Plywood Darkroom Sink Question
Brian Ellis
called "Moorelastic" sold by Benjamin Moore. This product is white out of
the can and I was told by the salesperson that it would impair it's
waterproofing qualities to mix it with a darker color, so the interior of
the sink is white. I also was told that painting the interior with something
like black marine paint probably wouldn't work and that the paint would just
start peeling away.
The sink has worked very well for a year now but the chemical stains are
making it very unsightly. The chemicals stain the flat white coating
immediately and the stains are impossible to clean off. Does anyone know of
any kind of coating that might be applied over the Moorelastic to keep the
chemicals from staining and that could then be washed off? I thought of
trying to line the interior with fiberglass but have been told that's not a
job for an amateur. I was thinking about something like polyurethane, though
I don't know how impervious to water that would be. Any suggestions, ideas,
etc. would be appreciated. Thanks. Brian.
Wayne
I made the mistake of using Moorlastic on my sink. I didnt like it at
all, it became soft and was injured too easily. The paint man advised me
against using it, but nooooo, I had to do it my way. ;-) I ended up
overcoating it with white swimming pool paint, which is nasty to apply
(xylene I believe) but seems to work much better. It dries HARD. I have
some stains on mine but I havent tried to clean them off yet. I'll try
tonight and report back. Cant say I'm unhappy with it in other regards.
Its formulated to be chemical resistant. I've been using it for about 6
months.
If I had to do it again, I would use black, but I was in a hurry and
they were out of black.
Wayne
jjame...@my-deja.com
applied formica sheeting to my sink when I built it. It has been quite a
few years now and no problems. The only thing you need to know before
applying anything over your existing finish is will the new coating
stick to your existing coating? If you would like to fiberglass your
sink it is quite easily done. But before you lay down the glass cloth,
drill some shallow holes into the surface so the resin has something to
get a foot into. It will be impossible to strip off that way and it
won't bubble apart either. But there is an easier way. Just buy someore
of the same stuff you've applied before and recoat with that. Make sure
you apply some kind of pre-finish to scuff up the existing coating. So
what if there are stains on your sink. Stains don't hurt anything. They
just show that the darkroom is being used alot. James
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Ralf R. Radermacher
> I made a large darkroom sink from plywood and waterproofed it with a product
> called "Moorelastic" sold by Benjamin Moore.
My sink is made from high-density fiberboard and coated with thick
plastic sheeting of a variety sold for making garden ponds. This
material is 1 mm thick. The colour is deep black. It can be chemically
'welded' by means of an acetone-based glue, looks really neat and
professional and has resisted perfectly well to normal use over the last
5 years. It still looks like new. Not a trace of a stain despite
constant use with occasional B/W and mostly colour chemicals.
I'd certainly do it this way again if I ever had to build another one.
Ralf
--
Ralf R. Radermacher - DL9KCG - Köln/Cologne, Germany
Ralf's Cologne Tram Page - www.netcologne.de/~nc-radermra
e-mail from trash accounts (deja, yahoo) automatically rejected
Morton Klotz
<belli...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>I made a large darkroom sink from plywood and waterproofed it with a product
>called "Moorelastic" sold by Benjamin Moore. (snip)
I made my sink out of plywood covered with Fiberglas and resin, then
painted with an epoxy-based white paint. It is now about 25 years old
and has held up beautifully. It gets some rust stains, which I clean
off occasionally with oxalic acid from the paint store, and it gets
black stains which I clean off with Clorox bleach about once a year..
These black stains could be mold and some of the black kinds are
dangerous to humans, but so far no problems.
Morton Klotz, Placerville, California
>
Mark Noble
plywood bottom. Lay 6 oz fiberglass cloth in MARINE EPOXY (West System, System
Three, or MAS). Do not use fiberglass resin! It does not adhere to the wood and
will separate over time. The EPOXY can be tinted any color. I have made several
sinks this way, no problems after many years.
