so, cleaning the ball returned it to working order.

Phil

Employee

Registered: 8 Jun 2011

Posts: 68

Re: Fillers for fillets --- problems with pump

Great news, thanks for letting us know that was the actual problem. Hopefully others will find this solution useful too. Thanks