Tag: AB Original

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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: Leak Repair & Encapsulation of a Steel & Iron Welded Pipe Joint

Pipe repair of a central heating system in a church which had begun to leak around a welded joint suffering from corrosion

Good deed done – Sylmasta answer a church’s prayers with a welded pipe leak repair and encapsulation

A church central heating system had suffered heavy damage caused by corrosion and begun leaking at the point where a 100mm cast iron pipe met a 50mm steel pipe via a welded steel plate, leading to a challenging leak repair and encapsulation application.

Case Study Data

Site
Church
Location
United Kingdom
Repair Type
Leak Repair
Defect
Leaking welded joint between a 100mm cast iron pipe, a 50mm steel pipe, and a 6mm steel plate

Products Used

Sylmasta AB Original Epoxy Putty
Epoxy putty with two-hour work time allowing for careful application and watertight encapsulation of the leaking joint

Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape
Self-fusing silicone repair tape used initially to seal leaks on the 100mm cast iron pipe

SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage
Applied over Wrap & Seal to provide a rock hard, impact-resistant layer to the initial repair.

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Details

Several years previously, the central heating system in the church had undergone renovations when a 100mm cast iron pipe had been stepped down to a 50mm steel pipe.

To facilitate this, a 6mm thick steel plate had been attached to the end of the larger cast iron pipe with a hole cut into the middle, through which the smaller steel pipe was attached and welded.

Since the work had been carried out, the system had become badly corroded and was now leaking from numerous areas around the welded joint.

When a similar problem had developed on another heating pipe, the church had fitted a pipe repair clamp at considerable expense. Such a repair method was not possible on this occasion as the new leak was in a restricted space with no room for a clamp to be applied.

Initially, the church called in welders to try and fix the problem, but this just caused further leakage and left an even more uneven pipe surface needing to be sealed.

Diagram showing the repair in question

The main leak was between the steel plate and the 100mm cast iron pipe with particularly heavy corrosion at the point where they met. Once the corrosion was filed back, this was relatively straightforward to repair using a SylWrap Universal Pipe Repair Kit.

Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape was applied around the pipe, fusing to form a solid rubber band over the problem area to seal the leak. This was then overwrapped with a SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage, providing a rock hard, impact resistant shell to reinforce the initial repair.

More challenging was the repair of the joint between the smaller 50mm steel pipe and the steel plate. Here, leaking was caused by uneven welding, whilst a threaded section of pipe close by was also suffering from a leak.

It became clear that a softer repair material was needed to smear into the threaded section and to penetrate into the weld. Because of the complexity of the repair, Sylmasta recommended Sylmasta AB Original Epoxy Putty.

  • Leaking 100mm cast iron pipe prior to repair
  • Sylmasta AB Original Epoxy Putty used to encasuplate a leaking welded joint as part of a pipe repair application
    Completed repair with AB Original encapsulating the welded joint

AB Original is a smooth-setting epoxy with a two hour cure time. This longer working time allowed for the putty to be more carefully applied, encapsulating the whole section where the 100mm pipe, the 50mm pipe, and the steel plate all met.

The church were supplied with 1kg of Sylmasta AB, more than enough for their application. Unused AB Original stays fresh when left in its original packaging, ensuring the church has a supply of epoxy putty for any future applications.

Sylmasta AB Original putty was smoothed over the welded joint, filling in all imperfections and sealing all leak areas. It has excellent corrosion resistance, further protecting the pipe from future attack, and provided a smooth, ceramic-like finish to the application.

When the church first contacted Sylmasta, they had been looking for a repair method that would temporarily fix the leaking central heating system until funds allowed for either a longer lasting solution or for a new pipe to be installed.

Instead, the repair provided by Sylmasta will be permanent and was made at a fraction of the cost of other options, saving the church a considerable amount of money.

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: Chip Filler Repair to a Damaged £500 Designer Bar Stool Made of SMC

A homeowner uses Sylmasta AB Original Epoxy Putty as a filler to repair a chip in an SMC designer bar stool

Money for the bar – a Sylmasta AB Epoxy Putty filler repair to a chip in an SMC bar stool saves a homeowner £222

When a designer bar stool made of a difficult-to-repair compound called SMC suffered a chip after it was knocked over, the owner sought a cost-effective DIY filler repair method after being quoted £222 by a restoration company.

Case Study Data

Repair Type
SMC filler repair
Defect
Chip in designer bar stool

Products Used

Sylmasta AB Original Epoxy Putty
Epoxy putty which bonds to all materials and is easy to shape for use as a filler

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Details

The homeowner had a beloved set of white designer bar stools worth around £500 each. Their children unfortunately knocked one of the stools over whilst playing, causing a large chip to the edge of the seat made from a difficult-to-repair material called SMC.

SMC is a moulding compound with an inbuilt mould release agent which can be inconsistent, which also meant that reattaching broken fragments was unlikely to be successful.

Each bar stool cost £500. To restore the chip would have cost £220

A professional restoration company quoted £222 to make a repair. The owner therefore decided to try and find a means of making a more cost-effective DIY repair to their damaged stool.

They consulted Sylmasta, who were able to recommend the use of Sylmasta AB Original Epoxy Putty, as although there was little chance of glues or adhesives forming a suitable bond with the SMC, Sylmasta AB would be able to anchor itself into the cavity.

  • Chip in a designer bar stool made from SMC prior to undergoing a filler repair using Sylmasta AB Epoxy Putty
Chip caused to the stool when it was accidentally knocked over

Sylmasta AB Original has a two-hour work time, offering plenty of time for the epoxy putty to be moulded, shaped and applied without the threat of premature curing.

Careful application of Sylmasta AB filled the chip in the stool. The homeowner was even able to recreate the pattern of the seat, using a brush to slightly indent the putty before it set.

  • Sylmasta AB Original Epoxy Putty used to repair a chipped bar stool
  • Reapir of a chip in an SMC designer bar stool made using Sylmasta AB Epoxy Putty Filler
Sylmasta AB filled the chip and was then painted to seamlessly blend in with the seat

AB Original sets to off-white as standard, but it can be painted once cured. The owner managed to colour-match a paint to the exact colour of the bar stool, ensuring that the epoxy putty blended in seamlessly with the rest of the seat.

The repair required only one 250g kit of AB Original at a cost of just £12.60 plus carriage – a far cry from the original £222 quote provided by the restoration company.

Plenty of epoxy putty was left over, and it remains reusable when kept in its original packaging – good news in the event of any future accidents involving the £500 designer bar stools.

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