Can you use sand to thicken EPOXY?

[Jeremy Clarkson]

For I plug I want to spread thickened epoxy along an edge because the fiberglass cant quite bend to the exact shape.

I have heard of colloidal silica filler for this, can't I just use sand? or crushed up dry clay?

[Yellowjacket]

It would be heavier than all get out, and you wouldn't be able to work it after you did it, it would tear up any tools that you tried to use to cut it. Much better to use wood flour or sawdust or something like that.

[AndrewK]

You could use flour or talc, what ever you can get the cheapest.
But if you need easy to sand material then you have to spend money on microspheres.

[PAR]

Sand is also way too large on an order of considerable magnitude, for use as a filler material. Why sand and what is it's primary goal in the matrix?

[Steve W]

Or why not just use the colloidial silica? its not expensive.
Steve.

[Frosty]

Sand will be heavy --if thats a concern . I have used rice and sago infact there is many products on the supermarket shelf can fil out some resin / epoxy.

[PAR]

Sand will also be imposable to sand down well.

[gonzo]

I can see using sand in a plug to fill really big holes. You can then use fumed silica or other more easily worked filler for final fairing.

[cyclops2]

Sand will NOT sand down in a mold of anything.
You are going to use sand in a problem area ?

If it is TOTALLY OUT OF SIGHT & NEVER needs to be sanded or removed ????

You can use anything.

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by Jeremy Clarkson

For I plug I want to spread thickened epoxy along an edge because the fiberglass cant quite bend to the exact shape.

I think thats pretty un-important.

I used rice an a dinghy keel, hey if I ever get on a desert Island at least I can eat the dinghy.

[dfy711]

Originally Posted by Jeremy Clarkson

For I plug I want to spread thickened epoxy along an edge because the fiberglass cant quite bend to the exact shape.

I have heard of colloidal silica filler for this, can't I just use sand? or crushed up dry clay?

jeremy,if you weigh the cost,youll find the colloidal thickeners are much less expensive than sand or clay when you have 100 ft of lake under you,and your further from shore than your swimming abilities allow.there are great brands out there,i use west system, mostly because thier online assistance is ideally suited to a novice like myself.this site is also one of the best sources of info ive found

[Jeremy Clarkson]

I just need the thickened epoxy to fill the hard corner where the bottom of the plug meets the flange board.

It's not for a Boat.

I could use flour? Has anyone ever used flour

[SuenosAzules]

The answer to this would simply be no..

[Jeremy Clarkson]

Originally Posted by SuenosAzules

The answer to this would simply be no..

What?

[SuenosAzules]

Jeremy, you could use many things such as West-System filler, silica, and yes even rice, but sand would be at the bottom of my list of things to use unless I was in a pinch and had limited resources. I have worked with epoxy and fillers in my younger days working in a boat yard on custom fiberglass boats and many things were sometimes rigged, but sand can be course, wet, and dirty to have a good adhesion to it.