anybody used this resin? or other vinylesters. I am using vinylester for gelcoating.
Excellent resins for the right application; corrosion, high strength and heat requirements. Typically you need to promote these products with Cobalt (Momentum Series) and you will have trial and error on getting the gel times correct in a thin film. The new Momentum resins from Dow are clearer than the older versions, but they will yellow quickly. Not to get confused, but Epoxy Vinyl Ester and Vinyl Ester are the same things (usually) They are Bis A resins that cross link with styrene. Basically the same backbone as standard Bis A Epoxy, just different methods in crosslinking. V/E gel coats are usually pretty simple products, not as complicated as polyester versions. Usually just some resin, pigment, thixo and promoter to allow it to cure in a thin film. One other note, Vinyl Esters tend to foam, it is important to use the correct catalyst. They also need to be catalysed at a little higher levels than standard surfboard resins. If it isn’t catalysed correctly, you won’t get a good crosslink and you will have a weak soft laminate. This is especially important with thin laminates. Also, It is hard to get VE in less than drum quantities. Personally I would stick with either a quality Iso polyester (See Fiberglass Hawaii) or an epoxy that has been designed for surfboards. Sluggo
Vinylesters also generally have a short shelf life and they are known to kick in the drum at about 6 months. There are some clearer ones out now but like Sluggo said the yellow more rapidly that is acceptable in the surf world. They are generally a bit stronger than polyesters but need to be heat cured more than other thermosets to get the full advantage. I would agree with Sluggo that there are better choices for boards at this time.