Epoxycraft
Menu
  • Home
  • About
  • Epoxy Basics
  • How To
    • DIY
    • Artists
    • Board Sports
    • Woodworking
    • Boat Building
  • Trade Secrets
  • Projects
    • DIY
    • Artists
    • Board Sports
    • Woodworking
    • Boat Building
    • Motorsport
    • Aviation
    • Architecture
  • Meet The Maker
  • News
  • Contribute
  • Contact

Projects: WEST SYSTEM® 104 Junior Pack used to create ‘bullet’ coat racks
27th May 2020

WEST SYSTEM® 104 Junior Pack used to create ‘bullet’ coat racks

Dee (David) Caldwell has spent his lockdown creating bullet coat racks. Using locally sourced WW2 bullets he’s collected at Medmerry, West Sussex, and wood from a cedar planted by Capability Brown in 1750, he’s started a new business in his garden workshop.

Dee’s enterprise began six weeks ago when his wife Penny suggested he use all the bullets he’d previously collected, and his wood pile, to make coat racks. Dee also took her advice as to the best tool for the job: epoxy (she is a ceramicist and uses epoxy to repair fine vases).

Dee invested in a WEST SYSTEM 104 Junior Pack which is ideal for small projects and contains a 600g pack of WEST SYSTEM 105 Epoxy Resin and 205 Fast Hardener.

The process is straightforward.

Dee washes the bullets with cold water before hammering them to get rid of the debris like mud, and clay.  He sands them down to the original bullet and dips them into the mixed WEST SYSTEM epoxy, waiting for one end to cure before he repeats the process at the other end of the bullet.

“I use epoxy,” Dee says, “to get the best protection and the smoothest finish. The odd bullet has a hole in it, I fill those with WEST SYSTEM epoxy as well.”

He attaches the bullets to the cedar planks – WEST SYSTEM epoxy is incredibly strong – and treats the wood with four coats of oil to bring out the fine grain before applying brackets to support the coat racks on the wall.

No two racks are the same given the individual nature of the wood and the bullets’ unique properties.

Dee collected the bullets from Medmerry, they are remnants of a 1940s bombing range. Aircraft flew inland and fired live rounds of bullets into the range. The area was recently ‘realigned’ to create a salt marsh on the south coast, so Dee estimates his supply will only last for a couple more years before the beach is fully underwater.

Dee had worked with epoxy previously; he repaired surfboards in the 1980s. But, he says: “WEST SYSTEM epoxy is straightforward to work with. Timing is key, so make sure you follow the instructions carefully. It gives great results.”

Aside from making beautiful coat racks which David is selling from £75+ (contact him via Chichester_wood on Instagram or chichesterwood on ETSY), Dee is also General Manager of Solite, the custom fit water-shoe manufacturer used by professional surfers and sailors across the world.

WEST SYSTEM Epoxy can be cured over a wide temperature range to form a high-strength solid with excellent moisture resistance – it is designed specifically to wet out and bond with a wide variety of materials.  It is formulated without volatile solvents and has minimal shrinkage after curing. Moreover, it has a relatively high flash point and no strong solvent odour.

WEST SYSTEM 104 Junior Pack has a RRP of £22.99, and can be purchased from all good chandleries as well as online retailers. Details of stockists here.

 


Share on


Back to projects

Subscribe to our newsletter
Our unique epoxy knowledge and experience, delivered straight to you

Events

Future dates TBC

What is epoxy?

Epoxy Projects

UK Chandleries Open – January 2021

As England, Scotland and Wales enter another lockdown, you may have started work on those home projects. Whether it’s boat maintenance and repairs, a restoration or a brand new build,

Creating an Artisan Gold Ring with Canadian Maple and Epoxy

You may be surprised to learn that the UK is home to some of the finest gold around. Mark discovered this as a child when his father, Edward, would take

Heritage 9.9

Castagnola Launch Heritage 9.9

Castagnola Shipyard has launched the elegant, custom-made Heritage 9.9. Able to reach a cruising speed of 34 knots, the 10.91m custom-built luxury yacht is a fine example of what happens

Nick Zammeti Gets Creative with Epoxy and Liquorice Allsorts

What happens when you give Youtuber Nick Zammeti lots of epoxy and bags of Liquorice Allsorts? You get one incredibly funky table! Nick is well-known and loved in the industry

Meet the Maker – The Resin Reserve

Resin artist, alchemist, resin-gineer. Kate Ede of The Resin Reserve has always kept us in awe of her marvellous and beautiful creations. Inspired by patterns in nature, Kate is a

Split Film Festival Trophies

Creating the 2020 Split Film Festival Trophy

The Split Film Festival is one of the oldest film and video festivals in Croatia, showcasing new films and radical works of all styles, themes and genres. The festival celebrated

Hot Box

How to keep your epoxy warm in winter: build a hotbox

Winter is a challenging time for epoxy products. Warmth is needed to keep the resin fluid enough for dispensing pumps to work well and cold ambient temperature can greatly reduce

How to Work With Epoxy in Cold Weather

The frosty mornings and dark evenings are drawing near. There are projects that need finishing, but what do you do when epoxy and cold weather don’t get on too well.

Mas Snowboard

Snowboard Enthusiasts Taking On The World With Incredible Designs

To many a holidaymaker, Turkey is a haven of golden sand beaches, historic landmarks and party towns. However, it’s not just those looking to top up on their tan that

Class Xero Yacht

Class Xero Combines Coffee and Epoxy in Sustainable Yacht Design

Image credit: Alec Smith - https://www.imagemundi.com Craig Palmer, based in Worthing, is looking at opportunities to bring the marine industry together in a collaborative way. In the middle of building

Craobh Woodwork

Bringing a New Lease of Life to Reclaimed Scottish Timber

Tucked away in the highlands of Scotland is the small village of Culbokie, home to Craobh Woodwork and artisan Bruce Neill. Specialising in producing bespoke timber products from the highest

Final Bar Design

Cheers! Leeds Furniture Maker Creates a Bar Worth Celebrating

James McKay has been a creator since his early years. His fascination for creativity guided his interest into art, design and technology during his school years. James went on to

  • Home
  • Epoxy Basics
  • Projects
    • DIY
    • Artists
    • Board Sports
    • Woodworking
    • Boat Building
    • Motorsport
    • Architecture
    • Aviation
  • Trade Secrets
  • How To
    • DIY
    • Artists
    • Board Sports
    • Boat Building
    • Woodworking
  • News
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contribute
  • Contact
West System
Pro-Set
Entropy Resins
Subscribe to our newsletter
Copyright © 2021 Epoxycraft | Website by MAA