Category: Case Studies

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Case Study: Magic Corner Kitchen Unit Repair Saves a Client Over £200 in Replacement Costs

A magic corner kitchen unit undergoes repair using Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty after a pin snapped off

Magic repair of a magic corner – Superfast Steel prevents a broken kitchen unit needing a £290 replacement

When a magic corner unit in a Sylmasta client’s kitchen collapsed, they were left facing the prospect of paying £290 for a replacement – until it was decided to attempt a repair using the high-strength bonding properties of Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty.

Case Study Data

Repair Type
High-strength bonding
Defect
Collapsed magic corner kitchen unit

Products Used

Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty Stick
Epoxy putty used for super-strength adhesion between broken pin and unit which had previously been welded in place

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Details

A magic corner kitchen unit makes use of dead space in corner cupboards which are otherwise hard to access. A slide out mechanism attached to a cabinet door allows items to be easily stored and retrieved from blind corners.

There are several reasons why magic corners can break. Wear and tear is one. Frequent opening and closing of the cupboard and stress on the sliding mechanism will take its toll after many years.

Magic corners will often be overloaded in excess of the weight that the manufacturer recommends they carry. Because they are attached to a cupboard door rather than being a part of the actual unit, overloading can lead to units collapsing and subsequent damage to the door itself.

In this case, the magic corner unit was very old. The client also admitted that they may have overloaded it. Eventually, this led to the magic corner collapsing, detaching it from the kitchen cupboard door.

Upon inspecting the broken corner, the problem was discovered to have been caused by a vital pin on which the mechanism pivoted, breaking away from the frame and causing the detachment.

  • A broken magic corner kitchen unit before undergoing repair using Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty Stick
Photo on the left shows another pin welded to the magic corner for an idea of how it was attached. On the right, the broken section of the unit after the damaged pin snapped off

A replacement magic corner would have cost £290 and required some advanced DIY skills to fit. After consulting Sylmasta to see if a repair was possible, it was decided to attempt to fix the magic corner kitchen unit using Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty.

Superfast Steel is used for filling holes and cracks, restoring surface profile, fabricating new parts and for high-strength bonding between materials. For this particular application, it was Superfast Steel’s adhesive properties that were required.

To use Superfast Steel, the required amount is cut from the 114g stick and kneaded by hand. This causes a chemical reaction to take place between the resin and hardener contained within the stick, and within 10 minute the soft material will have cured into one as hard as steel.

The damaged pin was around 100mm in length and had been welded to the magic corner prior to the collapse. The pin was to be reattached to the unit using Superfast Steel, which would provide a bond as strong as the previous welding.

  • A broken pin on a magic corner kitchen unit is repaired using Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty Stick
The pin prior to being reattached to the magic corner using Superfast Steel

Completing the reattachment took less than 30 minutes. Within an hour, the putty had fully hardened. The magic corner could be filled with kitchen items again – although the client was careful not to overload it this time.

One Superfast Steel Stick was all that was required for the application . At an outlay of only £10.08 plus postage, the repair represented a huge saving compared to the cost of replacing the magic corner.

If you have an application you would like to enquire about, then please get in touch

Call: +44 (0)1444 831 459
Email: sales@sylmasta.com

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Case Study: 19th Century Lantern Restoration Using Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty

A 19th century lantern restoration undertaken using Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty Stick

Relighting a 19th century lantern – the restoration of a Victorian lamp made possible by Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty

Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty is used in the restoration of a lantern made by famous Birmingham lamp maker Arthur J. Poole and dated to the 1870s or 1880s, returning it to working order so that it could light up spaces as it did in its Victorian heyday.

Case Study Data

Repair Type
Restoration of a 19th century lantern
Defect
Broken candleholder and snapped door latch

Products Used

Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty Stick
Epoxy putty used to formulate new parts and for high-strength adhesion of metal-to-metal and plastic-to-metal

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Details

Arthur J. Poole manufactured a huge range of candle-lit lanterns, lanterns for police offices, lamps for use on the railways, maritime signal lamps capable of transmitting Morse code, and copper coal buckets from his factory in the heart of Birmingham during the 19th century.

The lantern in question was candle powered, dating it to the 1870s or 1880s before paraffin became more widely used. For an item the best part of 120 years old and which had clearly spent most of its life as a working lantern, it was in remarkably good condition.

There were two areas which needed attention before it could be used once again. The lantern no longer had a latch to close the door in place. Whenever there was a breeze or the device was being transported by its handle, the door would therefore swing open and the candle inside would be extinguished.