Mark
L. J. Powell
I made my sink from wood (plywood bottom, dimension lumber sides). Used an
oil-based primer and five coats of epoxy enamel tinted battleship gray.
It's coming up on 20 years old. One of these days, when I have absolutely
nothing else to do, I will sand it and repaint it. For now, however, just scrub
it down with Comet every couple of months.
--
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Louie J. Powell, APSA
Glenville, NY USA
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Maison/7881/
"Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem"
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Terry James
I agree with Mark as to the advantages of West System marine epoxy. I
doubt fiberglass cloth is necessary unless the underlying structure is
weak and unusually flexible. Marine expoxy sinks into wood and creates
a strong bond. A couple of coats of epoxy will do the job. If you mix
glass microbeads in a portion of the epoxy, you can use this stiffened
mixture to cove the corners, which I think is highly desirable in a
darkroom sink. Marine epoxy is durable and simple to apply. Make sure
you have good ventilation! It's probably a good idea to test how well
it bonds to Moorelastic.
Terry James
Mark Anderson
> The simple way to make a wood sink, is to make a box out of 2X6's with a 3/4
> plywood bottom. Lay 6 oz fiberglass cloth in MARINE EPOXY (West System, System
> Three, or MAS).
Mine's even simpler. 1/2" ply bottom and sides. Epoxy fillets in the
corners using microfibers (Gougeon Bros. #403). Epoxy sealed on both
sides. No cloth. Plenty strong enough, and bigger for the width.
--
Mark Anderson
DBA Riparia www.teleport.com/~andermar/
"The trouble with good ideas
is that they soon degenerate into a lot of hard work." Anon.
Don2149
over plywood and have had no problems. Be careful of the temperature at
which this stuff cures. I did it in a basement (with ventilation) and
it took forever to cure...had to add lights and space heater....but the
result is worth the cost of that stuff. Good luck.
William
In article <39D747A...@ns.sympatico.ca>,
Terry James <lhp....@ns.sympatico.ca> wrote:
> I agree with Mark as to the advantages of West System marine epoxy. I
> doubt fiberglass cloth is necessary unless the underlying structure is
> weak and unusually flexible. Marine expoxy sinks into wood and
creates
> a strong bond. A couple of coats of epoxy will do the job. If you
mix
> glass microbeads in a portion of the epoxy, you can use this
stiffened
> mixture to cove the corners, which I think is highly desirable in a
> darkroom sink. Marine epoxy is durable and simple to apply. Make
sure
> you have good ventilation! It's probably a good idea to test how well
> it bonds to Moorelastic.
>
> Terry James
>
Peter De Smidt
used waterproof urethane glue and screws to hold it together. For a finish,
I used the two part bathtub refinishing epoxy paint available at home
improvement centers. Make sure to get the oil based (not water based)
finish, and definitely do this in the garage (or anyplace outside of the
house), as the fumes are really nasty.
Here's another option. I've made a 20x24" print washer out of edge glued
hardwood boards from Menards. To waterproof, I used aproximately 5 coats of
Bondo fiberglass resin. To do the corners, I tilted the box to position the
corner at the lowest level, then I poured enough Bondo in the seems to get
about 1/2" depth at the corner. This procedure gives nicely smoothed seams.
I Finished the outside with marine spar varnish (it looks nice!). This
washer is almost permanently filled with a lot of water, unlike a sink.
Occasionally, I empty everything out and clean out the interior. After more
than a year, it's going strong. I don't really care if the bondo sinks into
the wood, as long as it provide a waterproof membrane. If this method works
for a *large* print washer, then it should work fine for a sink.
Here's an idea. If you want to avoid the multiple coat hassles, simply do
one surface at the time. Put the surface on level ground. Then build up a
lip out of scrap wood the extends up from the edge about 1/4 inch. Then
poor in the bondo (kind of like a mold). You'll get a smooth, thick
waterproof barrier. The large amount of Bondo will cure quickly.
Regards,
Peter De Smidt