Epoxy Laminating Resin.

[Alan_Perse]

Hi All,

Just wondering where do you get your epoxy laminating resin from if you use it.

Thanks,

Alan.

[billscottni]

I get mine in Belfast (Newtownabbey) at http://www.mbfg.co.uk/
This is also where JP gets most of the stiff for his PSS models. Most boat chandlers will sell West Systems epoxy or similar, but usually much more expensive

[Alan_Perse]

Great thanks Bill. Will have a look. The place I would normally get them is the German site RG Composites. But they have a minimum order value of €50 and I don’t need to buy that much.

[Peter]

I normally use Viking Marine at the Pavilion, Marine Rd, Dún Laoghaire who stock West system epoxy kits.  Check the use by date before you buy. The 101 kit cost about 25 euro last time I bought there and it is grand for most small laminating jobs.

[Alan_Perse]

Thanks Peter.

[Fred]

For "large" quantities, I go to HP Textiles 

For small quantities, I use whatever epoxy I have 

[Alan_Perse]

Hi Guys. I bought some laminating epoxy in 1018, but I never used it. But now I need to use it to do some work on my Vega fuselage. But the use by date on the epoxy is October 2019. Do you think it’s still useable? It has never been opened. I would hate for it to go to waste.

[AndyB]

Morning, I'm not familiar with 1018 but usually it's not a good idea to use expired resin. A few different things might happen with it,   Sometimes you can get little balls of hard resin and crystals developing,  sometimes it will look clear and normal but after you apply it then it always has a tacky surface even when cured.  And sometimes it could cure great for about 95% of the area but one patch would stay wet like it never mixed with the hardener. You could get lucky and it turns out ok.  If it's for structural work then don't touch it. If it's just for cosmetic things then do a test patch and see how it performs.   I personally would throw it in the bin!!!

[rogallo]

Alan, I presume you meant 2018? If you are doing work inside the model and it looks like there are no crystals or it is gone crusty, work away with it. IN the 90's our instructors in the club use to tell us 10 seconds in the microwave would loosen it up.


Best of luck with it.

Ralph

[Alan_Perse]

Thanks Ralph, Andy. Yes the epoxy is from 2018. That would be some old epoxy if it was from 1018 . I’ll try it out on something else before I’ll use it on the model.

[billscottni]

test piece would be a good idea