BigAl205's 2015 Ford Explorer XLT

[Babs]

Lol!! No shit!? Aqua Net. Who'd a thunk it.


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[claydo]

So.....all those prep pictures.....where's the results bish? C'mon al, what ya waiting on!?

[BigAl205]

[BigAl205]

I had a slight setback. I had originally bought 5 gallons of fast epoxy from Illstreet Composites back in September of 2014 to be used on my Honda, but the project got put on the back burner (I have unlimited back burners), so I put the epoxy into the spare bedroom closet. I figured that as long as it stayed in a dark, climate controlled area, it would be okay. Well, I finally went to transfer the epoxy from the 5-gal bucket to a gallon jug so I could use my metering pumps, but unfortunately I found that the resin was thick as molasses.

Since I've never really worked with epoxy before, I got online to do some research on if it had gone bad, could it be used, thinned, etc. I also sent Illstreet an email asking about it, but got no reply, nor does their FAQ section talk about it. Since it's well over a year old, I've got no recourse.

I then went to US Composites to check their website to see if I could get any thoughts, but I was surprised to find that the info on Illstreet's website is an exact copy of what's on USC...verbatim. It makes me wonder if Illstreet buys USC's "stale" product and then resells it...or maybe they just get the product from the same manufacturer. But on USC, they mention three different types of epoxy: thin laminating, thick, and casting resin. It makes me wonder if I received thick epoxy by accident. USC doesn't recommend using thick epoxy with fiberglass cloth because it doesn't saturate as well, but I hate to be stuck with 5 gallons of useless product.

Rather than throw in the towel, I decided to mix some up and do some test swatches. The epoxy was too thick to work with the metering pumps, so I had to pour and measure the 2:1 mixture with my digital scale. I laid the cloth in a metal pan, poured the mixed epoxy over it, and worked it in with a fiberglass roller. It seemed to saturate okay, so I put the test patches on some disposable plates.

The first test was straight on some blue painter's tape. It adhered and would not come off



Next, I tried it with a plate that I gave a wet coating of Aquanet. The cured swatch did eventually come off, but it took some persuasion...so I'm counting it as a failure





I then checked out a plate that had two dried layers of Aquanet. It did marginally better, but still not an easy removal






I was then totally surprised how easily the epoxy popped loose from simple packing tape, with VERY little effort



In case you're wondering what the substrate is...it's regular automotive carped saturated with resin. Glenn told me that he's built speaker boxes with resin-soaked carpet, and I was interested to see the results myself. I had to use aviation snips to cut it in half to see if the resin had penetrated, and it looks good to me.

So...I need to decide how to proceed. I've also got some 435 polyester layup resin from USC that I could use, but I don't want to deal with the fumes, I could go over the painter's tape with packing tape and risk working with the epoxy I have, or I can order the right stuff from USC. I'm also wondering if I should use carpet instead of fiberglass for the whole thing (less itchy).

Luckily for me, it's gonna rain all the way thru my one off day, so I've got plenty of time to decide

[AccordUno]

Al, I know the feeling. Don't let it stop you.. You can du it!

[chithead]

Very glad it's still useable for you Mr. Al!

[slade1274]

I'm also wondering if I should use carpet instead of fiberglass for the whole thing (less itchy).

I'd give it a shot on smaller drivers, but would stick to the reinforcing mat for subs.

[BigAl205]

I've decided to just go with the epoxy that I've got, so I spent time last night going over everything with packing tape. After curing for another day, that resin-soaked carpet ended up being stiff as a board, and I'm willing to be that two or three layers will be rock solid, so I think that's probably what I'm going to go with since it's easier to work with. Worst case scenario...I'll have to re-tape and do it over with polyester and fiberglass cloth. Keep your fingers crossed!

[claydo]

Good luck al!

[Glenn]

Looks like the experiments worked out well, get work done son!!