NautiSouth

Glassdave, thanks for your input. Can you elaborate on why you prefer VE to epoxy? After reading this:

http://www.lbifiberglass.com/TECH/techresin.html

I see that the mat helps the PE or VE bond to the wood, where epoxy doesn't need it as it will readily bond to the wood on its own.

I wish I could find data on flexural strength and flexural modulus for the same fabric with different resins. My assumption is that epoxy will result in a laminate with higher strength and a more favorable strength to weight ratio.

glassdave

iTrader: (1)

Ve fills the bill for nearly everything i do, offers much higher physicals then PE for not a great deal more money (eight hundred vs twelve hundred a drum) I also like the ability to use gelcoats and poly or VE based fillers and things for finishing. Epoxy has its place but in the real world unless your entirely re engineering a structure its wasted money for the most part. 90% of these things are made from poly anyway and lasted years. The downfall of a boat is rarely what its made of but rather how it was made and how it was handled in rigging and in everyday use. For my needs VE resin will get you most of the way to the same performance as a mid range epoxy, those are going to be properties that far exceed anything your likely to need. Like i said epoxy definitely has its place but i like working with VE, its essentially an epoxy suspended in a styrene matrix.

ebendrey

No one mentioned the fumes. Much nicer to work with epoxy because of the fumes alone.

Unlimited jd

iTrader: (5)

That's the best part! No extra expense to get high lol

J-Bonz

iTrader: (3)

Cuts down on beer costs....

sparky24

how long before you can sand the stuff it stays tacky for a while

and btw even though epoxy doesnt stick as bad i was under the impression that it actually is just as bad to breath the fumes you just cant smell em as much