23 posts
Like PU Resin is there a standard Epoxy resin? Looking at getting a marine epoxy or a epoxy finishing resin 'z-poxy' to use with 6 oz cloth.
VIC
417 posts
Hey be
There are plenty of epoxies around with many different properties - most are are available through yacht shops, composite supplies (ATL composite, FGI Aust), wooden boat supplies and surfboard manufacturing distributors like Shapers Australia.
If you search through this site for "epoxy" I'm sure you will find other suppliers and brands as well.
Expect to pay $100-150 for 4liters with hardener.
Note most are not UV stabilised and will yellow under sunlight over time unless you cover it with paint etc...
Some guys use UV stabilised epoxy (like Kinetix from shapers aust) then do a hot fill coat with surfboard finishing resin (polyester resin) on top for that real gloss 70's fish look. Shiny but heavy.
I have used R180 resin (buy at FGI) - good but not UV stabilised, West System (you can buy handy pumps as well, at most yacht shops). Most resins come with different speed hardeners to suit the temperature you are laminating in.
Start collecting old ice cream containers etc, buy a cheap set of scales for measuring out resin/hardner and glove up - you can get sensitised to epoxy pretty easily.
Follow instructions on resin to hardener ratio's religiously or your lam job wont work!
good luck!
WA
12885 posts
There's a bewildering array of epoxies, westsystem comes highly recommended but is a bit expensive. I use botekote as there is a local suppler here that sells it to us at a decent price.
(are you in WA?)
If you're not going to paint it afterwards, you'll need to spend a bit more and get a UV stabilised variety, (sorry don't have any brand names for that, but I know they exist)
TAS
54 posts
I've been using the kinetix R104 epoxy from shapers australia. I'ts UV stabilised, wets out well, good pot life and thus seems like a pretty good product. In cooler climates you need to keep the temperature above 18 degrees otherwise it takes ages to harden properly.
