Polyester Resin

[ThrustTugKeith]

I'm getting ready to apply final coats of Resin on the Dauntless.
awhile ago, it was mentioned to "thin out" the Resin.

What do you use to thin out the Resin? :confused: Thanxs in advance to any answers.

Scott :cool:

[gusvo085]

Acetone

[Aerominded]

Havn't worked with polyester resin in a significant way in a long time but be sure to follow the reccomendations on the can- polyester tends to be sensitive and can become a real mess if not used properly...

[patmat2350]

why on Earth do you want to thin it out?
Pat M

ps: Your honey must really love you, letting you work with polyester in the house in the winter, p-u!
Spend a few more $$, get some good epoxy- no odor, longer work time, no wax to clean up before sanding- and no apologies to the better half!

[macleod220973]

Polyester doesnt normally need thinning. If it gets thick it is from age (having it a long time, usually more than 3 months stated from the manufacture).Or maybe from lower temp (freezing the resin)? 20c to 30c (68f to 86f) is the nominal temp range. :cool:

[green-boat]

The only time I used to thin polyester resin was on the final coat to slow up the cure time and to get it to self level over a large area.

[Boatfox]

I only thin poly on the first coat so it "soaks" into the wood.
You may end up with a sticky final layer that will tend to be soft and gummy. Practice on something else first.

[hew565]

I thin out "finish" Gel coat to spray it. Styrene is prefered, but hard to find. Acetone works well too. Make sure it is not real humid, or the evaporation of the acetone could chill the model enough that water would condense on it. Water and polyester resin don't get along! And DON'T do it inside! The esters in the resin will "stick" to lots of food items and you will smell the resin smell long after the project is done. I especially remember the tub of margerine I had to throw out because it smelled and tasted like resin!

I used to build surfboards and we used "water" clear resin as a final coat that could be wet sanded and polished to a high gloss. I never sprayed it, but looking back, I should have tried it.

[more coffee]

hi all

im kinda half smart and plenty dangerous in this area.ive used polyester resin in the past.with mixed results.but not on any wood scale model hull.i dont really want to use polyester even with micro bubbles because its hard to sand smooth.
so what am i looking for in other resins,ive seen the 30 minute,12 minute,or is this more like the 5min epoxy.
what is it that you guys use?

thanks
chris

[towboatjoe]

Those type of epoxy resins are for adhesive purposes only. What you want is Epoxy Finishing Resin. It'll pour thinner than water, mixes 50/50, and doesn't have the odor polyester resins have. I use it all the time indoors. I order mine at Tower hobbies. You'll come to like it. If you ever worked with the tempermental polyesters, you'll come to love it.

[Ray Farina]

As far as epoxy is concerned, you want to thin the epoxy down with Parks epoxy and lacquer thinner for the first coat only so it will penetrate into the wood. Mask off with DUCK TAPE ONLY. this is the only tape that can be used on West System. West System is a marine product and with # 410 added to the epoxy and one of the 5 hardeners, to control cure time depending on Temp. I have used West System on both marine and model boats with very good sucess. Three coats of epoxy if you are going to sand it, it must be sanded with 80 grit paper and finished with 150 grit. NO FINER or the paint will not stick. You control the consistancy of the epoxy by how much 410 you add to the mixture. Go to a marine store and get the book on West System or contact them, I thick its Gidigon brothers or something like that.