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

Trade Secrets: We asked Hamish: how do you make custom filleting tools?
30th November 2016

We asked Hamish: how do you make custom filleting tools?

One of the great things about working with WEST SYSTEM® epoxy products is that you can really let your creative juices flow when you apply it; as long as you’ve mixed it properly, that is. So when we asked Hamish what can we use to make custom filleting tools, he explained that really, we’re only limited by imagination.

Epoxy is so forgiving. Brushes, rollers, mixing sticks, freezer bags – you can use all sorts of things to spread, smear and squeeze your epoxy, as long as you prepare these tools properly and clean them well afterwards.

Filleting is no different. You can use pretty much any rigid material to glide over your epoxy and create an even curve, as long as it’s smooth and the right shape (or you are able to cut it to shape).
When people ask me what they can use to create a custom filleting tool, I usually walk them through the options below.

Mixing sticks

The most obvious choice comes in the form of our WEST SYSTEM 804 Reusable Plastic Mixing Sticks. At 19mm wide and 140mm long, they’re ideal for most smaller projects, such as small dinghies or any sort of stitch-and-glue boat.

However, if you need to create bigger fillets with a bigger radius, then it’s probably best to choose one of the options below.

Hardwood

Hardwood makes a great, rigid filleting tool. You can either cut a radius on your own piece of hardwood, or you can use the WEST SYSTEM 804B Wooden Stirrers. At 300mm x 27mm and made of beech, they’re a good size, robust, and easy enough to add a radius to. Just make sure you clean them thoroughly once you’ve used them.

Plastic squeegees

Many people like to cut a radius onto one of our WEST SYSTEM 808 Plastic Squeegees, which are 90mm x 150mm. All you need to do is trim one end of a squeegee to form a 75° angle, and trim the 75° angle corner to your desired fillet radius.

…whatever works for you

Plastic piping. Old credit cards. The bottom of a mixing pot or a paper cup. Plastic measuring scoops, like the little blue ones we give away in filler tubes. It’s really up to you what you use, as long as:

a)       it’s rigid and smooth – ideally, glossy. This is so that it moves smoothly across the resin for an even fillet and so that you can clean it properly afterwards.

b)      you can cut it to shape easily – if it needs cutting, that is.

 

Thanks very much to Hamish Cook for another great contribution.

Have you got a question for Hamish? Email us at techsupport@westsysteminternational.com and we may even feature it in a future edition of epoxycraft!


Share on


Back to trade-secrets

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