[alberg30] Fiberglass matt & epoxy

[George Dinwiddie]

From: "George Dinwiddie" <gdinwiddie at mail.min.net>

There is matt designed for use with epoxy.  I've seen ordinary 
looking matt in boat stores that said, on the package, that it was 
suitable for epoxy.  Of course, buying glass in plastic packages is 
a very expensive way to buy it.  I've not seen this available in 
bulk.

There's also a product called stitch-mat which is matt sewn to 
glass cloth.

The reason for using matt is that it fills the gaps.  Whether 
you're using polyester or epoxy, the laminate is stronger when it 
has the minimum amount of resin needed to bond it together.  That's 
why the pros all use vacuum-bagging these days.

I use epoxy for small repairs, especially for quick-and-dirty ones 
where I need the adhesive power.  But for bigger jobs, I use 
polyester resin.  It's not only cheaper, but I think it's probably 
easier for an amateur to use.  You can easily vary the cure time, 
for one thing.  Epoxy loses desirable characteristics very fast if 
you do not mix the right ratio.  I was also advised by a very good 
pro that polyester is easier to wet out.  In any event, I figure 
that the polyester used to build the boat has done very well over 
time and I might as well use the same material.

The balsa, on the other hand, has suffered from neglect and 
moisture.  That's why I'm replacing it with klegecell wherever it 
needs replacing.

 - George

P.S.  I just got a notice that Harbor Freight has nitrile gloves on 
sale.  These are the gloves I use for glasswork.  They hold up much 
better than latex and, at 8 cents apiece, I can change them 
whenever they get sticky.

NITRILE GLOVES, EX-LARGE (PACK OF 100) - Low Internet Price $7.99!
Better than latex for resisting chemical solvents and oils. This
item's number is:  37052 -2VGA
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/t/h.taf?acct=2001327&c=1

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