Original fitting for holding a candle in place. A new part needed to be made to hold larger, modern day candles

The other problem was that the original candleholder was very small, and not suited to most modern day candles. To overcome this, it was decided to make a round platform that could take tea lights or other larger candles and fix a spike on the bottom that could slot into the existing candleholder.

This was done using Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty. Superfast Steel comes in a pre-formatted 114g stick. The user cuts off the amount of putty required and then mixes it by hand, instigating a chemical reaction between the resin and hardener.

Superfast Steel has a work time of between 5-10 minutes. Whilst soft, it can be shaped and formed as desired. Once cured, it offers super-strength adhesion between different materials and forms a material as hard as steel.

Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty used to fabricate a new part in the restoration of a 19th century lantern
New candleholder fabricated from Superfast Steel. The platform has already been painted black

To create a new candleholder, Superfast Steel was moulded into the required shape to make the platform. Once the platform had cured, the spike was shaped and added. Whilst soft, the spike was pushed into the existing fitting to ensure it was a perfect fit.

The spike easily bonded to the platform, creating a new holder capable of supporting a modern candle inside the lantern and completing part one of the restoration.

The new candleholder enabled the lantern to hold a modern candle in place

To create a new handle for the door, a metal wire was bent into a T-shape by folding a strip in half, then bending the two ends at right angles. It was attached to the door via two plastic tubes which were bonded to the lantern using further Superfast Steel.

When the door was closed, this metal wire could now drop into an existing latch attached to the opposite side of the lantern, locking it in place and preventing the candle from blowing out.

Latch made from metal rod and plastic tube and attached to the lantern using Superfast Steel. All materials were then painted black to blend in seamlessly with the lantern
A 19th century lantern that underwent restoration using Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty Stick
The completed restoration

A coating of black paint was added to the wire, the plastic tubing and the Superfast Steel to complete the restoration at a cost of under £15.

The lantern is now lighting up a garden in East Sussex and ready for another 120 years of service. Arthur J. Poole himself would have been impressed.

If you have an application you would like to enquire about, then please get in touch

Call: +44 (0)1444 831 459
Email: sales@sylmasta.com

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Case Study: Snapped Nozzle on a 1500mm Seawater Cooling Line Repair & Reinforcement

A 1500mm line in a seawater cooling system undergoes repair after it began leaking from a broken off nozzle

Keeping it cool – the repair and reinforcement of a leaking 1500mm seawater cooling system supply line

A petrochemical plant in Saudi Arabia needed an urgent repair to the 1500mm main supply line in their seawater cooling system after a nozzle snapped off, leaving a 50mm hole discharging water 5 metres vertically at a pressure of 3 bar.

Case Study Data

Site
Petrochemical plant
Location
Saudi Arabia
Repair Type
Leak repair and reinforcement
Defect
Snapped nozzle in a 1500mm seawater cooling pipe

Products Used

Sylmasta AB Original Epoxy Putty
Epoxy putty used alongside a PTFE plug to fill the 50mm hole left by the snapped nozzle

SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage
Composite wrap reinforced the repair and was then applied around the diameter to strengthen the line

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Details

Seawater cooling systems allow water taken from the sea to be used for the cooling of machinery and other processes in industrial plants and factories.

The petrochemical plant were extracting from the Red Sea. A nozzle on the 1500mm diameter main line supplying the cooling system had snapped off from the flange, causing a jet of pressurised water to shoot 5 metres into the air from a 50mm hole.

An engineer fits the PTFE plug to the leaking line

When this seawater returned to ground, it saturated the surface of the pipe, causing external damage, discolouration, mould to form and a suspected weakening of the line.

Losing so much water also had a serious impact on the efficiency of the system. The plant therefore decided to call in a maintenance team to attempt to fix the problem as a matter of urgency.

The supply line was shut off whilst the repair took place. The application began by securing the hole left in the pipe by the snapped nozzle with a plug made from PTFE.

Sylmasta AB Epoxy Putty used to repair a seawater supply line by fixing a PTFE plug in place
Sylmasta AB Original was used to fix the plug in place, creating a watertight seal

To create a watertight seal around the PTFE plug and fix it in place permanently, the nozzle was then encompassed using Sylmasta AB Original Epoxy Putty.

Sylmasta AB is a smooth-setting putty capable of bonding to all materials, including wet surfaces. It has a two hour work time, allowing more of the putty to be mixed, shaped and applied without premature curing that may have otherwise been caused by the hot Saudi climate.

SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage applied to a snapped nozzle in a seawater supply line repair
The plug and AB Original were encompassed with SylWrap HD

Further reinforcement of the plug and the surrounding AB Original was provided by SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage. SylWrap HD is a composite wrap with a water activated resin which sets rock in hard in minutes.

