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Step 6Filling in the Holes
Now in order to get a smooth flow of water we need to fill in all the holes, engraving and irregularities in the surface of the balls. The most obvious holes are the finger holes. To fill these in stuff them full of shredded paper or some other kind of filler. Pack it in really tight until it is about 1/4" below the edge of the hole. When that is done fill the remaining space with epoxy putty.
Why use the paper and not fill the whole hole with epoxy? Two reasons:
1) Paper is cheaper than putty
2) When crammed into confined areas I've noticed the drying/set-up time of epoxy gets much looonnngggeeerrr.
When the holes are epoxied work the putty into surface details such as lettering, divets or ugly gouges. Also fill the joints between the balls. Once the expoxy has dried sand these areas down until they are smooth. I used 60 grit sand paper to remove the majority of the excess epoxy and then used 120 grit sand paper to finish it off. In fact I sanded the whole surface of the balls with 120 grit to make it easier to paint.
Looking back after I had filled and sanded the first time I should have done it again on some areas. A close inspection of the finished fountain reveals some imperfections, but such is life...
Unfortunately I some how neglected to get pictures of the sanding process. You really didn't miss much. Just a lot of dust and electric sander. My electric sander has several neat detail sanding attachments that allowed me to sand the joints between the balls. If you don't have a similar thing you'll need to use coventional sandpaper and sand the joints manually.
Why use the paper and not fill the whole hole with epoxy? Two reasons:
1) Paper is cheaper than putty
2) When crammed into confined areas I've noticed the drying/set-up time of epoxy gets much looonnngggeeerrr.
When the holes are epoxied work the putty into surface details such as lettering, divets or ugly gouges. Also fill the joints between the balls. Once the expoxy has dried sand these areas down until they are smooth. I used 60 grit sand paper to remove the majority of the excess epoxy and then used 120 grit sand paper to finish it off. In fact I sanded the whole surface of the balls with 120 grit to make it easier to paint.
Looking back after I had filled and sanded the first time I should have done it again on some areas. A close inspection of the finished fountain reveals some imperfections, but such is life...
Unfortunately I some how neglected to get pictures of the sanding process. You really didn't miss much. Just a lot of dust and electric sander. My electric sander has several neat detail sanding attachments that allowed me to sand the joints between the balls. If you don't have a similar thing you'll need to use coventional sandpaper and sand the joints manually.
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