Faster, Neater Fillets

By Tom Pawlak — GBI Technical Advisor

When creating lots of epoxy fillets, a faster way to apply the thickened epoxy is with an 810 Fillable Caulking Tube. It takes a bit of time to transfer the epoxy into the tube, but it is wonderfully efficient for applying epoxy to the joints. Compared to other application methods, it’s also less messy.

Once a bead of thickened epoxy is applied, it must be spread into a smooth, uninterrupted fillet.

We cut the open end of the Fillable Caulk Tube at a taper to make it easier and neater to fill. The enlarged opening allows neater and faster transfer of the thickened epoxy from the mixing pot.

Cutting this tapered end uses up some of the tube’s available volume, but less epoxy in the tube reduces the chance of the epoxy getting too hot, which it does when a larger volume is confined.

Jack’s fast filleting tool (a modified 808 Flexible Plastic Spreader) simultaneously cleans the margins on both edges of the fillet. This is our favorite tool for efficiently making faster, neater fillets.

Excess epoxy stays in front of the spreader to fill in deficient areas, preventing gaps and creating a uniform, smooth surface. If there are gaps, apply more thickened epoxy over the area and draw the spreader along the joint again. Most times though, a perfect fillet can be achieved in one pass.