I am under the impression that “Q-cell” is “micro spheres/balloons.” Is this wrong? I do know that cab-o-sil adds strength and hardness. The box (see fin box thread) is the old style – plenty strong. On the idea of mixing materials – has anyone every had a problem like this: I mixed some Q-cell, and cab-o-sil, set it off, and, up here in the cool winter or the NW, put it in a warming box (@ 80 degrees) and it expanded and was soft!?!??? I can only imagine the spheres (micro balloons/Q-cell – I used to work in the dry wall finishing materials industry, and we used tons of the stuff for light weight, non-shrinking dry wall mud, so I learned it was a heat expanded mineral that forms nearly perfect little spheres – looked at it under microscope, studied its thixotropic properties – but if over worked the micro spheres can break down) expanded, but I used micro sphere paste when I was in the islands doing ding repair, and never had similar problems, but then I was not mixing it with other stuff, or putting it in confined space. Any one have thoughts on this, or knowledge of any other good filers?
for info on fillers, put the word “diaper” into the Swaylocks archive search engine and you may be surprised at what comes out (ha ha).
Hi Taylor… Cab-O-Sil: makes non-sag gel, makes resin thixotropic, without increasing viscosity. Controls sag and allows work on overhead surfaces. Can create non-sag putty. Increases the hardness of resin. Microspheres: a light weight, white filler of hollow glass spheres that add particles of air to solid materials. Use with polyester or epoxy resins. It can displace 4 to 6 times the weight of resin. Improves fabrication and sanding characteristics of resin. Talc: economically increase resin bulk. Add weight and increase viscosity. Creates creamy, easy to sand paste. Talc also reduces cracking. Chopped fiberglass: strands of cut fiber glass approximately 1/4" in length. Adds structural strength to resin. Combine fibers with Cab-O-Sil for a non-sagging structural adhesive. Visco-Fill: micro-fine precipitated silica that thickens polyester and epoxy resins to a smooth, putty-like filler. Creates a non-sag troweling paste for vertical surfaces, seams, and low spots. (When added to polyester or epoxy resins, fillers can dramatically change the properties of the final product. Use Cab-O-Sil or Visco-Fill to thicken, microspheres to reduce weight, talc for low cost, and glass fibers for reinforcements) And as KeithM said, study the Swaylocks archives… see “diapers” and “exo-fiberfiller”. Many thanks to Herb Spitzer! http://swaylocks.com/cgi-bin/discussion/archive.cgi?read=16423
Nice job Dale.