Seven layers of SYL412HD were wrapped and smoothed around the nozzle, creating an impact resistant layer of protection. This completely sealed the hole with a repair pressure resistant up to 30 bar.

SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage being applied to a 1500mm seawater supply line
Further SylWrap reinforced the weakened section of pipe around the plug

When the line was put back into operation, the engineers who had carried out the repair noticed during their inspection that the pipe around the nozzle had indeed weakened as suspected.

Although no major leaks were present, the surface could be seen bubbling with air and water. They therefore decided to reinforce the entire area of pipe underneath the nozzle by wrapping the 1500mm diameter with four SYL616HD Pipe Repair Bandages.

Repair and reinforcement of a 1500mm seawater supply line after a nozzle snapped off
The repair was completed in two hours, leaving the line sealed and strengthened

This provided a protective sleeve around the weakened section of the line, strengthening it against potential future breaches and thus extending the lifespan of the pipe.

Completing the repair of the nozzle and the reinforcement of the line took less than two hours, after which the seawater cooling system was able to operate at full capacity once again.

If you have an application you would like to enquire about, then please get in touch

Call: +44 (0)1444 831 459
Email: sales@sylmasta.com

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Case Study: Live Leak Pinhole Repair on 150mm Elbow at Pumping House in Malaysia

A SylWrap Live Leak repair made to a pinhole leak on a 6 bar 150mm elbow joint with a pinhole leak

Fixing an elbow – a pumping house in Malaysia stays operational thanks to a SylWrap live leak repair

When a 150mm steel pipe elbow in a Malaysia pumping house developed a pinhole leak through which water was spraying out at 6 bar pressure, the company responsible for the facility turned to Sylmasta for a rapid live leak repair.

Case Study Data

Site
Pumping house
Location
Malaysia
Repair Type
Live leak repair
Defect
Pinhole leak in 150mm steel pipe elbow joint

Products Used

Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape
Self-amalgamating silicone repair tape used to seal the live leak on the elbow joint

SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage
Composite repair wrap applied to reinforce the initial repair via an impact resistant protective layer

SylWrap Pipe Repair Contractor Case
Contains enough products to make up to six live leak repairs, now approved for use on Kuala Lumpur’s vast network

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Details

The steel pipe was an important part of the system at the pumping house, operated by a water company. A pinhole leak had appeared on an elbow joint weakened by corrosion where two sections of metalwork joined together.

Because the leak was on an elbow, a repair clamp could not be fitted. The pipe could not be taken out of operation for repair or replacement due to its importance to operations at the pumping house.

A pinhole leak on an elbow joint in a Malaysia pumping station prior to undergoing a live leak repair
The pinhole was located on an elbow
A pressurised jet of water escaping from a 150mm pipe elbow in a Malaysia pumping station
Pressurised jet of water spraying from the pinhole leak

The water company’s maintenance team therefore used a SylWrap Universal Pipe Repair Kit to carry out a live leak repair which would be effective on the 150mm elbow operating under 6 bar pressure.

Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape was used to seal the pinhole leak in the pipe. Wrap & Seal is made from self-amalgamating silicone. It stretches by 300 percent and fuses to form a solid rubber band over holes and cracks in pipework.

Wrap & Seal Pioe Burst Tape used to repair a pinhole leak on a 150mm pipe elbow in Malaysia
Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape was stretched by its maximum 300 percent
Wrap & Seal successfully sealed the pinhole leak

Once the Tape had successfully sealed the hole in the pipe, it was overwrapped with a SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage. SylWrap HD is a composite wrap with a water activated resin which sets rock hard in minutes.

The Bandage was wrapped around the elbow and smoothed down whilst water from a bucket was poured over it at sporadic intervals. Once cured, SylWrap HD provided an impact resistant shell around the elbow, preventing it from any future leaks or bursts.

Within 30 minutes of the start of the application, the maintenance team had successfully repaired the elbow with no interruption to operations at the pumping house.

SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage used to reinforce a repair on a 150mm elbow joint in a Malaysia pumping station
SylWrap HD Bandage was used to reinforce the repair
The repair was completed in less than 30 minutes

Both Wrap & Seal and SylWrap HD are WRAS approved, meaning that they are certified as safe to use on pipes and fittings carrying drinking water according to British Standards.

Numerous other successful pipe repair applications have since been made in Malaysia using Wrap & Seal and SylWrap HD supplied in a SylWrap Pipe Repair Contractor Case.

