I am very interested in this particular resin but it seems to be one of the least disussed topics here. Does anyone know if the solarez vinylester has been fixed to an adequately clear level? As well as whether or not the newer vinylesters are formulated to work with thin laminates(surfboards), particularly the solarez brand. I find it unusual the resin that is supposedly in between epoxy and polyester in characteristics isn’t pursued more often…
Thanks!
But why? It’s unrefined. Not to mention that there would have to be compatibility issues, development, etc. Cloth manufacturers, pigments, and all kinds of glassing components would have to be tested and possibly modified to be compatible with it, and for what? An inferior resin? There is already epoxy resin. End of story.
I’m sure it’s great for ding repair and stuff, but the third mainstream resin type is a whole 'nother story.
I guess it’s main pull would be that it could be UV cured to save resin and lessen waste. It seemed that UV cure polyester really aided in its competition against epoxy. Plus from what I’ve heard the strength is better than poly. Oh well, tried and true is probably safer.
I mostly do epoxy these days but prior to that I was using VE resin. It’s more flexible/less brittle than PE and puts off less in the way of VOCs. The boards hold up better and seem to come out a touch lighter, too. Pricewise it’s close to PE resin. The big downside (for me) is still the amber color - I tint all my VE layups. I’ve got no reason to use PE resin unless it’s for a gloss coat.
double.oops.
I see. Since I will most likely be using PU I was thinking VE would be a better alternative to PE resin. I live in florida and have heard too many horror stories about full epoxy/PU shrinkage to try that first(plus UV cure means less waste). Would the amber color be less noticable with a bright foam stain like a nice blue? Also will it dry sandable or do I need to add surfacing agent?
There are a number of posts about VE in the archives. It is completely compatable with poly. Glass with VE. Filler and gloss with poly. You need to use the SR mekp because it will foam up a bit with normal reaction mekp. Not sure about UV cure.
Yes it is amber in colour good for that old school look. Which is what I used it for. The VE I have used is from DOW chemicals, it is fine with thin film cures at ambient temps.
VE if far from an inferior resin. It is fully compatable with all fibreglass cloths, carbon and kevlar. Yes it is between poly and epoxy. But it is far superior to poly. Lighter, stronger, stiffer. I posted a copy of the product data sheet some time back. If you cant find it in the archives I will repost it. platty.
stupid computer
Thanks platty. I’ve been searching for a few days but the good posts I could find were either muddled or very out dated. I discussed the UV cure stuff with the solarez tech (Gary I believe). He says it will fully cure it, no point in messing with the mkep.
I think I may be sold on it. Coloration really doesnt matter because a nice foam stain could hide it somewhat right?
Like I said, I tint my VE laminations and fill coats. Putting an amber-colored lam over a blue or green airbrush or foam tint looks exactly like you think it would when I put it that way. OTOH, putting some blue pigment or tint into the resin gives you a definite blue that doesn’t significantly yellow later on - same with most other colors. You can even get a pastel out of it if you’re careful with the pigment. I’ve also tinted the resin white - that’s pretty easy.
Sanding agents work, but I usually use PE resin for the hotcoats because I don’t want to try tinting hotcoats.