Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Randy Dersham on February 17, 2011 at 10:24am

Epoxy as glue, then good stainless steel screws.  Counter sink them and then plug or fill with epoxy fillet.

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Permalink Reply by Don Messick on February 17, 2011 at 5:39pm

Thanks Randy for the response. What do you use on your frames as far as product or brand? What would you recommend?

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Permalink Reply by Lawrence E. Long on February 17, 2011 at 7:15pm

System Three or Raka epoxy is good because it is a 2 to 1 mix. West  is a 5 to 1 mix which I think is a PITA when trying to make small batches.- They all work.  Mix by volume- Smoetimes the pumps aren't accurate.

Good Luck

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Permalink Reply by Randy Dersham on February 17, 2011 at 9:41pm

Lawrence has is right. Almost any epoxy will do . I forgot to mention that you should stay away from any five minute epoxy.  As a general rule the shorter the cure time the more brittle the epoxy.  You want a boat building epoxy that cures in 24 hours.

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Permalink Reply by Sandy Pittendrigh on February 18, 2011 at 6:40am

RE> 5:1 mixing PITA

Mixing 5:1 resin by carefully measuring amounts, perhaps in plastic containers, is a PITA, no matter what.

 

If you only plan to build one boat, plastic, throw-away dispensing pumps are the way to go. They don't cost much and one squirt of hardener mixes with one squirt of resin.  That's convenient. Their only drawback that is that it takes a lot of pumping to mix up a large quantity of resin.

 

If you become addicted to boat building (when boat building becomes an 'never goes away life-style') then you'll want at least one $300 sticky stuff goo dispenser. I have one for 2:1 and another for 5:1

 

5:1 resin (especially the stuff from Larry at Raka) is harder and stronger bonding. And perhaps a bit more brittle. I use it for gluing pieces together. 2:1 resin cures clearer, hardens slower and is a bit softer and a bit more flexible in the finished product. So I tend to use it for wetting out large areas of fabric.  Lever-handle pump dispensers are a great luxury. You can mix tiny amounts or large, any time you need it, just the way you want it.  If you don't want to keep both kinds of resin around, use 2:1.  But I do like the hard fast and strong convenience of 5:1 for bonding parts together.

 

 

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Permalink Reply by Randy Dersham on February 18, 2011 at 11:02am

good stuff Sandy,

When I said short cure time I was referring to the five minute and twenty minute epoxy that his used for quick repairs.  That stuff is great when you are on the river but is much more brittle than a long cure epoxy and I wanted to make sure members understood I wasn't talking about quick cure epoxy as glue.

 

I've not had any problems with either the blush or non-blush that you mention above. We also do very near the same thing.  We use the 5:1 West Systems as glue and the non-blush System Three Silver Tip for laminating and flow coat. It is also 2:1.  I haven't used Raka but understand that they are a bit less expensive and are very reputable.

 

In the last couple of month we have started using West Systems Six 10 in the tube as our glue.  If you are running a shop the convenience of the mix tip and the time saved in set up and mixing the epoxy pays for the difference in price.  Per volume it is expensive but it sure is easy to use and apply; and, the mix can never be wrong.

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Permalink Reply by Don Messick on February 18, 2011 at 11:47am

So Randy are you using Six 10 to glue the frames? Does it work as well as the other resin as far as strength?

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Permalink Reply by Don Messick on February 18, 2011 at 12:31pm

Also when the Six 10 drys is it clear?

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Permalink Reply by Randy Dersham on February 18, 2011 at 5:27pm

All of the epoxys are stronger than the wood grain. If the joint fails it will fail next to the glue line in the wood.  So, the difference in strength between filled or non-filled epoxy really doesn't matter on wood joints.

 

Six 10 does not dry clear.  It has additives that add to the gap filling properties but it dries a thick epoxy yellowish color that is not at all clear.

 

West Systems Six 10 and its competitor System Three Gel Magic are fantastic in the tube and are made for two reasons.  1.  the tube is perfect for stitch and glue lapstrake builders that have a lot of long joints with wire or zip tie.  Because new mix is coming down the tube each time you use it the "pot life" is reset each time you use it.  So you can set it down for ten minutes or so while you tie up the joint then use it again and set it down for another ten minutes or so.  2. The thickened epoxy is a strong gap filling adhesive that is also a tiny bit flexible so it is great for mixed materials like metal to wood etc. 

 

Sandy has it exactly right.  If you are going to go with only one epoxy get the clear 2:1 mix and use it for everything. 

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Permalink Reply by Don Messick on February 18, 2011 at 6:03pm

Thanks Guys for all the info. This site is awesome and is a great help!  Between this site, Roger Fletcher's book and the plans I have I feel good about my boat project.

 

Don

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