Just thought I would throw in my two cents worth on Add F. If you haven’t tried it with Resin Research I highly recommend you do. The difference it makes is not small. Boards are a pleasure to sand and no scrubbing before filling. The difference is really quite amazing.
have you tried wax n styrene…?
I wouldn’t touch RR without it.
I usually love the stuff but the last batch I used got all cloudy it was weired
From what I’ve read here, if it’s cloudy, warm it up gently in a double boiler setup. THINK: it’s very flammable, ergo be CAREFUL.
Check your storage and working temperatures… warmer is better. Add F will get cloudy when it gets cool because the wax will solidify, but I just give it a good shake and measure it right out. Also, the closer you get to 50 degrees F the milkier the resin will get. At 50 degrees the stuff looks like Elmers Glue. Don’t even attempt it below 50.
Dave
I’ve tried the wax/styrene with Kinetix but only with a test panel. Sample size was’nt big enough to tell if it made that much of a difference to sand over standard product. Have you filled boards this way and if so what have been the results either way?
Cheers
Mooneemick
I let the additive F bottle sit in a cup of hot water for a few minutes before adding it to the resin so the wax melts and dispurses.
At this time of year I put just a few drops of X-55 accelerator in and it really does decrease flip time in cold temps. Just did a bottom lam this week in ~50 F temp and flipped it about 4 hours later. I also heat the Resin component in the microwave for 3 sec per oz. before mixing in the Hardener / addF / X-55.
The X-55 does make it a bit cloudy if you use too much - and the resin kicks super fast. Learned that the hard way just like everything else…
~Brian
I shoot X-55 in every batch this time of year, but I still don’t work in temps below 50. I find that the X-55 decreases the flip time, and lets you get a good, hard lam or hotcoat in a reasonable amount of time, but it doesn’t help the wet-out/brush-out situation much. At 50 degrees, as soon as the stuff hits the board, it thickens (even with the X-55 and double Add F) which makes lamming a pain in the butt. It takes me almost twice as long to lam at those temps, and you end up pulling the cloth all over the place if you’re doing two or three layers at once. You gotta watch your logos, too, with all that pulling. You can easily pull them right out of position.
Hey NJ
I cut back on the amount of X-55 to keep the viscosity down. Still decreases flip time enough.
I’m sure you’re heating the resin which helps wet out.
Later
~Brian
Keep in mind that if your blank is cold, additives for reducing viscosity are null when the resin hits the foam. Stabilize the blank by keeping it in 65-70 F for at least 24 hours.
I haven’t used styrene but I use the Altex thinner for their epoxy primer with grated parafin in it. The thinner is about 70% xylene. Some of the wax disolves and some sits in the bottom of the bottle. As I use it I add more thinner. As long as there is still wax in the bottom I don’t add more wax. It seems to work amazingly well. I use the same ratio as Greg L recomends for add F -1ml/30ml for laminating and 2ml/30ml for fill coat. If he reads this he’ll probably be snorting beer out his nose, but it seems to work well - no fish eyes and minimal pukas even in my dusty workspace. And the stuff is relatively cheap.
Hey jong
Thanks for that info, I’ve been very happy with Kinetix epoxy’s sanding quality but I’m open to trying additives for a comparison. I was a bit suss on using styrene although I did’nt notice any adverse reaction, I think the xylene/parrafin combo is a better way from what I’ve heard but I havn’t done a full board with any additive yet so I guess I’ll give it a go. Sounds like you’re having good results with those ratios. Don’t worry too much about Greg L snorting beer out his nose , I think a lot of us will be doing similar things over the next few days.
Cheers
Mooneemick
Gidday Jong,
I’m interested to know what your source of Paraffin is?
A plain old candle?
Or can you buy it as a solid from the boat building places…
I wonder if using the right type is important.
Cheers mate!
Kit