Corian question

[webby962]

Hi all,

I have a quick question or two about Corian, and hopefully it is not too daft!
First, I have 'acquired' a small sample of corian, which is far to thin to be of any use. However, if I cut it in half and stuck the two half's together, it would be thick enough (I think) to dress a pen such as a Zeta.

Now the magic questions:

1 Is gluing corian a viable way of getting corian the correct thickness, or should I be looking for thicker pieces? (I have been informed that the bit I have is normal for worktops?)
2 If so, will CA be a suitable glue?
3 If so, when turned, does it leave a visible seam?
4 If so, what is the solution? (Assuming there is one!)



Any advice will be welcome with open arms

Adie

 

[bassethound]

The person that would have had the answer to that would have been Woody, but unfortunately he has left the forums as far as I know! he was the one that does most things with Corian...

 

[Forum Phil]

You can get a special corian adhesive Adie. It's a two part type of thing, a bit like epoxy, and it reacts with the corian and sort of melts it, so the two halves fuse together. It's widely used in the kitchen industry, and by the time you've sanded through the grades the seam is un-noticeable. Where you might notice it though is where the pattern in the corian comes to an abrupt end and joins on to the pattern of the next piece, but if you've prepared it well enough and got an even covering of glue, which you've them clamped up, you won't be able to see the seem itself after sanding.

 

[Walter]

Most people seem to use CA with Corian to good effect.

Searching the forum reveals an answer to a similar question from Jim who is well versed in the use of corian:

Ray, the only glue that i have ever used when working with Corian is Medium CA ..

In my experience gluing any two surfaces together will produce a glue line of some kind. The thinner the glue line the less obvious it will be so the better your joint the less visible it will be. I doubt it is possible to eliminate the glue line completely.

 

[Barry]

Hi Adie corian only comes in 2 thickness 10 mm and 12 mm yes you can use ca by sanding the back of the corian flat yes you will see a seam you can get corian clue to match the colors but it is expensive corian is used for slimline pens if you segment the corian with two different colors then the seam comes part of the pen hope this helps

 

[Walter]

should I be looking for thicker pieces? (I have been informed that the bit I have is normal for worktops?)

Hi Adie corian only comes in 2 thickness 10 mm and 12 mm

That is true of Corian but some other solid surface materials such as Mistral come in thicker sizes.

Bob (Lons) knows more about the alternative brands.

 

[Vic Perrin]

That is true of Corian but some other solid surface materials such as Mistral come in thicker sizes.

That's true Walter I have some Mistral that is 25mm thick

 

[webby962]

Cheers for your help chaps. Looks like I might use it as a segment in a pen or two :-)

 

[Lons]

You can get a special corian adhesive Adie. It's a two part type of thing, a bit like epoxy, and it reacts with the corian and sort of melts it, so the two halves fuse together.

Sorry Phil but not exactly accurate with that bit. It actually is just a variation of epoxy with fillers to match the sheet colours, basic stuff, doesn't melt or fuse with anything but costs a fortune and has a limited shelf life. The manufacturers cloud the materials and adhesives in mystery to keep it exclusive and expensive. Clever marketing works though and they won't supply anyone unless have been on a fitters course and registered even though it's a doddle to fit. I had to buy from dealers by the back door because I refused to pay for the course so supplied alternatives where ever possible.
From memory cost of adhesive was around £40 +vat for a tube half the size of a silicone cartridge and you waste a dollop in the mixing nozzle to boot.

Adie

Even with the correct adhesive you won't get an invisible seam on patterned material but it's still worth a go at cutting and gluing. It's easy to get samples of suitable pieces. Find out where your local kitchen showrooms are and spend an hour or two trawling around. Look for anything that's solid surface but machinable as opposed to granite and hard stone products. If it can be routed, sawn and "invisably" joined then try to get samples or even better find out where the throw their many offcuts, sink, hob and scrap ends, it's all skipped. Shy bairns get nowt - just ask!
Mistral was mentioned and it's excellent at standard 25mm thick worktop and 12mm backsplash / upstands It's the brand I'm most familiar with as I fitted many kitchens including my own. Karonia

 

[Penpal]

My experience with Corian early was misinformation, downright crap from authorised Dealers. Eventually I found a sympathetic kitchen maker free of predudice who eventually went out of using the material. The reason he stopped using it was because of the franchising stitching up and Corian in service marks quite easily, requires a lot of care. Sheets were large and required careful storage to keep flat. It cuts easily ,routs easily.

The most success I had was with White that was just a bit thicker in a time when Slimlines were all the go.

The main dealer here gave me stick, I was given about 1/2 ton of Corian by my kitchen mate so I made about 40 pens took them to the main dealer. He was in America sucking up to the makers who behaved like IBM used to even singing songs, special ra ra together stuff. His wife looked at my pens and said I.ll buy them all. Her husband would swear you can,t make pens from Corian.

Now the standard thickness is tricky to drill, no margin for error, it finishes beautifully, my final finish of choice was Cream Tubes of Brasso since discontinued, also toothpaste, these days infinite number of car compounds also Farecla grades.

Bob hit the nail on the head with thick or thin, joining etc. (thanks mate).

My dearly beloved remarked to me its a cold feeling picking up a Corian Pen in cold weather. I must say the ladies were always impressed with the white, something like their oohs and aahs when they see and choose a white wedding dress, something virginal about it.

Peter.

 

[Bill Mooney]

When I glue corian I use thin ca. It gives a very thin glue line & it flashes between the two surfaces so it covers all the joint but be quick as it goes off very fast. 12mm thick corian is fine for slimline or streamline pens as long as the is pretty central.

 

[wm460]

I got some 1/2" white corian, I tried to join, both Epoxy and CA left a visible join.
Various users at the time said white is the only colour that you have problems with seeing the join, all the other colours it blends in.

A very kind gentleman in US, sent me a box of 3/4" corian at an Exorbitant price.
I had to buy a bunch of flowers for my missus.

 

[Lons]

Corian in service marks quite easily, requires a lot of care. Sheets were large and required careful storage to keep flat. It cuts easily ,routs easily.

Now the standard thickness is tricky to drill, no margin for error, it finishes beautifully, my final finish of choice was Cream Tubes of Brasso since discontinued, also toothpaste, these days infinite number of car compounds also Farecla grades.

Bob hit the nail on the head with thick or thin, joining etc. (thanks mate).Peter.

Hi Peter
Can't agree completely about the care issues. yes it does scratch but no more so than melamine worktops or wood if you scrape rough based crockery and pots across it or cut with a knife. That is the property that allows the worktop to be re-polished quite easily by hand or even easier with a RAS and grits up to 600g. Even aad edge broken off or a hole if you should be so careless can be repaired, I'm speaking from experience of all the kitchens I fitted including my own. These comments apply also to all the other similar solid surface materials on the market.
You can of course also refinish wood tops but melamine is a nightmare and the alternative granite shews every joint, can also be stained and damaged and is difficult to repair.

For pens, quite right about the drilling but I haven't had a failure apart from cracking on assembly - my fault and if Bill can do it with his failing eyesight then it's drilling technique that needs looking at not the material.

It is bloody cold material though, especially here with temperature below freezing and my workshop difficult to heat.