heavy Installation

[Joe Pelonio]

Tomorrow or early next week we're installing studded aluminum letters and logo on a brick wall. Normally I'd use silicone in the drilled holes, and will for the letters, but the logo is 3' x 4' 3/4" thick aluminum and weighs 250 lbs. so I figured epoxy, which will set up fast while we hold it in place, and be stronger. Any suggestions for squeezing it into the holes without dribbling down the brick?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Joe,

If you check around, I have used epoxy that came tubes and squeeze gun type arangement. It mixes and dispenses through a tapered tube. You can insert the tube into the hole and squeeze the handle( the handle assembly is removeable and reuseable with new tubes) like squeezing a caulking gun.

[Brian Stoddard]

Ken has the right idea, Lords Adhesive makes great epoxies for aluminum but not sure about the concrete. I used some that Simpson (lumber connectors) makes for concrete - I bought it at BMC West. Its thick enough that dribbling out the hole is not as much an issue especially if your doing it today in 60 degrees.

If you are using a liquid epoxy then I would mix it in a cup and shoot it in with an old syringe (tap plastics) but cover the hole with heavy duct tape first and poke a hole through it - pump it in and the push your studs in the hole. The tricky part is not to overfill the holes and cause squeeze out. I have done it this way and it works great.

[Joe Pelonio]

Good tips, thanks. How long for that Simpson adhesive to set up? I don't want to have to hold it to the brick wall too long though we could rig some bracing.

[Doug Bergstrom]

Joe,
Call AE&S PM me for there phone, they sell adhesives for a variety of signs uses and they work great. Will fit into the hole well and hold.

Doug

[Joe Pelonio]

Got this done yesterday, and took a lot longer than I'd thought. At least it didn't rain, but with the wind the 5'x19' paper pattern was hard to get aligned onto the brick wall. We had to run the duct tape over the top, it wouldn't stick well to the moist brick. As it turns out the adhesive was not much of an issue, because many of the studs fit tightly enough that we had to pound a bit with a rubber mallet. The weight was way overestimated. The largest piece (right side of shield) was probably just over 100 lbs. With this and more inside signs to install I was there 9am-8pm.

Sorry for the bad cell phone pic, forgot my camera.

[James Jaragosky]

Offering designers a strength-design solution for anchors and rebar, the Hilti HIT RE 500-SD Epoxy Adhesive Anchor System is the industry's first adhesive anchor to receive recognition for use with the strength-design provisions for post-installed anchors found in the 2003 and 2006 International Building Code (IBC).
With greater flexibility for design and installation, the HIT RE 500-SD can be installed in the tensile zone of concrete members. Cracked concrete recognition allows the use of the HIT RE 500-SD in areas with any seismic design category (SDC) and qualifies it for use in a wide temperature range, meaning that project location is never a concern. The HIT RE 500-SD meets these requirements using a standard threaded rod with no special elements required for cracked concrete applications.
The HIT RE 500-SD's flexible embedment depth provides flexibility for various hole conditions — hammer-drilled, diamond-cored, water-saturated, water-filled, and underwater.
I have used this stuff for years, it is expensive but it is the best. its is a standard on commercial construction sites.

it sets up very fast.
hope this helps in the furture

[Scott Shepherd]

Really nice work, once again, Joe! You do so many things that go across such a wide spectrum of things. Thanks for sharing.