[SEL] Kwik-Poly

[Rob Skinner]

> What is Kwik-Poly and what is it used for?

Hi Tom,
KP is an epoxy type product that comes in pint, quart, half, and gallon sizes.
It's consistency is that of water, so it flows very easily.  It's set up time is
about five minutes.  

The use which is of primary interest to old engine restorers is for tank repair.
Let's say you have a tank that has a couple tiny pin hole leaks.  Repairing
individual leaks is usually impractical, because if there are pin holes that you
see, there are probably plenty of other areas that are "almost" pin holes.

To repair, you clean out most of the big chunks of debris in the tank with
gravel, acetone, or whatever.  If there are tiny pinholes, cover them with tape.
Big holes might be repaired with JB Weld or some other means.  Threaded
fittings, inlets, outlets are plugged up.  

Mix up an amount of KP, pour it in the tank, and slosh it around for a few
minutes.  Pour out the residual, walk away.  I like to do two coats, and if the
metal is thin, rather than pour out the residual, let it settle on the thin
side.  

An added benefit is now the entire interior of the tank is coated in KP.
Neither fuel nor water come into contact with the metal, so it should last a
long, long time.  Also, if the inside of the tank had loose bits of rust,
they'll now be locked in place and prevented from entering your fuel system.

Bottom line:  KP is superior to those "solvent based" fuel tank restoration
products.


Another use for KP that I've found amazing is for wood restoration.  We have a
cider press with original wood that had been left out for many years.  The
end-grain of the wood was crumbly and weak, and there were some large splits.
Replacement of the beautiful original wood would have been a shame.  I taped up
the sides of the wood for about six inches from the end, covering the spilts.
Then I poured KP down into the end grain as long as the wood continued to soak
it up.  After it set up and hardened, the wood is like a rock.  

Rob


=-=-=-=-=-=
Rob Skinner
La Habra, California
mailto:rskinner at rustyiron.com
http://www.rustyiron.com