Tips & Tricks

Ever wondered how reliable Pratley adhesives are? On Friday 13 July, Managing Director, Kim Pratley and his sons, Andrew and Charles, replicated a demonstration from 1985 by standing underneath a 13-tonne bulldozer suspended above their heads using a Pratley Wondafix adhesive joint. The stunt was followed by a employee group photo and a braai to celebrate 70 years of Pratley.

Generally,the best environment to store most adhesives is at room temperature, (73°F) at the lowest humidity possible and in a dark place. Specifically, for Acrylics like Pratley Ezeebond, Pratley Superglue and Pratley 1-2-3, the ideal temperature is 45°F - 59°F. (73°F is still ok though. Do not put adhesives in the freezer.)  

Before you begin, please read our tip entitled “A simple test to find out if your material/substrate is a good candidate for adhesive bonding.”  Firstly you will roughen up the surfaces of the substrate you intent bonding/sticking with a course grade sand paper. You can sand in different directions so that there are visible scratch marks on the surface. This allows for good mechanical adhesion of the adhesive onto the substrate. Next remove any excess oil and contaminants from the bonding surface by whipping it with industrial grade acetone or ideally use Pratley Safety Cleaner. Do not use cosmetic acetone...

You will need the following tools: 1 x pack of Pratley Putty Standard Setting (You may need another pack depending on the size of the crack or chip. Do not use Pratley Putty Quickset® for underwater use) 1 x pair of Mask and Snorkel (so you can see what you are doing underwater) 1 x clear plastic packet. Zip-lock bag is ideal Make sure that the crack and area around the crack is free from dirt, algae and loose marbelite. A hand held plastic bristled scrubbing brush can be used to remove dirt and algae. Mix the Pratley Putty Standard...

You will start by identifying the ends of the crack. Using a 2mm drill bit, drill the ends of the crack to prevent the crack from running any further. Secondly, roughen up the surface of the substrate that surrounds the crack with a course grade sand paper.You can sand in different directions so that there are visible scratch marks on the surface. Next remove any excess oil and contaminants from inside the crack and around the surface surrounding the crack by wipping it with industrial grade acetone or ideally Pratley Safety Cleaner (Do not use nail acetone as it contains other...