I am in the process of moving, and with what I can afford, a detached garage would be a luxury and not a necessitiy.
If I get a basement big enough to glass in I would consider myself lucky.
That said, it seems that the my days of Polyester resin may be coming to an end.
So regarding epoxy resin, is there really no noticeable odor if one were to glass indoors?
Additionally, is it safe to glass with epoxy sans respirator?
Thanks in advance.
Drew
If I even open a can of poly filler inside my wife detects it. Epoxy no problem, small odour, but no strong smell. Some ventilation would help for peace of mind.
Others will have more comments I hope, but being forced to move to epoxy will be a move in the right direction. Good luck.
No respirator for me & my epoxy. And the smell - there is a slight one, kind of a sweet organic smell like damp old leaves or something - doesn’t linger like Poly does.
Epoxy has very little smell so you should be fine. Why would you not wear a respirator when working with it though? Regardless of if you can smell it or not, you will be inhailing something. Just want you to be safe, that’s all.
Thanks for the safety tip, usually I agree with erring on the side of caution. I’ve carefully assessed the risks, though, and am comfortable that no harm will be done.
I’ve read the MSDS. There aren’t any VOC’s or airborne particulates that can hurt me. Why wear a respirator just because you’re inhaling? I’d be better off wearing a respirator walking through fields of flowers - at least there it might keep the allergies down.
Now if you could make a respirator with a beer inlet, I might be interested. 
Now if you could make a respirator with a beer inlet, I might be interested.
Ha ha! That reminds me of a sander that I once met- he would cut a hole in his respirator so that he could smoke while he had it on. I saw him in action doing it! Ridiculous. -Carl
Fair enough. To each his own. I agree that using Greg’s epoxy is apealling due to its increased safety and ease of use. That is why I switched to it. MSDSs are a great reference to have, and they provide good detail about safety and handling. But I look at it for what it is, a government regulated specification sheet.
The mandated surgeon generals warning on a pack of cigarettes light heartedly lets you know if you are a smoker, you have a pretty good chance of kicking it due to something related to smoking. Thats all, nothing more nothing less. I like to think that we all know better than that by now. Yet people still don’t put down the death sticks.
I’m not trying to get on a soap box. Like you said, you can’t be protected from everything. Just by living in southern Cal. I have come realize I might as well smoke. It might be healthier than the air I breathe naturally. I just think if the risk is preventable, why take the risk?
Also, if you want the plans for that respirator with the beer attachment, I am sure I can help you out. My roomate in college had one for his beer and pot. I am sure he’d be happy to share.
Adequate ventilation is the key word when considering not to use a respirator using epoxy. Basement use would warrent a need for proper ventilation. And then if you make one or two boards a year, probably no big deal. I tried to order some additive “F” but they would not ship it to Hawaii because of it hazardous material status. It’s my understanding to be flammable, so store it appropriately. Also I am developing an “additive P” for any type of epoxy resin. It’s to add an aroma to the resin. Not sure if the “P” will stand for poop or polyester smell. Motivation to wear a respirator.
Like most, I’ve read the poly vs epoxy posts for the past couple of years and read the claims for both that cover the full spectrum, however, I’m still in the dark a bit. Perhaps this should be a new thread, but I’ll slip in here: Seems the guys from Oz especially like epoxy and some claim they would not even glass a board (especially balsa) with poly. If epoxy is stronger, doesn’t delam, doesn’t turn yellow as quickly, has no harmful affects when working with it, keeps wives happy too, then why do so many (including me prior to my latest board) hang loyally to poly.
I’m old school and have had my balsa boards glassed with poly because I like the high polish gloss. I recently sucked it up and reluctantly had my last balsa board glassed with epoxy. With the advice of my glasser, it was coated with poly and polished. When placed side by side with a poly glassed similar balsa board I can tell absolutely no difference in appearance. Can anyone bottom-line a “final rest your case” answer as to why poly still reins supreme among most?
From my recent experince (I’m glassing with epoxy these days):
Epoxy resin has almost no smell
Epoxy hardener has terribly hard amoniac smell, even bad for your eyes.
Epoxy+hardener mixture has almost no smell.
