Terms & Tools: Epoxy
alcohol-dilutable resin
A type/class of resin that can be solvent-cut so that they penetrate with ease but can still achieve strength, such as Eponex 1510. Benefit of this kind of resin is that it has very little appearance change to the material on which it is used.
consolidation
Strengthening a material by the use of various resins or epoxies. Deteriorated surfaces, such as the soft and punky surface of a window sash, can be consolidated with tongue oil, or alkyld resin. Weakened or rotted wood can be consolidated by the use of epoxy, which is drawn in then cures/hardens within the fibers of the wood strengthening and the wood.
Eponex 1510
An alcohol-dilutable resin.
epoxy
A polymer resin that reacts with amine compounds to form a solid.
filled-epoxy resin
An epoxy resin with some kind of material mixed in to thicken it and bulk it out. By making it thicker, less resin is used- making it more controlable. Filled-epoxy resin has high-viscosity and less shrinkage because there is less liquid to evaporate. Resin with ground gypsum can be used in high heat areas, like attics, because it ups the heat resistance. Very high heat will soften resin, making it easy to remove. Some other fillers include: dirt, sawdust, phenolic or glass microballoon (ziospheres,) chopped cotton, graphite to give it more paste or putty-like consistency. By filling epoxy resins, they are made to be thixatropic, meaning they have internal strength and their weight is enough that they can stand up straight and overcome the effects of gravity.
PVA (polyvinyl alcohol)
A water-soluble synthetic polymer. Used in conservation as an adhesive.
resin
Amorphous substances, either solid or semisolid, that come from natural or synthetic sources. Used in lacquers, varnishes, adhesives, and synthetic plastics.
thermoplastic resin
Resin that will soften with heat, like filled-epoxy resin.
thermosetting
A resin with a heat-initiated set.