This has led the Case to be approved by the national supplier in Malaysia for carrying out leak repairs across Kuala Lumpur’s vast pipe network.

Each Contractor Case contains enough products to make up to six live leak repairs on pipes of all diameters and types without the need for any training.

The Case can be easily stored on-the-van, providing a lightweight and more versatile alternative to carrying around heavy, bulky pipe repair clamps.

When leaks and bursts on the water network are identified, a contractor simply has to reach for the Case on their van to repair the problem in under 30 minutes.

If you have an application you would like to enquire about, then please get in touch

Call: +44 (0)1444 831 459
Email: sales@sylmasta.com

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Case Study: Repair of a Leaking 200mm Fuel Oil Line Pressure Resistant to 44 bar in Libya

Sylmasta repair a 200mm underground oil fuel line in Brega, Libya suffering from a crack caused by heavy corrosion

Fuel for thought – a high pressure, high temperature pipe repair keeps an oil line in Libya operating

Heavy corrosion caused a small crack to appear in a 200mm fuel oil line buried underground in Libya, leaving the pipe requiring a repair that could withstand pressure up to 44 bar and temperatures up to 70°C

Case Study Data

Site
Underground fuel oil line
Location
Brega, Libya
Repair Type
Leak repair
Defect
Small crack in 200mm pipe

Products Used

Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape
Multiple self-fusing silicone repair tapes used for creating a high pressure seal over the crack

SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage
Provided an impact resistant protective shell over the initial repair, reinforcing the line

SylWrap Pipe Repair Contractor Case
Contains multiple Wrap & Seals and SylWrap HD Bandages to carry out up to six live leak repairs

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Details

The town of Brega serves as a major export hub for Libyan oil, being home to one of the five oil terminals operating in the eastern half of Libya. It is also the starting point of the 670 km Brega-Khoms Intisar gas pipeline.

A 200mm fuel oil line required repair after it was found to be leaking underground
Excavation revealed that the pipe was in poor condition

Heavy corrosion had caused a small crack to appear in a 200mm fuel oil line buried underground. Once the pipe had been excavated for inspection, it became clear that it was in terrible condition, badly pitted and covered in escaped oil.

To add to the complexity of the application, the line operated under 44 bar and at temperatures of up to 70°C. Any repair had to be able to withstand these pressure and heat extremes.

Oil leaking from a damaged 200mm fuel pipe line in Brega, Libya
The leak area was a small crack caused by corrosion

Prior to the application, the pipe was cleaned as best as it could be. Oil and dirt was removed and the surface smoothed off to enable a good connection between the line and Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape, which made up the first stage of the repair.

Wrap & Seal is a self-amalgamating silicone repair tape which stretches by 300 percent and fuses to form a solid rubber band over holes and cracks. Multiple tapes can be applied over each other, where they will also fuse together, building repairs with high pressure resistance.

Multiple Wrap & Seal Tapes were used to seal the crack

Once several Wrap & Seals had been used and the team carrying out the repair was satisfied that the leak was suitably sealed, the repair was reinforced using SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage.

SylWrap HD is a composite repair wrap with a water activated resin which sets rock hard in minutes. It provides an impact resistant protective shell to pipes and structures, increasing life span and hoop strength.

200mm fuel oil line in Brega, Libya undergoes leak repair using a Sylmasta Pipe Repair Kit
The line was reinforced using SylWrap HD

Four SylWrap HD Bandages were used to cover the repair area, reinforcing the fuel oil line before it was reburied. Each Bandage cured within 2 to 5 minutes of application.

Both Wrap & Seal and SylWrap HD have a maximum service temperature of 250°C and using multiple products created a repair capable of withstanding the pressure that the line operated under.

Completed repair prior to the line being reburied

It took less than two hours to complete the application, notwithstanding the time to excavate and inspect the pipe. The repair was a cost-effective and less time-consuming alternative to replacing the damaged section, which could have left the line out of operation for a prolonged period.

The maintenance team who carried out the job in Brega have since gone onto use Sylmasta products to make numerous repairs to other oil lines in the region, taking advantage of the ease and convenience offer by the SylWrap range.

