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The Epoxy Files
SECTION III - UNDERSTANDING THE CHEMISTRY
Thoroughly knowing epoxy resin chemistry is not necessary before using a System Three product, but having a rudimentary chemical knowledge will help you complete any project more effectively, avoiding pitfalls or surprises which may arise when using epoxy containing materials.
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SECTION IV - MEASURING AND MIXING
Measuring and mixing is really easy with most of our epoxy systems because they mix at a 2:1 or 1:1 volume ratio, but this doesn’t mean you don’t have to pay attention to what you’re doing. First, read the label or Technical Data Sheet to see what the correct ratio is for the product you are using. Customers will call our Technical Support line suggesting that something is wrong with the epoxy because it didn’t cure properly. We know of no situation where properly-mixed resin/hardener has gone bad or has been contaminated and wouldn’t cure. It always resolves that the batch was either improperly measured or insufficiently mixed in the user’s shop. Epoxy chemistry just will not allow it to work any other way.
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SECTION V - BOATBUILDING PRODUCT EVOLUTION
System Three Resins began manufacturing and selling formulated epoxy resin systems to the marine industry in 1979. Our initial product (now called our General Purpose epoxy) took what we call the “chemistry set” approach. That is, for building or repairing wooden boats, one bought a low viscosity, clear resin and the appropriate speed hardener, along with powdered fillers, thixotropes, wood flour, microballoons and the like. The basic resin/hardener system was formulated to be able to coat wood and wet out fiberglass cloth when used right out of the container. With the addition of various dusty powdered fillers one could make an adhesive, filleting putty or fairing compound.
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SECTION VI - OUR EPOXY SYSTEMS
What follows is a brief description of the various epoxy product systems we offer along with suggested areas of use. Consult the individual Technical Data Sheets for each product for specific information. These are available online atwww.systemthree.com, from your System Three dealer, or by calling us.
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SECTION VII - TECHNIQUES OF EPOXY USE
Epoxy resins are used and applied following one of four basic techniques. These are coating, fiberglassing, gluing, and filleting/fairing. Furthermore, the techniques are pretty much the same whether they involve new wooden boat construction, the repair of fiberglass boats, furniture building, bar top coating or dry rot repair.
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SECTION VII A - COATING WITH EPOXY RESIN
Wood is often coated with epoxy to dimensionally stabilize it and provide a barrier which helps to prevent the passage of moisture. Silvertip Laminating Epoxy has a certain amount of flexibility and tough resilience built into the formulation. Because of this, a plywood panel could be coated on the bench, then bent into place without danger of the epoxy cracking. When working flat you’re not fighting gravity and the coated panel is easily sanded on the bench using a disc sander and foam pad. The sanded panels are then installed and are ready for painting. Coating a 4’x8’ sheet of fir plywood will illustrate this method:
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SECTION VII B - FIBERGLASSING WITH EPOXY RESIN
Outside surfaces of boat hulls are usually epoxy/fiberglassed to create a thicker, stronger epoxy coating. This provides higher abrasion, impact and moisture resistance. In the case of most wooden boats, the purpose of reinforcing cloth is to strengthen the epoxy coating, not to reinforce the hull. Chines, keels, bow and transom corners are structurally reinforced with fiberglass tape and epoxy. Fiberglass tape has been judiciously used to great advantage by woodworkers to strengthen unseen edges of complex miter/bevel joints in panels.
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SECTION VII C - MODIFYING EPOXY WITH FILLERS
Epoxies formulated for coating and fiberglassing are too thin to serve as gap-filling adhesives. They can be modified by the addition of thixotropes to form non-sagging pastes very useful as gap filling glues. These pastes can be further modified with the addition of microballoons to form putties for fairing and hole filling. Wood flour can be used to make filleting putty for stitch-and-glue boat construction. All these solid dusty additives are called fillers. Fillers change the flow and density characteristics of the epoxy system. Each filler changes the liquid resin and hardener in ways that make epoxy useful for other applications besides coating or fiberglassing.
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SECTION VII D - BONDING WITH EPOXY
The mixed viscosity of coating and fiberglassing epoxies is not high enough to make good gap filling adhesives. Thixotropic agents like silica thickener (Cab-O-Sil, Aerosil), plastic minifibers, and wood flour are used to thicken the epoxy and change the flow characteristics. These fillers will turn the epoxy from translucent to opaque depending on the type and amount used. Silica thickener and plastic minifibers make the epoxy whitish while wood flour turns it reddish-brown. Silica thickener makes a smooth material while epoxy thickened with plastic minifibers or wood flour will be coarse. Microballoons and microspheres should not be used in adhesive formulations as they reduce tensile strength.
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SECTION VII E - FILLETING, FAIRING, AND MOLDING WITH EPOXY RESIN
The SilverTip Series contains two putty materials: SilverTipEZ-Fillet, a wood-flour filled putty, and SilverTip QuikFair, a microballoon filled putty. Neither involve user added fillers and powders. As described elsewhere these have other advantages beyond simply eliminating the use of obnoxious, dusty powders. We suggest that most epoxy users will be better off using these rather than whipping up a batch of "homebrew" epoxy putties. Once mixed SilverTip EZ-Fillet and SilverTip QuikFair are used as described below.
SECTION VIII - PAINTING AND FINISHING
Over the years nearly half of the technical service questions we’re asked involve painting and varnishing epoxy coatings. More than anything else this has been the area that has caused most people trouble. We have solved these problems by developing our own paint and clear finish system for epoxy resin surfaces - more on this later.
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SECTION IX - AREAS OF EPOXY USE
In the Introduction we stated that this is not a book about boat construction and repair. While that is true, we believe that the ways of using epoxy described in Section VII will have more meaning if the prospective user can relate the techniques of boat construction and repair. There are a number of boatbuilding books that go into greater depth than we will here.
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