Pipettes?????

OK, I have used JB Weld for motor retainers & dabs of it here & there. Well, I am now building my VENTRIS & decided to use it on the motor mount & internal fillets (along with the retainer). Yes, I know the cost, the weight etc. but those are non factors for this build. I purchased some pipettes a while ago off the Internet. Since the access to the fin/motor mount is tight (can't use popsicle sticks either) I tried the pipettes. Well they worked like a one armed wall paper hanger! They would get clogged immediately.

So my question is this, #1 is JB Weld thicker than other epoxy (I never used any epoxy other than JBW) or did I get cheap pipetts. If it's an issue with the pipettes, what would you recommend. Or what epoxy would you recommend for use w/pipettes

Yes, I searched TRF & the Internet, and didn't find any answers, & i decided to post it here instead of Mid Power or Technique sections.:jaw:

Thanks in advance for any advice. :clap:

JB weld is about as thick as it gets. How about chop sticks? What size rocket is it that you can't use Popsicle sticks?

Probably better off using a large syringe with a piece of aquarium airline to reach inside the airframe and squeeze out jb for the internal fillets. By using a larger syringe you can load it by removing the plunger and scooping it into the barrel.

+1 for the syringe. JB weld is thick like the prose al I use at work. If you use some sort of tubing on the nipple of the syringe, the JB Weld may be thick enough to push it off if it is not secured. A syringe works quite nicely for common adhesive epoxies though.

+1 on chop sticks, or Starbucks stir sticks work well too (and the price is right).

It's a Estes VENTRIS 29MM (1.14" Dia.) in a 2" BT. less than 7/16" clearance. Popsicle stick (that I have on hand) can fit in the space if I wedge it in, but that is not good for applying epoxy.

Thanks Guys:clap: I will try the syringe, and if that fails, I will go with chop sticks, or just make some custom sticks from balsa scrap.

You might try Bob Smiths Finish Cure epoxy, its thin enough to inject and plenty strong for a PSII kit with nearly any L1 motor.

IIRC devcon 2 ton epoxy and bamboo skewers(a wrap of masking tape was affixed to the motor tube to keep it clean)
Rex

go down to the local dime store (or wally world) and pick up those cheep water color paint brushes.
They are next to nothing, come 10 or 12 in a package for a buck.

JB Weld is one of the thickest epoxies available - it's pretty much the last kind you would want to use in a pipette. Almost any other epoxy would be thinner, some dramatically so. Good luck with your build.

I know you stated you don't think the various issues with JBWeld are salient for your build, however as Carl mentions, it is just this side of a clay and is really a poor choice for what you are doing. I would look at a large bore marinating syringe if you really want to do this. The kind that you get in a kitchen store for injecting meat. It might have an opening large enough to push something that viscous through.

Since this bleacher seat was vacant...just foam it!

fyrwrxz said:

Since this bleacher seat was vacant...just foam it!

Click to expand...

+1 for 2-part foam! I've even mixed it fast and injected (15ml syringe) it into holes right next to the fins where a centering ring prevented direct access. Yea its a bit messy but once dry is sands off easily.

Its a Estes PSII Ventris, foaming the fin can is way overkill and definitely adds weights, even epoxy is really more than needed (except IMO for the external fillets where it make nice fillets).

I have a few of these for my glue dispensing. And, I have an almost limitless supply of 10ml syringes thanks to my step brother (Krohn's)

https://www.mcmaster.com/#luer-lock-needles/=zamusf

But JB is thick stuff...

Heating up regular epoxy with a heat gun will make it runny, but sets up faster..

Again, thanks to all that replyed to my thread:clap:

I had on hand the JBW like I stated, used for retainers and some 24MM motor mounts. I had more than 80% left in the tubes, so I figured to use the rest on this build. I used it to bond the motor tube to centering rings. But the thickness of it nixed my original idea.

I will sacrifice performance for strength, more due to the fact of my old legs than anything else. So it dosn't go as high, less walking, until my first DD, then I will build for performance

I visited HT USA today. After discussing my dilemma, the two sales persons convinced me to get the Bob Smiths 30 min. Slow Cure. They stated that as long as it is warm it should be able to flow through a pipette. We shall see, if it dosn't flow, I will use some scrap balsa that will fit into the limited space.

Thanks again for the help, and don't be shy to tell me I am FUBARing it up:surprised:

I've assembled my Ventris in a similar way - motor mount in, aft centering ring off, with the intention of doing internal fillets once the fins are installed. JB Weld is probably too thick to get it in there. I'd go with a 30 minute epoxy and either a thin dowel, or syringe.

I once dated a chemist. She was into heavy pipetting.