Miriam C. wrote:Hi all
I have been holding this question for days so I'll put it here and maybe it will help us all.
Is the resin (epoxy)sold at the auto parts stores the same thing we want?
I ask this cause there is an auto paint wholesaler here.
Miriam
Auto body shops typically use polyester resin with fiberglass. Its cheap, sets quickly (minuets/hour), and works. A quick check is to see what the two parts are. If its a large container with a small tube of catalyst (methyl ethyl ketone peroxide), then it's polyester resin.
If the two parts are something like 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, and it costs more (
$53/gal kit as a typical price) then its probably epoxy resin. Setting times are in hours or days for the slow ones.
The third somewhat common resin is Vinylester. Its a compromise between the other two. If you're going to spend extra on resin, just go with epoxy.
Epoxy is the strongest of the resin, but can't handle UV. Polyester (automotive) resin is cheaper, is UV resistant, but not as water proof as Epoxy. However, as Andrew can attest, its been used sucessfully on many boats in the past.