Weld Mount cable tie system, super strong without screws
I’m especially pleased to have discovered the Weld Mount system of glue-on cable and hose mounts because much of Gizmo is balsa cored and thus I’m darn hesitant about penetrating a fiberglass skin with screws. But the Weld Mount adhesive is so easy to use, and the results so strong, that these mounts might be appropriate to many projects…
Weld Mount makes all sorts of adhesively bonded mounts that will attach to most any surface on a boat, including stainless steel studs they’re willing to hang significant weights from (videos here). But I just tried their most basic AT 1050 Wire Tie Kit, available at Defender, some of which is shown in the top photo. You can see that the nylon mounts have a large nubbled base designed to interface with lots of the acrylic glue, as well as a slight saddle for a firm fit to wire bundles or small hoses that you can cinch in with even large size cable ties.
But the magic is the 1030 structural adhesive. It’s easy to portion out and then hand mix using that double plunger syringe (Weld Mount also offers auto mixing systems), and it has a jam consistency that does make the light mounts stay wherever you put them, even on vertical or upside down surfaces. And though it starts to get thicker after a few minutes it doesn’t do a fast kick like epoxies can. But once it’s thoroughly set up, it’s wicked strong. In fact, if I pulled really hard on one of those water pipes seen below, I think it or the cable tie or the inner skin of Gizmo’s hull might fail before the Weld Mount bond.
And note my use of the Cobra low profile cable ties I wrote about it 2009. If anything I’m more fond of them than ever — there’s not a skin cutting snag to be accidentally found anywhere in this install — but I still think they’re little known. In fact, both Weld Mount and Cobra, which go together like “a horse and carriage,” seem to be relatively small New England companies that deserve more attention. I did find that Jamestown Distributors offers Cobra ties as well as many Weld Mount parts, though apparently not the little kit I tried.
Have used these. Good stuff. Point of caution — dewax all gelcoat surfaces before applying. Folks tend to forget interior gelcoat may still have mold-release wax on it. Gelcoat that hasn’t seen a mold can too, though it is rarer.
Good stuff. I have used the automix 400ml version of the WeldMount glue. It is essentially a methacrylate adhesive. Better than an epoxy. And, the glue will hold up their stainless pads/studs in place on vertical and overhead surfaces very nicely without sagging or shifting.
If the surface is painted, spot sand as much of the paint off as you can for maximum strength.
+1 On the Weldmount – I love them for attaching devices to thin surfaces that I can’t throughbolt. I use the auto-mixing gun, but keep lots of tips on hand as they cure solid within 5-10 minutes.
I have had Weldmounts fail though without proper surface prep, and cannot stress how much a light sanding and quick wipe with a solvent (such as Interlux 202 dewaxer) improves their bond!
Had anybody used this on steel surfaces? I ordered some weldmount items from my local supplier, but they are back ordered.. ð
I’ve used other epoxy glues in the past, but I find that they don’t have any shear strength on steel surfaces. A quick tap on the side will make things pop off.. Is the weldmount advesite any better in practice? it looks really good.
I can’t speak to this product, but I usually abrade (w/dremel) and acid wash any steel surface before using an adhesive. The other thing is to make sure the steel is at around 70 deg F. Much hotter and the adhesive/catalyzer mix at the surface will fire off first and create a weak shear boundary within the cured epoxy.
@andreas, The methacrylate structural adhesive is much more agressive on steel than plain epoxy. It can bond anything to anything (exception: rubber and certain plastics) It should hold to steel and stand up better than epoxy.
Hey Ben,
Thanks for this “non-electronic” post! While I’m already a big fan of the low profile ties, didn’t realize you’d written them up, the mounting to a cored boat like Gizzmo or our Sonny IV (Albin 35TE) is indeed a problem. There’s balsa everywhere! I was recently adding the wires for my Fusion remote up on my flybridge and there weren’t many “safe” mounting points to work with.
One question – how quickly do these set up to load bearing strength?
I’m hoping to get up to Defender this weekend to pick up a new AC water pump and I’ll be on the lookout for Weldmount.
I cant say enough good about these Weld Mounts, I have been using these as an installer for 7-8 years now. Alot of peers baulk at the expense of these, but if you weigh out the options of installing a mounting pad on a solid hull or even consider the expense of fixing gelcoat from screw tips popping through, then they’re well worth it. As a rule of thumb i dont use the Weld mount Adhesive, I’ve found the Plexus products AO-420 and the gray MA-830 work the best and NEVER fail
Is there a way to remove something that is Weld Mounted without damage?
Can’t seem to get this product in NZ, but I found a very cheap alternative that works perfectly:
I previously used similar cable-tie pads that are backed with self adhesive foam. Even with good prep on the painted surface, they would fail after a couple of months (never having a very strong hold to begin with). I then tried a drop of cheap supaglue on the back of a ‘failed’ pad, and pressed it back in place. after 30 seconds I could pull as hard as I pleased on the fitting, to the point where I feared the paint would tear off. More than strong enough for a heavy loom of cables. Pads were about $8 for 20 or so, glue about $3. 8 months later, still going strong. Never expected that foam and uneven paint would bond so well!
I saw an impressive new use for Weld Mounts at the MBHH show. Brian Harris of the Maine Yacht Center uses them to fix Blue Performance sheet bags and other fabric organizers to the decks of the Akilaria Open 40 racing boats he imports and sets up:
http://www.akilaria.com/standardversion.htm
Some of the bags on the boat at the show had stood up well to three years of serious exposure to sun, waves, and foot traffic. Brian says he uses the regular Weld Mount glue but emphasized (like other commenters above) that for extreme conditions like this you have to prepare the fiberglass surface well.