hey guys. i’ve got a quick question regarding system three’s “clear coat” epoxy system. i’m doing a project in my photography class for my final on surfing…and i’m making a book to put the photos in. idea is to make a mini surfboard, split in half to use as the front and back covers. i’ve got my eps foam, and i’m ready to glass her up but i’m a little hesitant about my epoxy. i bought a quart kit at a local marine shop and the guy ringing me out asked what i was doing with it, and when i told him he seemed kind of skeptical it would work on foam. any thoughts? i did a quick search on here but nothing really turned up about this particular system…mostly just sb-112 stuff. i’ve got some of greg’s epoxy too but that’s being coveted for my new board. any thoughts? i dont care about blush or anything…just that it will set up on the foam. any input welcome…thanks!
Epoxy won’t eat your EPS. Also, you would assume the stuff will harden since that’s what it’s designed to do. I don’t see any problem. Whether the clear coat stuff is good for laminating… But it should work even if it’s not as strong as surfboard resin.
thanks, i figured as much. i just got a little weary by the guy’s skepticism. last time i trust a salesman.
Uhmm- I have used the clear coat, and if you’re laminating rather than just…well, clear coating, I’d use a different epoxy. The thing is, it has a viscocity like water, so it penetrates very nicely into , say, wood, but for glassing it will laminate way too dry and probably penetrate into EPS like you were pouring it through a sieve unless you seal the bejeezus out of the foam first.
I did a lamination with it, once, but I had to add a bunch of cabolsil to the mix to get it thick enough to stay in the cloth. Otherwise, naaah, it looks like the fibers are out there all on their own.
So, the executive summary: not good for laminating, not good for hotcoat. Makes a lovely gloss coat or base coat on a wooden fin.
The sales guy was right.
hope that’s of use
doc…
ended up using it still, but used it on some xps i had laying around. figured this be better than eps with it’s tendency to seep. i got a little worried after a few hours of it not kicking, especially since i had done the amounts with a digital scale, but finally as the night went on it kicked. project’s done! thanks for the help guys, as always.
Try contacting System Three. They have been very responsive in the past…