Cant use epoxy resin with fiberglass mat?

[willfishforbeer]

I've heard you cant use fiberglass mat with epoxy resins. Is this true?

[JC47]

You will need to purchase stitched mat to work with epoxy. I use Vectorply products currently doing layup with with quadaxil product with the mat stitched to it. Regular mat has a binder in it that the polyester resin dissolves when it is whetted out, that is incompatible with epoxy. Good Luck

JC47

[willfishforbeer]

Thanks alot!

[fiberglass jack]

there is a chop strand mat for epoxy you can also get chop strand carbon also it has a different binder than the mat that you use with polyester cost alot more

[FastLearner?]

Originally Posted by fiberglass jack

there is a chop strand mat for epoxy you can also get chop strand carbon also it has a different binder than the mat that you use with polyester cost alot more

Where would one find these products? Thanks.

[fiberglass jack]

most fiberglass dealer will have it or order it for you

[JR-Shine]

We test all the mat we order for its compatibility with our epoxies. Our 1708 for example works with any epoxy. Most of the time, you do not need mat when working with epoxy. The mat is there mainly to provide a decent bond between two layers of directional of woven cloth. With epoxy there is no bonding problem, so you just use the woven or direction right over top the previous layer. The mat will just give you some bulk – which is sometime helpful but most of the time just results in more weight for the same strength.

Joel
Boatbuildercentral.com

Here is another source for epoxy compatible mat:
Fiberglass Mat
Address:http://www.shopmaninc.com/mat.html Changed:2:35 PM on Monday, July 4, 2005

[l_boyle]

for epoxy is too expensive to use... it'll soak up alot of epoxy before you can get a smooth coat... I rather use layers of cloth than using a single mat

[Richard Hillsid]

If you have to use mat for some reason and want to keep it light, wet it , put it in between 2 sheets of plastic and squeeze the extra out before you lay up, works on small parts. works on woven 2.

[catmando2]

Whats chopped strand mat and woven rovings?????
Only joking.

Dave

[sbklf]

Originally Posted by JR-Shine

We test all the mat we order for its compatibility with our epoxies. Our 1708 for example works with any epoxy. Most of the time, you do not need mat when working with epoxy. The mat is there mainly to provide a decent bond between two layers of directional of woven cloth. With epoxy there is no bonding problem, so you just use the woven or direction right over top the previous layer. The mat will just give you some bulk – which is sometime helpful but most of the time just results in more weight for the same strength.

Joel
Boatbuildercentral.com

How do you test it for compatibility?

[JR-Shine]

Its stitched together, which normally would mean its fine for epoxy. But we want to be sure because we deal almost 100% in epoxy, so I actually take a piece and laminate it to wood.

If it had a lot of binder in it, the glass would look milky. If it goes pretty clear its fine.

Wetting out biax/mat or roving/mat is not as easy with epoxy as it is with polyester. Most epoxies, even "laminating" epoxies are not as thin. In many cases, I get better laminations easier from 2 layers of straight 12 oz. biax (no mat) than 1 layer of 1708

[JR-Shine]

Its stitched together, which normally would mean its fine for epoxy. But we want to be sure because we deal almost 100% in epoxy, so I actually take a piece and laminate it to wood.

If it had a lot of binder in it, the glass would look milky. If it goes pretty clear its fine.

Wetting out biax/mat or roving/mat is not as easy with epoxy as it is with polyester. Most epoxies, even "laminating" epoxies are not as thin. In many cases, I get better laminations easier from 2 layers of straight 12 oz. biax (no mat) than 1 layer of 1708