Resin fixing disaster

[88v8]

Just had a minor disaster. What did I do wrong......

Three fixings into a Cotswold stone wall, very old wrought iron nails plus/minus 3/8" square section and 4-5" into the wall. Fixings for an old hardwood door frame 4" square.

Drilled the holes oversize finishing with a 3/4" drill, dusted out thoroughly.

Did a dry assembly to ensure everything was aligned and the holes deep enough.

Using Anchorfix, one of those two-part resins that comes in a tube, with the fancy nozzle that mixes it.
Filled the holes nearly to the top, expecting any surplus to ooze out as I tapped in the nails. I've used it a couple of weeks ago for hinge pintles into stone, no problem.

Two nails went fine, the nail just went in, although nothing oozed out and I was thinking I might not have used enough resin. But the last one, ironically the thinnest, refused when it was only a couple of inches inserted.
Assuming I might have mixed the nails - they were similar but not quite the same thickness - I decided it must be tight in the wood so I whacked it, went in a bit more then stopped, so I whacked it harder with a 2lb mallet.
Crack!! the stone split. A big stone, about 2 x 1 x 1ft.

So, it seems I had a hydraulic lock. But how on earth does that happen, there was plenty of room for the surplus resin to ooze back out of the hole, and the nail had only gone 3" into a 5" hole.

I'm worried now, the stone is split and the antique nail is lost, I'll have to cut it off.
A lot of work has gone into this job, and I have three more fixings to do.

Where did I go wrong?

V8

 

[Deleted member 174758]

You whacked it with a mallet? Wooden? TBH you need enough space around the metal fixing for the resin to actually ooze out - so for a 10mm threaded rod I'd tend to drill a 12mm hole which would allow me to push the threaded rod in fairly gently. If I have to start hitting it hard then I've done something wrong (blocked hole, too tight a hole, too much resin, resin out of date). The hole you drill actually needs to be a bit deeper than the fixing - was your hole deep enough? The injection nozzle needs to be fully inserted into the hole and the trigger on the gun squeezed whilst backing slowly out of the hole. This often takes three to five squeezes on the trigger. The hole also needs to be big enough the allow the nozzle to go all the way in

 

[88v8]

Actually it was a lump hammer.......

With my reading glasses on - never used to need these confounded things - I read the small print on the tube. The stuff I had previously was 'styrene-free' and at the temperature I was working had an open time of 12 minutes.
The stuff I used here is Styrene based and has an open time of 6 minutes.

I had to fill all three holes, I'd forgotten to dust out and vacuum the bottom hole so had to do that, then position the frame, wedge it up at the bottom, and knock in the dowel peg at the top which took a couple of goes.

So despite being ready for all this with the tools to hand, I suspect after I fiddled about positioning it, I just ran out of time.

Moral... take my reading glasses to the shop in future.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I had to fill all three holes, I'd forgotten to dust out and vacuum the bottom hole so had to do that, then position the frame, wedge it up at the bottom, and knock in the dowel peg at the top which took a couple of goes.

there's a lot to be said in favour of pilot-drilling a frame, getting it up into position (packed and wedged as required) then drilling through the frame into the stonework where it's been piloted. And those "Swedish" pumps are faster and more efficient than a vacuum:

I suspect that you're right about having run out of time

 

[^woody^]

there's a lot to be said in favour of pilot-drilling a frame, getting it up into position (packed and wedged as required) then drilling through the frame into the stonework where it's been piloted. And those "Swedish" pumps are faster and more efficient than a vacuum:
View attachment 155079
I suspect that you're right about having run out of time

Thanks. I searched "Swedish pump" and will now have those things cropping up in my targeted ads and Amazon recommendations.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

You could always add one to the collection you started when you wanted a Cox clamp.......

 

[88v8]

Repeat the process with the other leg of the frame, using a non-styrene with a longer open period.

This time, I don't warm the tube by keeping in it my pocket for an hour, that may have contributed to a quicker set. Perhaps as a result, blimey it's hard to expel! Feel like I need a Charles Atlas course.

All goes well. Use more than half a tube for the three fixings. Tap in the nails, leave it a day. Rock solid. Job done.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

This time, I don't warm the tube by keeping in it my pocket for an hour, that may have contributed to a quicker set. Perhaps as a result, blimey it's hard to expel! Feel like I need a Charles Atlas course.

That's why when you are doing any quantity of the stuff it's better to go for one of the "big tube" systems and a matching heavy duty gun. Far less work...


The other reason is that the caulking gun size tubes can wreck lightweight caulking guns very, very quickly (that's the cheapo £1 guns I'm talking about)