Epoxy Anchor Resins - epoxy resin for anchoring steel

	Article - anchoring using epoxy How to fix threaded or smooth bars in walls and floors Property Repair Systems is OPEN FOR BUSINESS - 01626 872886 - speak to real people abut anchor methods Click here for our Home Page

Resin for threaded bar and screws, for fixing into walls and floors

Summary: Fixing to masonry with Resins

Fixing brackets for shelves, curtain poles, picture rails, dado rails and anything that requires drilling into masonry or concrete, requires a few special fixing techniques. In some cases plastic plugs will not work - usually because the masonry is too soft, is cracked, or is too hard to drill. In these cases Resins can be used to achieve load carrying support that direct fixing cannot provide. Resins spread the load across the resin contact faces, distributing the forces and therefore reducing the load per square mm of wall.

To penetrate most masonry surfaces you will need an electric hammer drill of at least 500 watts. Masonry drill bits with a flat cutting section at the end, which is slightly wider than the shaft of the drill bit, allow the tip to cut whilst the drill dust escapes through the spiral and out of the hole.

If you have a large hole to drill consider drilling a smaller 'pilot' hole first, or change to a Diamond tipped core drill. Diamond core bits can be hired and for many concrete drilling jobs are the best answer when the hole diameter exceeds 25mm.

How to anchor threaded bar using resins

See all the materials for anchoring threaded bar in our Resins Shop.

1. Drill the hole. Allthread bar, or 'studding' as it is called, is available from us in 8, 10, 12, 16, 20, 25 and 32mm diameters. We can cut this threaded bar for you to any length. It is either Zinc Plated or Stainless Steel, in High Tensile Grades. Dowels, for reinforcement or joining can also be supplie

d in the same studding materials, or in epoxy-glass. Allow a minimum oversized hole diameter of the bar diameter plus 2mm. A larger oversize does not reduce the strength of the fixing - in fact it may increase the pull out resistance. Consider first how the bar will be held in the centre of the hole whilst the resin sets.

2. Clean the hole thoroughly to remove all dust and loose material. We stock bottle brushes, or you can blow out the holes using our small 'puffer' pump, or use an Air Compressor. Wear eye protection and a dust mask.

3. Inject resin using a skeleton gun fitted with one of our extension tubes, sized to reach the bottom of the hole. Inject gently, slowly removing the tube from the hole, to deposit resin. For accurate, waste free injection pre-mark the tube with tape, so that you can stop operating the trigger when the tape appears. Set the tape at a distance from the tube end to allow for the resin that will be displaced by the bar. (For Help with this calculation ring us at Property Repair Systems on 01626 872886 ). Various applicator skeleton guns are available, depending upon which resin you choose. You may already have the basic 300cc or 400cc skeleton guns, which are used with the Thixotropic Epoxy Resins, for example.

4. Mask the threaded stud with electrical tape over the part required to take the nut, to avoid resin contamination, which might block the threads. Take the stud in the gloved hand and slowly rotate whilst pushing it into the resin filled hole. Complete kits are available for resin fixing if you have a lot to do.

Types of Resin used for anchoring bars

There are two main families of resins:

1. Hand mixed

2. Mix in the nozzle

These are available in fast (3 - 6 minutes - Thixo Rapid Resin), medium (15 - 30 minutes - Thixotropic Epoxy Resins) and slow setting (4 - 6 hours - Slow Set Thixotropic Epoxy Resins) formulations in three main pack types;

A. Single cartridge tube - no hand mixing is required because the two resins are inside the cartridge tube in two plastic bags.

Thixo Rapid Resin, fits standard skeleton guns and the two parts of the resin mix in a spiral nozzle, which can be cheaply replaced if the resin hardens before the tube is exhausted.

B. Single cartridge tube - hand mixing is required in the larger Base component pot and the cartridge tube supplied (400cc) fits a standard skeleton gun.

Thixotropic Epoxy Resins, the two resin parts (Base + Activator) once mixed are simply pushed into an empty cartridge using a 'grease pot' type pusher plate, which is supplied with the Cartridge Kit.

C. Dual cartridge tube - no hand mixing is required because the two resins are supplied inside twin plastic tubes which are linked together.

Dual cartridge tube resins requires a specific skeleton gun depending on cartridge size and mix ratio - resins mix in a spiral nozzle, which can be cheaply replaced if the resin hardens before the tube is exhausted.

D. Pouring Resins - paddle mixing is required, normally carried out in the larger Base component pot, to thoroughly combined the two, or three parts of the resin formulation.

Structural Pouring Resin is similar to smooth porridge in consistency and is used for holes larger than 20mm in diameter. Because of the pack sizes it is more economic in terms of mixing time and cost than cartridge resins.

Fixing timber battens to Masonry with Resin

Clean the wall surface to remove all loose material, paint, varnish and plaster. Mark around the batten onto the wall with a pencil and then coat the back of the batten and the marked wall area with Thixo Rapid Resin. This mixes in the nozzle and sets in 3 - 6 minutes. Press the batten onto the resin and hold for a few minutes (or prop) until the resin begins to set. You can then use the batten to provide a base for nails or screws, to hold your cupboard or radiator, for example.

If you need help with any type of bonding or fixing product Property Repair Systems will be pleased to give you completely free, no obligation advice on 01626 872886 .

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