Glenn Ashmore wrote:

I would be real interested inknowing how you would apply 1/4 oz of MEKP
to 6 or 8 square feet of cloth. ;-)

I use polyester for molds and things like shower basins and grey water
tanks but compared to epoxy it is a PITA. A quart of resin requires
something between 5 to 10 ml of MEKP depending on the temperature, the
hunidity and the phase of the moon. A ml to much and it turns to gum
before you can get the glass laid tight. If you don't mix it extremely
well it forms jelly beans in the pot. If you are an ounce short you
still have to mix a pint because it is almost impossible to measure that
small amount of MEKP.

With epoxy you just get a squirt of resin and a squirt of hardner and
you have about half an ounce. If it is hot you use a slow hardner. If
it is nice out you use a normal harnder. If it is cold you use a fast
hardner. But it is always a squirt of each.

IF you need a lot the hardware store sell graduated mixing pots for
about $.75 that are good for several sessions.

IF you don't glas very often, epoxy has a shelf life measured in years.
I have never had a can of polyester make it past 9 months after it is
opened.


Absolutely.

I've done a bit of aircraft fiberglass work, but I've bever built a
glass hull.
http://home.flash.net/~lamb01/cowl.htm

I use large syringes from the vet for mixing.
My resin mix is 6:1 by volumn.
60cc of resin in the big shot.
10 cc of hardner in the little one.
Its easy to double that with two shots of each.
But that's about as much resin as I mix in one cup.
For large layups, I premix 140cc in baggies and put them in the fridge.

I don't mean to step on any toes, but since this is a boat building
forum...

West is a commonly recognized epoxy but imho West is NOT a sutable
laminating
resin for making fiberglass parts.
It's fabulous with wood.
But the mechanical properties are low and glass parts tend to be
brittle.

I've used Dow 330 for years, but can't get it any more.
Now I mostly use AeroPoxy.

There are several inexpensive laminating resins listed in Aircraft
Spruce.
There are some expensive resins listed too!

Glassing wood? West is best.
But for glass or carbon parts, there are much better resins.


Richard

Just my opinion, I could be wrong.