Re: Jim's epoxy questions: 6 oz cloth is a standard -- representing a compromise between durability and light weight. 4 oz would be OK for deck use, probably, but the hull definitely needs 6 oz cloth ... and a double layer of that in the middle. (Or, triple, if you are making a wood double kayak). Wood flour is light, available, cheap, sands easily, produces a thixotropic mixture with epoxy, and makes fillets that resemble wood. Other fillers can do most of these things, but for a SNG boat, wood flour is first choice as a thickener. "Green" epoxy (no longer liquid, but not fully cured) still has chemically active polymer parts on the surface. If more epoxy is laid on it, good adhesion occurs. Fully cured epoxy has no such molecular-level attachments, so must be roughened for mechanical adhesion as the two layers intercalate. 5-minute epoxy uses a different ingredient (for the hardener?) which makes it weaker ... and much less water-resistant. It has no place in boat building except as a tacking agent to hold parts together for the real epoxy application. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue Aug 05 2003 - 07:14:47 PDT
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