If you have an application you would like to enquire about, then please get in touch

Call: +44 (0)1444 831 459
Email: sales@sylmasta.com

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Case Study: Repair of a Cracked Copper Pipe in a Camper Van Boiler System

A copper pipe in a camper van boiler system undergoes repair using Superfast Copper Epoxy Putty and a SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage

Carry on camping – a difficult-to-access copper pipe in a camper van boiler system undergoes repair

A camper van owner manages to repair a crack in a copper pipe located within the van’s boiler system, despite the leak area being extremely difficult to access

Case Study Data

Site
Camper van boiler
Location
United Kingdom
Repair Type
Leak repair
Defect
Crack in a copper pipe

Products Used

Superfast Copper Epoxy Putty Stick
Fast-working epoxy putty pushed into the crack in the copper pipe to seal it

SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage
Composite repair wrap applied over Superfast Copper to reinforce the initial repair

SylWrap Standard Pipe Repair Kit
Superfast Epoxy and SylWrap HD are supplied together in the Standard Pipe Repair Kit

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Details

The boiler system provided heat and hot water to the camper van. A deep crack appeared in a copper pipe located underneath the cover of the boiler, causing a pressurised jet of water to spray out whenever the boiler was turned on.

Problematically, the crack was located at a point where the pipe angled towards the back casing of the boiler. It faced towards the side of the casing with access extremely limited.

  • A crack in a copper pipe which was part of a camper van boiler system before undergoing repair using a Sylmasta Pipe Repair Kit
A jet of water escaped the copper pipe whenever the boiler was put into operation

The confined space meant that there was no room to fit a pipe repair clamp, nor apply Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape with enough stretch for it to self-amalgamate effectively.

Because the boiler could be turned off, Sylmasta recommended to the camper van owner that they use Superfast Copper Epoxy Putty Stick to plug the crack in the pipe.

Superfast Copper comes in a 114 gram stick format and has a work time of 5 to 10 minutes, enabling rapid repairs to be made to copper and other non-ferrous metals.

  • Superfast Copper Epoxy Putty being applied to repair a crack in a pipe which formed part of a camper van boiler system
Superfast Copper applied to the crack in the pipe

Before the application began, the pipe was cleaned and dried to aid the adhesion of the putty to the metalwork. The required amount of putty was cut from the stick and kneaded by hand.

Whilst soft, the putty was pushed into the crack in the copper pipe where it hardened, sealing the hole. Enough putty was used to cover the section of pipe both above and below the crack to improve the chances of success.

To reinforce the putty, the entire section of pipe was then covered with a SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage. SylWrap HD is a composite repair wrap with a water activated resin which sets rock hard in minutes to provide an impact resistant layer of protection.

  • Superfast Copper Epoxy Putty used to seal a hole on a copper pipe in a camper van boiler system
Superfast Copper and SylWrap HD successfully sealed the crack

Typically, SylWrap HD would be wrapped around the pipe. The space constraints meant that this could not be done effectively in this particular application, and so the bandage was cable tied to the pipe whilst it cured.

Once the copper pipe repair was completed, the boiler was turned back on. Water was no longer escaping from the crack, denoting a successful boiler pipe repair and saving a considerable amount of money for the camper van owner compared to the cost of fitting a replacement pipe.

If you have an application you would like to enquire about, then please get in touch

Call: +44 (0)1444 831 459
Email: sales@sylmasta.com

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Case Study: Bahrain International Airport Repair of Leaking Step Joint on 100mm UPVC Pipe

A leaking 100mm UPVC pipe at Bahrain International Airport undergoes a live leak repair using a SylWrap Pipe Repair Contractor Case

Flying high – the live leak repair of a 100mm UPVC pipe step joint which kept a system operational at Bahrain International Airport

When a 100mm UPVC pipe which was part of an important system at Bahrain International Airport began leaking from a step joint, a quick-and-easy live leak repair method was required as shutting down the line was not an option.

Case Study Data

Site
Airport
Location
Bahrain
Repair Type
Live leak repair
Defect
Leaking step joint on a 100mm UPVC plastic pipe

Products Used

Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape
Self-amalgamating silicone repair tape which sealed up and over the leaking step joint

SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage
Applied over the sealed step joint to reinforce the repair by providing a rock hard, impact resistant layer

SylWrap Pipe Repair Contractor Case
Products were supplied as part of a Contractor Case, capable of making up to six live leak repairs

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Details

UPVC is a strong and versatile pipe material which is assembled using a solvent cement to bond pieces together. Sometimes, these bonds can loosen and begin leaking, which is what happened to the 100mm pipe at Bahrain Airport.

The leak in question was through a step joint connecting two sections of pipe together. The pipe could not be shut off for a repair because of the importance of the airport system it supported.

This meant that the normal method Sylmasta recommend to clients for sealing a leaking step – by using a Superfast Epoxy Putty Stick to plug the gaps between the joint and the pipe – would not be effective because the pipe was wet.

  • Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape being used to repair a step joint on a UPVC Pipe at Bahrain International Airport
The pipe was leaking from behind the left hand side of the joint

The airport therefore had to use Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape as their sealing material. Wrap & Seal is a self-amalgamating silicone repair tape which stretches by 300 percent, fusing to form a solid rubber band over leak areas.

Using Wrap & Seal on a step is not as straightforward as wrapping a straight section of pipe. To create a repair capable of sealing the step between the 100mm UPVC pipe and the sleeve, the maintenance team carrying out the application began wrapping approximately 100mm away from the joint.

  • Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape applied to a step joint on a 100mm UPVC pipe as part of a live leak repair
A ridge was created using Wrap & Seal to seal up and over the step

After approaching the sleeve by overlapping the Tape by 50 percent, they then built up layers of Wrap & Seal immediately next to the joint. This created a ridge. When this ridge reached near-level height with the step, the application of the Tape continued for a further 50mm across the step joint to fully encompass it.

Two 50mm x 4m Wrap & Seals were required before it was established that water had stopped escaping the joint and the leak was fully sealed. The repair was then completed by applying a SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage over the Tape.

SylWrap HD is a composite repair wrap with a water activated resin which sets rock hard in minutes. The Bandage was wrapped around the pipe and smoothed down using water poured onto the pipe from a bottle. It cured to provide an impact resistant, protective shell.

  • SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage used to reinforce a 100mm UPVC pipe leaking from a step joint
The repair was completed with a SylWrap HD Bandage

The entire repair was carried out in less than 30 minutes whilst the pipe remained in operation. The two Wrap & Seal Tapes and SylWrap HD Bandage were supplied to the maintenance team as part of a SYL-PRO-633 Pipe Repair Contractor Case.

A Contractor Case contains enough products to make up to six live leak repairs on pipes of all types and diameters. The Case is easy-to-store on site and transport, ensuring that everything needed to fix a leaking pipe is close to hand and enabling repairs to be made as soon as problems are identified.

Following the success of the 100mm UPVC pipe repair, the maintenance team have since gone onto use Contractor Cases at the Airport to fix 150mm and 200mm pipes suffering from similar problems.

Case Study Video

If you have an application you would like to enquire about, then please get in touch

Call: +44 (0)1444 831 459
Email: sales@sylmasta.com

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Case Study: Creating an Abrasion Resistant Surface for Pug Mill Extruder Barrels

Ceramic Brushabkle Blue Epoxy Paste created an abrasion resistant surface for worn aluminium barrels in a pug mill putty extruder

Putty in their hands – Ceramic Brushable provides an abrasion resistant surface coating to improve pug mill putty extruder efficiency

Aluminium barrels in several pug mill putty extruders suffering from both abrasive wear and a rough initial finish are given an ultra-smooth, abrasion resistant surface coating to improve their efficiency

Case Study Data

Repair Type
Abrasion Protection
Defect
Worn aluminium barrels in pug mill putty extruders

Products Used

Ceramic Brushable Blue Epoxy Coating
Ceramic-filled epoxy coating painted onto surfaces and parts to create a smooth, abrasion resistant layer

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Details

Silica-filled putty was extruded from the pug mills via aluminium barrels. Over time, the silica in the putty had caused abrasive wear to the surface of the barrels as it passed through.

This wear combined with the initial rough cast finish of the aluminium had caused the flow rate of putty from the pug mills to slow dramatically, impacting on efficiency.

A badly worn putty extruder had become inefficient because of abrasion
Barrels in the putty extruders were suffering from heavy wear

To help the extruders run more efficiently, a means of improving the flow rate through the barrels by filling in existing damage and creating an ultra-smooth finish was sought.

After researching cost and ease of repair, machining the barrels was ruled out as it would have been difficult, expensive and too time consuming.

Instead, it was decided to paint the aluminium barrels in every putty extruder with a low friction coating for increased extrusion rate. The coating used in the repair also needed to be abrasion resistant to protect the aluminium from further wear.

Ceramic Brushable Blue is an easy to use epoxy coating used to create abrasion resistant surface to machines, parts and surfaces of all materials
Ceramic Brushable Blue was easy to mix and apply to the extruder barrels

Ceramic Brushable Blue was the obvious solution. It is ceramic-filled and reinforced with silicon carbide for ultimate hardness. It is used on both new and old machines and parts in highly abrasive environments.

Coating new surfaces with Ceramic Brushable Blue provides a toughened, reinforced layer of protection from wear, extending the lifespan of parts.

When used on older machine parts and surfaces such as the putty extruder barrels, Ceramic Brushable Blue repairs damaged areas as well as offering protection against abrasion.

