Re: Did I goof? Transom lamination
I think you are ok. But for piece of mind you can call the fine folks at U.S. Composites (ask for Mark) and get verification. 1 (561) 588-1001.<br /><br />Heres why I think you are ok: the adhesive is the epoxy, not the filler and certainly not the wood. Fillers either increase or decrease the density of the epoxy. Fibers fillers can add strength and increase flexibility by integrating a flexible, linear medium into the rigid adhesive (cured epoxy). All fillers detract from the adhesive property of epoxy. The flatter your bonding surfaces, the less you need/want fillers.<br /><br />If you were planning to use West Systems 403 micro fibers, it is teeny-tiny (cotton?) fibers. There would be some strength in the random orientation of those fibers but like you pointed out, you dont have voids to fill. What you did is a trade-off. You gave up replacing adhesive with fibers, and in exchange you got more adhesive and (insignificantly) less flexibility.<br /><br />If you were planning on adding West Systems 406 colloidal silica (a.k.a. cab-o-sil) it is adding density to the epoxy and makes a more durable finish by imbedding a material that is harder than the cured epoxy. Silica is also used to make the epoxy thicker so it clings to vertical surfaces and the ceiling, should you fling it up there, without dripping/running. Your epoxy is between flat sheets of wood so you have nothing to gain from adding silica.<br /><br />Lastly, the less fillers you have, the greater the opportunity for the adhesive to penetrate the bonding surface. I can see a possible problem if your epoxy was thin and the wood was thirsty. Fillers would prevent epoxy from being almost totally soaked up by the wood. You mentioned wetting the wood before mixing a second batch of the adhesive so that shouldnt be a problem.<br /><br />Anyways, thats what Im thinking
If you call US Composites, please post back here and let us know what they say.
