Re: ATM Sonotube is good for making cement columns...

[Bruce Swayze <swayze@europa.com>]

At 07:12 AM 7/16/97 -0400, you wrote:
>I was thinking that if you could get down to the paper on the tube you
>could paint it with an epoxy resin like what is used in making
>fiberglass objects and it might soak into the paper and actually change
>its composition a bit making it harder and stronger though probably
>heavier.  Has anyone you know of ever tried that?  I don't know... paper
>really turns me off... kind of a pet peeve of mine.
> ----------

In my earlier posting, I described how I made my sonotube work.  That was in
1981.  Since then, we have learned a lot and have modified and improved our
methods.  Whenever we have used sonotube, we have done exactly what you are
describing.  

We use West Systems epoxy resin
(http://www.concentric.net/~westsys/index.shtml) and we are now using a
different brand of "sonotube" that is thinner-walled.  Use 2 coats of epoxy
resin:  the first one is thinned a bit with acetone and brushed on with a
paintbrush.  It soaks deep into the paper thanks to the acetone carrier, and
the acetone quickly evaporates leaving it to harden and stiffen the paper
tubing.  The second coat is thickened with colloidal silica powder until
it's about the consistency of peanut butter (maybe not quite that thick,
maybe more like mayonnaise).  It won't run or drip, and you can spread it on
with a flat plastic blade, filling in all the "spirals" or imperfections.
It adds a negligible amount of weight, since it takes a surprisingly small
amount of the resin to do this work.  Your finished tube will be
unbelievably hard and durable.  

The surface can be sanded when it's hard and painted, or finished in a
variety of ways.  We have finished many of them with a beautiful covering of
exotic wood veneers, spiraled down the tube.  You can see examples of this
work on our photo page at:  http://www.europa.com/~swayze/photos.html

Clear skies,

Bruce Swayze
swayze@europa.com
http://www.europa.com/~swayze    Swayze Optical home page
http://www.europa.com/~swayze/spider.html  Homemade spider page