Ceramic Brushable Epoxy Coating applied to provide an abrasion resistant surface to a putty extruyder to improve efficiency
The epoxy coating gave a low friction surface to the barrels

Ceramic Brushable Blue was easy to apply. The parts were mixed and then the coating painted on using a conventional paintbrush. The 90 minute work time allowed larger quantities of epoxy to be mixed and applied in one go without the threat of premature curing.

It took one day to coat every pug mill putty extruder barrel with the required amount of Ceramic Brushable Blue. A full cure was achieved 24 hours after the final coat, meaning that there was minimal disruption to production.

Sylmasta Ceramic Brushable Epoxy Coating used to create an abrasion resistant surface for a pug mill putty extruder aluminium barrel
Ceramic Brushable Blue provided a low friction, ultra-smooth finish

The non-stick, smooth finish of Ceramic Brushable also enabled quicker and easy cleaning of the barrels. Less time needed for the maintenance of the extruders resulted in even greater efficiency for the pug mills.

If you have an application you would like to enquire about, then please get in touch

Call: +44 (0)1444 831 459
Email: sales@sylmasta.com

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Case Study: Repair & Refurbishment of a 19th Century Pit Wheel at Mordiford Mill

A 19th century cast iron pit wheel in Mordiford Mill, Herefordshire undergoes repair and refburbishment with Sylmasta AB Epoxy Putty

Big wheel keeps on turning – the repair and refurbishment of a 19th century pit wheel using Sylmasta AB Epoxy Putty

When the repair and refurbishment of a 19th century pit wheel required a waterproof, corrosion resistant material to protect the cast iron wheel from water and help bond two protective steel hoops for reinforcement, Sylmasta had the ideal solution.

Case Study Data

Site
Mordiford Mill
Location
Herefordshire, United Kingdom
Repair Type
Corrosion protection, water ingress prevention & high strength bonding
Defect
Cracked & weakened 19th century cast iron pit wheel

Products Used

Sylmasta AB Original Epoxy Putty
Water resistant epoxy putty with high strength adhesion and a long work time for complex and larger applications

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Details

Mordiford Mill is a 19th century tall stone corn mill in Herefordshire. A water wheel connects to a three metre diameter cast iron pit wheel which drives iron machinery and two pairs of stones.

The Mill ceased grinding flour in 1935. Over 80 years later and the Mill’s latest owner was undertaking a long-term refurbishment project to make it turnable again. One of the most challenging aspects of this was the repair of the pit wheel.

Pit Wheel at Mordiford Mill suffering from numerous cracks and breaks before refurbishment and repair with Sylmasta AB Epoxy Putty
The pit wheel was suffering from cracks and breaks in several places

Corrosion and the passage of time had weakened the castings of the wheel. Both the inner and outer castings had been unusually thin for a pit wheel when they were originally installed in the 1800s, and two generations of previous repair attempts had been unable to suitably reinforce them.

The wheel was cracked and broken in various places. Calculations indicated sudden impacts such as a cog breaking would cause the casting to break apart again – possibly irreparably.

Sylmasta AB Epoxy Putty applied to a 19th century cast iron pit wheel in Mordiford Mill, Herefordshire
Sylmasta AB being applied to the outer casting of the wheel

Replacement was not a viable option because the cost of doing so exceeded the budget of the project. The only way to get Mordiford Mill operating again was by finding a repair and refurbishment method for the pit wheel.

It was decided to strap both the inside and the outside of the wheel with steel hoops to encompass the 19th century ironwork. This would reinforce the pit wheel, ensuring it had adequate protection from future impacts.

Repair and refurbishment of a pit wheel at Mordiford Mill
Steel reinforcement hoop applied over Sylmasta AB and held in place with clamps

These steel hoops could not be welded to the pit wheel because of the dangers associated with welding old cast iron, which tends to explode due to air pockets within the iron. No welder would guarantee a result as success of such a process is less than 50 percent.

Welding would also have left gaps between the steel hoops and the uneven, damaged casting of the wheel. Water entering these gaps would potentially collect inside them, leading to further corrosion of the original cast iron.

Once the putty had cured, the steel hoop was screwed into place

As a water-resistant material capable of high-strength bonding, Sylmasta AB Original Epoxy Putty provided the ideal solution for encompassing the cast iron to prevent water ingress at the same time as aiding the adhesion of the steel hoops to the wheel.

Prior to the application of Sylmasta AB, the casting was cleaned with a needle gun and a wire brush on an angle grinder. This removed rust, grime and dirt from the surface.