My advice: Do not take breath over epoxy hardener. Do not take a close look into your can of epoxy hardener (you know: “let’s see, how much hardener is in?”)
the respirator is important for glass work not just because of gases from what ever resin system your using but also because of cutting fiberglass cloth… every time you cut into cloth with your scissors loads of glass particles are released into the air… if the light is right you can see the clouds hovering around after cutting, not nice stuff to breath in, probably worst then sanding dust (unless you sand into the cloth). i once read an article about Asbestos that showed a microscopic photo of asbestos next to fiberglass and the only difference was the size of the particle. The fiberglass particle was much larger and as a result said to be “safer” because it can’t get as deep into your lungs as easily… in 30 years or so when all the asbestos has been removed what do you think is going to happen to the removal industry? my guess is they will start removing fiberglass…
Hey Richard,
I strictly use epoxy but I’m guessing a majority of folks in the US still consider polyester as being the ‘tried and true’. Also align it with ‘product correctness’ characteristics.
Herb Bean
poly is faster and more efficient. cures quiker, sands better, and finishes easier. add that to the fact that all the glass shops are setup for poly. there is little to no incentive for glass shops to switch yet.
Hey Richard…
For guys looking to shave pennies, the price of raw materials is one factor. Speed is another.
Using UV poly, I can literally glass a board in a day and I’m an amateur hobbyist. Epoxy takes me a couple of days. I can glass using UV poly in any temperature. With epoxy, the conditions have to be right.
With UV poly you can take your time and spill less so I’m not sure about claims that you use way less epoxy to glass a board. Even with that considered, IMO, you get what you pay for with epoxy - a stronger glass job. Old complaints of yellowing no longer apply.
The prices of poly and epoxy are quite a bit closer than they used to be and Greg’s stuff is cheaper than anything comparable. “Bottom Line” for guys still using epoxy (not including time saved by using UV)…
Poly - S249A = 32.48/gallon (Fiberglass Supply)
Epoxy - RR = 60.63/gallon (Greg Loehr)
Epoxy - SB112 = 104.00/gallon (Fiberglass Supply)
I also bet that polyester resin is viewed by many as ‘good enough for the application’. Environmental issues are polyester’s real threat to extinction.
Herb
One of my experiences with Epoxy Hardener was when I took the lid off at night with fluro lights on. Against a dark background I could actually see the vapours floating from the container. I only use West Systems so I can’t talk about other brands.
Hicksy
I’ve probably used over 15 different epoxy systems in the last 23 years. Resin Research really is almost totally odorless. Atleast to my sense of smell!
I’m just a backyard builder but I’ve been using epoxy for my glasswork for the last couple of years. My observations and habits:
1.Epoxy allows you to use EPS blanks- I can make my own blanks, stringers and use my own rocker templates.
2.Lower volatility, almost none compared to Polyester- much lower volumes of resin for laminations, hotcoats etc. I still wear a respirator but don’t go through nearly as many filters, and I always wear one when sanding epoxy or poly.
3.Wider range of safe cleanup solvents- I use NO ACETONE in my shop now- household vinegar or citrus oil base spray cleaner for skin cleaner, throw away brushes and disposable gloves. Spills and drips are measured in drops rather than pools of runoff resin.
4.I’ve found that with additive F my sanding is actually easier with epoxy, sandpaper lasts twice as long and doesn’t load up. No more fooling around with two kinds of resin or wax additives. Admittedly you can’t get that killer Polyester gloss shine…but now you have an excuse to stop polishing! (you CAN get something way better than a sanded finish with practice)
5.With a small electric space heater and a cast off microwave I can glass in the dead of winter. Bring the room to a decent temp. The microwave is used not only to heat the resin but also year round to improve the viscocity of the epoxy resin (part A). 15-25 sec. and it handles much like poly.
6.Epoxy is slower to use,due to curing times. Difficult to do two or three glassing steps per day as you could with SunCure. On the other hand with the longer working times you do get a higher quality lamination with fewer cosmetic flaws. You can pigment epoxy and do most anything you can do with Poly as far as color work, pinlines etc.
Tom S.
I once tried a epoxy that smelt nice like pop corn![u]
And the other one I tried was virtually smell-less…
Thanks for all the feedback guys. Most appreciated.
Just wondering why the RR epoxy is double the price of Poly? I’ve read that you need less epoxy to glass a board with.
Any opinions on that matter?
Thanks in advance again
Drew
