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For my fairly simplistic applications, I have been using Apoxie Sculpt or Fixit (another AVES product that typically passes Oddy tests). That is not exactly an earth-shattering revelation but I did hear an interesting answer to a question I have always wondered about in an AIC/CCN Materials Working Group meeting recently.
You know the small tubes of epoxy putty you see in home improvement stores put out by J-BWeld? There are a bunch of varieties. It turns out that one of them (called SteelStik) has been passing Oddy testing! I don't know if any other version does or not but SteelStik is one that is stocked in most hardware stores in my area. Kind of cool to know that if out of the blue you need a same-day source of inert epoxy there is one that is likely to be readily available!
@t.ashleymcgrew thanks Ashley! I'll keep that under the ol hat for emergencies!
Cheers!
I used Apoxie Sculpt to repair the fog light on my Fiat 500 after I took an animal hit. The plastic tab that the mounting screw goes through broke off, so I made a new one. It's shown no sign of giving up, even with the road vibration loads it's under.
@slewis excellent!
I'll weigh in on Apoxie Sculpt too. I've been using ever since the Getty and others tested it, and I'm glad to hear Ashley's news about the SteelStik product too. I've found the Aves Studios products to be reliable and nice to work with.
The one thing I'd love to know about is whether other colors of Apoxie Sculpt and other Aves Studios products also pass Oddy? I really like the black which polishes up to a really nice black finish. It feels like sculpted stone under the object.
I have also used some of the others in non-sensitive situations like using a red-earth tone as a supporting shim on a sandstone Jali so it didn't draw the eye. In situations like this there is always a barrier layer involved to avoid direct contact, but I'd love there to be some discussion in the group about when and how it might be appropriate to use materials that are closely related to tested materials, but have not been specifically tested themselves. In this situation, the material (sandstone) is extremely non-reactive, and the display was an open-air installation. I was very comfortable with the combination, as was the conservator I was working with, but I'd love to know peoples thoughts about how we use such materials.
Jamie
@jamie morning Jamie. Do you mean using a sandstone shim with the Jali instead of the epoxie?
I had a real tricky mount a few years back for a near life size terracotta horse. The piece was contemporary. It was displayed on top of a cliff near Blacks Beach, which is massive and the wind during winter storms are absolutely no joke. The client also didn't want any visible external mounts. The piece was hollow and segmented as well.
My solution was to use four stainless steel rods that were cemented in the ground and stuck out a good three feet above ground. The legs and body sections were then lowered in the rods. This left a lot of negative space around the rods in the center of the hollow legs and body. I then used (and here's the connection with your comment) those round terracotta balls used in aquaponics to fill in the space and packed them in fairly tightly. The top few inches of the rod was still exposed. I then created a thin barrier and filled the remaining space with plaster as a cap to the whole package. When the plaster set the whole package was rigid and held everything together firmly.
Because the piece was fairly new and there weren't many alternatives, this was the one instance I used like materials as a mount.
@James Gielow That's a great solution to your problem!
As far as mine went, no, I saw no need to use a similar material for the shim as the sandstone needed the accurate support of a molded shim, and the sandstone wasn't something that was likely to react with any type of cured epoxy material. In my decision making, I'm always trying to look at the hierarchy of what factors are most likely to induce damage or wear in the specific situation. In this instance, the sandstone was most susceptible to physical damages such as abrasion, or fracture due to point loading. Thus the decision was to mold a shim from Apoxie Sculpt with a barrier layer in place to keep the piece accurately supported and captured from movement by the interlocking shapes of the surfaces. I had little concern about the color. Thanks for the opportunity to talk about it all.
@jamie when I was at SDMA we had two Jali screens that curators loved moving around from gallery to gallery over the years. I'm convinced they did it to test my meddle. Sadists. Hahaha.
The first application was for both to be set into two window frames. Which made for a lovely backlit display. I made a large flat padded support on the base to take the weight and four receiving clips for the sides. I did a little terrible drawing on my phone to illustrate.
If memory serves, the padding for the base was UHMW but don't quote me on that. Regardless, I believe we moved these around at least six times. Which was always fun. The window box opening method allowed for very little tolerance once the mounts came into play.
I'm only sharing because the moment you mentioned Jali screens my left eye began twitching a bit... 🥴
Most excellent! Many thanks!
Yours
James
I use Apoxie Sculpt from Aves studios. They have several products but, I just use the natural gray apoxie sculpt. You can do anything with it. It takes screws and you can tap it. It sands down to an ultra smooth finish and it receives paint well. If I need pins set I often try to make a sub-mount of brass that gets covered in apoxie but, leaves what would be my pins exposed. recently we I have been using it in place of mortar so I can stack the stones of an ancient shrine. Great stuff, you will find many uses for it.
@pj.grimm thank you! I just ordered some to do some tap tests and shear tests. Can't wait to play!
Apoxie Sculpt in the "Natural" color has passed our Oddy tests at The Field Museum. In the past, I've embedded metal, plexi, or threaded inserts into the Apoxie, or bolted through it.