Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Ok So I really liked Steve's web site (have probably visited it mopre then any other tear site except this one and MAYBE Andrew's)
I VERY carefully read each page regarding the way Steve does his glass work, I VERY CAREFULLY looked at each picture many times to make sure I was seeing EVERYTHING.
Even though I am not doing "this" tear in Steve's "strip" fashion, I decided that using glass as a protectant/sealant/structure enhancement, was a great idea. ok so the first thing I decided top do, was try it out on the roof of the slideout, as this will slide into the tear, and if I do a horrible job, I can hide it, except when it has to be out for sleeping.

I got my epoxy, my cloth, all my essentials, and I went to work, it wasn't bad, it was going along well, I decided it would work, UNTIL....my damned fingers started sticking together. thjey stuck to me, to each other, to the small bits of cloth I had trimmed off, to my scraper, my paint brush and ANYTHING that could possibly come within 10 inches of my fingers started sticking to them.

My advice (which Steve didn't include on his web site)is: wear them durned rubber gloves when working with epoxy.


arrgghh what a mess, and mineral spirits ain't helping get it off too well.

Marck,
I'd recommend reading the literature that came with the epoxy...
I's not good to get that stuff on your skin...
It won't be sticky anymore once the stuff kicks...

Right Dean, but you don't want it "kicking" when it's on you!

If you mix it too "hot" it can burn you when it kicks... Always wear gloves - keep a large box nearby. We go through a box a day at the boatyard...

I mixed new epoxy in with some semi cured epoxy (what was left in the cup). The semi cured epoxy started to kick which made the newer stuff get hot. It kicked sooner than it was supposed to. When they say hot, it literally means HOT. I couldn't hold the mixing cup anymore, suprised it didn't melt.

Oh and, "Put on a pair of gloves" should be the first instruction. I use the blue nitrile gloves.

I bought a box of 100 latex gloves from h/f... used them last time I painted the tear with epoxy coating.... I actually had sweat driping out of them after about 20 minutes, but they picked up a lot of stuff that would have gunked up my hands and made clean up a lot easiier..

I have always used gloves for epoxy and polyurethane work or anything else that won't wash with soap and water. Another thing that I do is when the worst of the cleanup is done. I take the gloves by the wristband and take them off by turning them inside out. It solves the messy glove problem. My next step is to put on freash gloves to finish my cleanup. I've probably saved more in soap, solvent and convience than the cost of the gloves.

Just a little hint on epoxy setup time....if your epoxy is curing too fast for you and you are not able to get it smoothed out and all the bubbles out fast enough, after it is mixed per the manufacturers instructions, mix about 5 to 10% by volume of alcohol in with it. The alcohol will thin the epoxy and make it flow and soak in better, slow the cure time, but will not effect the strength or quality of the product after curing.

An old model airplane building trick.

I work in epoxy also, and I don't know how you were mixing yours, but the West System has calibrated pumps that allow you to get the correct mix. They also have different catalysts for temperature ranges. You should get a fair amount of time for working it. If you work cloth too much, yes, it will start to fray. For cloth, I lay it on the dry wood, lightly prestretch it and use masking tape to hold in place. then roll the resin onto it. I wouldn't recommend a brush. I use a squeegee, like a bondo squeegee to work it into the cloth until it dissappears and smooths out any wrinkles.. Hard 90 degree bends are difficult, typically I use glass tape on the corners first and watch them closely as they cure so the cloth maintains the hard bend, then I do the sides seperately. If you don't use gloves, you gotta get it off your hands before it cures. Lacquer thinner if it is really wet, acetone if it has started to cure. Fun Huh??? Doug Hodder

doug hodder wrote:I work in epoxy also, and I don't know how you were mixing yours, but the West System has calibrated pumps that allow you to get the correct mix. They also have different catalysts for temperature ranges.

You mean these?

Yup, that's them....for me, I've never had the epoxy get that hot, that I couldn't handle the container however. I don't know, but it might be something to consider, don't over mix. I think that if you whip a lot of air into the material it cures faster. Call the guys at West System for trouble shooting, they've always been helpful to me. For large areas I think that most material that I have ever pumped into one mix was about 8 pumps, and I didn't mix any other material in that tub until I had used what was there. Sorry to hear that you had a bad experience with it. I know that if I'm trying to pay attention to someone talking, or the TV while I'm pumping, I have lost track of how many pumps I put in. I guess I have a short attention span. Another trick is to make sure they are up to room temp before pumping....Doug Hodder

Yeap... Those are the ones...
Darn it Rocky... I can't tell what # your hardener is...
Is that 206?

Looks like 206.....207 has more uv inhibitors in it and is mostly for overall finishes. 206 is structural catalyst you can add microballoons, collodial silica, and other fillers into it. 207 is the top coat stuff and is used on it's own, has a slight yellowish cast to it. Doug Hodder

Doug,
207 is what to use if you want the natural wood to show through, right?

Right!!....207 goes really well over dyed/stained wood, Like I said, it's mostly for top finish work, not structural stuff. I do use it on my boats on the sides wetting out the glass cloth and building up layers, it also looks killer right on top of mohogany. It's not made to add fillers into it, although I'm sure you could, if you were out of 206 and needed it in a pinch....Doug Hodder