Repairs done with Lab-metal are fast and easy. Hardened Lab-metal's strength, durability and abrasion resistance surpass basic requirements for fillers set by the nation's major metalworking plants. Lab-metal is preferred over epoxy systems because of its can life (extended with the addition of Lab-solvent as instructed), its ready-to-use formulation, and versatility of applications.

Note that although Lab-metal has excellent adhesion to rigid metal and plastic surfaces, it is not intended to bond items together.

This chart shows some of the major benefits of Lab-metal when compared with typical Epoxy-based systems.

	Lab-metal	Typical epoxy system
Shelf-life	Lab-metal has a guaranteed two-year shelf life, in factory sealed cans. To extend its shelf life, and to maintain the repair compounds’ spreadable consistency, small amounts of Lab-solvent should be added prior to closing the can.	Once the resin and hardener are mixed, the can life is typically less than one hour. The unused material hardens and is wasted, thus increasing the cost of the repair.
Mixing	Ready-to-use Lab-metal requires no costly time consumed by mixing, and the properties of hardened Lab-metal are always uniform.	Require five to 10 minutes of thorough mixing of two parts. The finished repair may have soft spots if mixing is not thorough.
Weighing and measuring	Lab-metal is factory mixed, requires no additions or curing agent, and is used directly from the can in any desired quantity. No mixing or measuring means no chance for error.	The normal package size is 500g or 2kg containers, yet if the user wishes to make a small repair, exact amounts of epoxy resin and hardener must be weighed and measured. Unless the proportions are exact, the cure will be improper.
Applications	Lab-metal laminations are recommended for thick applications, in order to speed drying time and achieve the most satisfactory results. Intercoat adhesion of Lab-metal is excellent. There is no danger of shrinkage from heat, since no heat is generated when Lab-metal hardens. Lab-metal may be thinned to paint consistency with Lab-solvent and brushed or sprayed on metal or wood surfaces for protection against water, rust and wear.	If a large, thick block of epoxy is to be formed, laminations are recommended to prevent excessive heat during cure, as well as shrinkage caused by heat generation. Epoxy systems cannot typically be thinned for brushing or spraying; they must be used in heavy, viscous form. Also, intercoat adhesion of epoxies is poor, unless each previous lamination is abraded.
Surface Preparation	To ensure good adhesion, Lab-metal requires only that the surface be clean and dry (we recommend surface cleaning with Lab-solvent), and filing or sanding the surface will provide a superior bond.	Metal surfaces must be abraded or filed to ensure a permanent bond. On a flat, smooth surface, epoxies and polyesters do not offer maximum adhesion.