hi peter
if you can't find the coal tar epoxy that eric g suggested, fiberglass resin works really well too.
i had to rebuild+repair a wooden sink i used the 2 part resin + fiberglass cloth to make my repairs.
i presently have a plastic sink that i hate, and i am thinking of building a sink inside my sink ... out of plywood and
the stuff eric suggested.
oh, if you can find "marine plywood" it is really good stuff.
good luck!
Forget the Pickup bed coating. Any of the 2 part epoxy kits will provide an inert, durable, sandable, paintable, chemical resistant barrier. The pick bed liner material would be much more difficult to clean and will eventually peel. Epoxy can be applied in thin coats, will be partially absorbed by the plywood and never peel. In fact it makes the plywood stronger.
WEST is premium epoxy but there are many other brands. Lee Valley carries WEST but in small expensive kits. Check any of the boat building suppliers, ie Noah's in Toronto, and you will see a variety of choices at different price points.
This is simple stuff to apply: mix as directed and trowel on with a plastic spatula.
Just to add... While marine plywood is indeed good stuff there is no reason to use it, unless you are finishing clear and want a fancy wood finish. Any exterior good one side plywood will do the trick.
Cloth considerably adds strength, but also some construction complexity. You really don't need any extra strength if you use 3/4 inch plywood.
You can thicken the epoxy with fine sawdust or any of the commercial thickeners to a peanut butter consistency, and use this mixture to fillet your joints and ensure waterproofness.
Thanks for advice, looks like plywood and boat epoxy is way to go. I appreciate all you input.
Peter,
My sink area is a very inexpensive do it yourself assembly that was very simple to do and has held up pretty well for three years now. I got two polyethylene "under bed" storage bins at the local home store (Lowes). They are each about 3' long x 16" front to back x 5" deep. I put a 5/8" plywood top on ledgers on the walls with a leg post at the center front for support. The overall sink area is about 7' long and the two bins give me about 6' of sink space. They only cost a few $'s each and the construction was very quick and easy to do. The bins also have a lip around them which allows you to just drop them into a hole cut in the plywood top. I can even put the lids on the bins if I want to cover the sinks - difficult to do that with a normal darkroom sink. I cut a hole in one corner of each to attach the drain. I can use darkroom trays up to 12 x 16 very easily.
I have recently started doing Pt/Pd and it does cause some minor challenges. I'm working with 8 x 10 negatives so my paper size is normally 11 x 14. This requires trays up to 12 x 16. While they do fit in the sinks individually, there isn't nearly enought room in the sinks to get all 5 trays that I need. So, a couple of the trays for final clearing go on the dry countertop next to the sink. If I ever move up to larger sized Pt/Pd images, I may have to re-think things.
If you are interested in going this route - send me an E-mail and I'll take a couple of pictures.
Hope this helps.
Peter and All: Please make sure that you use only EPOXY resin and not polyester (Poly is the automotive stuff you add a couple of drops of hardner to) as Polyester does not bond well to wood. In jointing panels larger than 8ft use a scarfe joint... "Wooden Boat" may have a description on thier web site (check the Redwing 18 project). Good Luck and if you require a sailmaker ring me...My neighbour just built the largest working main in the world. -N.
Hi Peter, Just a few more notes:
They call it "Coal Tar Exopy" in the book but there are other versions of this with different names. I still have the can from mine if you need the exact name. I went to a boatbuilder, described the project and he knew exactly what to give me. It's an Epoxy specifically used to repair and coat wood and fiberglass boat hulls. It comes in 2 parts with a hardener. The first coat absorbs into the wood. The second coat makes a shell. You roll it on like thick paint. It's indestructable (for a darkroom sink anyway).
I used Marine plywood. I think it is just a higher grade plywood that is smooth on both sides. I painted the outside with regular paint and wanted it to look nice, so I got the good wood. But you could save a little money and just get the wood that's smooth on one side.
There are a number of ways to make sure the wood joints are extra strong and sealed with waterproof material. It's easy to do and cheap. Again, it's all explained in detail in "Build Your Own Home Darkroom" by Lista Duren. That book is a gem. I built my sink with water lines and shelves following their suggestions and it worked like a charm. You can also easily disassemble the sink/stand/waterboard if you need to move it (which I have twice already).
Peter-
The best thing to do (IMO) is to grab your local yellow pages, find a 'metal fabricator' and call them up. I had a 72" sink made to my specs and delivered to my door within 2 weeks and it cost under $300. Just make sure they know what it is for so they can use the proper gauge of stainless steel. I believe it is 315L or 316L gauge. Saves a ton of work and it should be more than you'll ever need! Call a few to get competing estimates if you so choose. Also, account for a small front splash and larger backsplash. You will then just need to build a support table which should probably just be a large wooden table with no surface to allow for the sink to flex in the middle with temperature changes.
Hi Eric,
Can you take pics of the book which they talk about sink? At least I will have an idea how to build one. You can email it to me.
Anybody,
What is the best method to join wood? L shaped steel rods and screws? That would be my idea.
Is anything better that what I sugested?
use some good plywood and coat it in west system marine epoxy
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