Epoxy-Plus

[Tony G]

I just did some mock-ups this morning using Epoxy-Plus. I've never done anything with this resin before but I now own 10 gallons of it! I'm hoping it was too good of a deal to pass up. I've always used West Systems on my other boats and projects and I do like it alot. It's predictable and flexible as far as use options go but this party had five gallons of resin and five gallons of hardener, 100' of six inch tape and 12yds of cloth and five pounds of wood flour (I believe) for 200 bucks. What I'm hoping to extract here is some opinions on Epoxy-Plus. Good stuff? Bad stuff? Just stuff? I don't want to hear only the good(assuming there is some)-the truth will save me alot more heart-ache and time. 'tis the season for laying glass around here in four months it'll be turning cold again. I really envy you nine-month a year sailors. Tony G

[Figment]

well, a week has gone by with no informed responses, so I'll blather for a bit.

TEN GALLONS of epoxy and FIVE POUNDS of woodflour!!!!! YOWZA!

that's like.... a whole fleet of canoes just waiting to happen!

seriously.... I've never used or even heard of "epoxy plus" before. In your situation I'd spend some time experimenting before doing any actual work. The stuff was super cheap, right?

Do some laminations at different temperatures, and under different conditions of humidity. Then test them for adhesion, brittleness, etc...

Also, see how inaccurate you can be in your mix ratio before the stuff just stops behaving.

[dasein668]

I've never heard of the stuff before either, but here's a link to the Clark Craft Epoxy-plus page which has several "informational" links. Of course, these guys sell the stuff, so take it with a grain of salt!

Quite a bit of boatbuilding product there (www.clarkcraft.com). Never used them, so I have no recommendations one way or the other.

Be sure to report back with your findings!

[tohbi]

if i recall correctly, epoxy plus is a glen-l product. i don't know the manufacturer but glen-l has been in boatbuilding for a long time and they should retail a good product.

[Tim]

I checked the Glen-L website. (Glen-L Website) The epoxy they are marketing is called "Poxy Shield". It seems likely that small companies are probably purchasing bulk epoxy from a larger manufacturer and marketing it under their own house name, in order to offer their customers a product that has ostensibly been determined "fit" for the particular use. Therefore, something like Poxy Shield might very well be the same product that is marketed under 6 (or probably more) other names, too.

This is why certain technical specs should be looked at when buying epoxy. There's a ton of info available online, or through the companies for the asking. I'm not one to devour technical junk, but when choosing epoxy that others before you have not already abundantly determined is suitable for the task ahead, it makes sense to compare the specs and see what it's all about. Not every epoxy is suitable for every boatbuilding application, but many are--and many you've never heard of.

For example, there is a huge amount of information about Poxy Shield on the Glen-L website; also on the Clark Craft Epoxy Plus site that was mentioned in an earlier post. Every other site I have seen recently dealing with epoxy resins tends to have similar technical and descriptive information ready for your reading. Read and compare--keep the reading at a high level and don't get bogged down with too much techie stuff, but a general read of several of these sites will educate you on many of the basic properties of epoxies, such as the differences that mix ratio and various hardeners make. Compare the relative unknown resins with some that are perhaps more widely used in boatbuilding--West System, System Three, Raka, MAS, for example. See what the differences are, and see why these differences, well, make a difference. Then you can choose an epoxy and feel good that your choice will do the job you want. And follow the directions that come with it. Most epoxy problems end up being a result of the mix--improper ratio, improper mixing, etc. Mix it right, and mix it well.

I'm sure the Epoxy Plus is a good product. Now that you own it, try it out so that you're comfortable working with it. I have found significant differences in the way various epoxies are to work with; you have to get used to whichever one you're working with.

Tim

[Tony G]

I've now had a week or two to play and I'm pretty well pleased with the results so far. We've done a number of lamination schedules ranging from ideal ( what I intend to do ) to just completely wrong! Adhesion, strength and durability/degree of brittleness have faired very well. However, this stuff is rock hard after a day or two. I have ordered some microballoons and fairing compunds or fillers to "soften" it abit where applicable. Thanks for the responses. Tim this forum is great! Tony G