The long work time of Sylmasta AB meant that large quantities could be mixed in one go without the worry of premature curing. The putty was applied to the outside casting of the wheel first, after which large sections of the steel hoop were fitted over the putty and held in place using clamps.

Steel hoop screwed into place on the outside casting

The steel hoop was then screwed in place and the clamps removed. The entire process was repeated to the inside casting, although this was slightly more challenge because of the spokes of the pit wheel connecting with the casting.

To overcome this, the application was broken down into smaller sections between each spoke. Sylmasta AB was applied and a small section of steel hoop added, clamped and screwed, before moving onto the next section on the inner wheel.

Clamps fitted to hold a smaller section of steel hoop to the inside of the pit wheel in-between spokes

Once completed, the original pit wheel was successfully reinforced with a steel casing that would last for many years and the presence of Sylmasta AB meant that no corrosion caused by trapped water could attack the ironwork.

If you have an application you would like to enquire about, then please get in touch

Call: +44 (0)1444 831 459
Email: sales@sylmasta.com

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Case Study: Reinforcement of Weakened Pipe Elbow Joint on 100mm 22 bar Sulphuric Acid Line

A 100mm pipe elbow undergoes reinforcement after the sulphuric acid line it was part of was found to have degraded by 21mm thickness

Chemical romance – the repair and reinforcement of a sulphuric acid line pipe elbow found to have degraded in thickness by 21mm

A pipe elbow on a 100mm sulphuric acid line operating under 22 bar pressure which had degraded from 22mm thickness to just 1mm undergoes urgent repair and reinforcement in Saudi Arabia.

Case Study Data

Site
Petrochemical Refinery
Location
Saudi Arabia
Repair Type
Pipeline reinforcement
Defect
Weakened elbow joint on a 100mm sulphuric acid line

Products Used

Industrial Metal Epoxy Paste
Applied to the elbow joint to strengthen it via the creation of a shell resistant to corrosion and chemical attack

SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage
Applied over Industrial Metal for further reinforcement by encompassing the elbow with a rock hard protective sleeve and increased hoop strength

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Details

The petrochemical refinery produces over 140 million barrels of petroleum products and 5 million tons of petrochemical products every year, including naphtha, kerosene, gasoline, diesel and fuel oil.

During a routine inspection, a 100mm sulphuric acid line operating under 22 bar pressure was found to have degraded to only 1mm thickness from 22mm on an elbow joint. This required urgent attention before the line failed.

The scale of production at the site meant that the petrochemical company were keen not to have to shut down the line to replace the weakened section, as this would severely impacted on output.

They therefore needed a flexible method of reinforcement for making an effective repair to the elbow on the sulphuric acid line which, for example, a pipe repair clamp would not have been capable of.

A pipe elbow in a line carrying sulphuric acid undergoes repair using Sylmasta Industrial Metal Epoxy Paste
The elbow joint was reinforced using Industrial Metal Epoxy Paste

The petrochemical refinery consulted an engineering company with whom Sylmasta work with in the region, and they decided to apply Industrial Metal Epoxy Paste to the elbow to strengthen it.

Industrial Metal is reinforced with corrosion-resistant metal platelets which provide excellent protection against corrosion and chemical attack, creating a tough outer shell around pipes and structures.

Industrial Metal Epoxy Paste is applied to a pipe elbow joint in Saudi Arabia to reinforce a weakened 100mm sulphuric acid line
Industrial Metal applied to the elbow using a putty knife

The epoxy paste was spread over the area requiring reinforcement using a putty knife. The 60 minute work time allowed for a large quantity of paste to be mixed and applied without the threat of premature curing, an especially important consideration given the hot climate.

If the remaining 1mm degraded further and the original line was breached, its contents would now be contained by a casing with high chemical and corrosion resistance surrounding the elbow provided by the cured Industrial Metal.

To further reinforce the elbow, SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage was applied over the Industrial Metal. SylWrap HD is a composite repair wrap with a water activated resin which sets rock hard in 30 minutes.

It provided an impact resistant layer of protection over the elbow, increasing the hoop strength of the line until such time as a replacement could be conveniently carried out.

Repair completed with SylWrap HD for increased hoop strength

Whilst the reinforcement took place, the pressure was reduced to 8 bar with only a minor amount of disruption to operations at the site. 24 hours after the repair had been completed, the line was restored to its normal 22 bar pressure..

The petrochemical refinery were delighted with the ease and speed of repair made possible by Sylmasta. Regular inspections of the line showed that there had been little to no decrease in the strength of the repair over two years later.

If you have an application you would like to enquire about, then please get in touch

Call: +44 (0)1444 831 459
Email: sales@sylmasta.com