Fiberglass cloth have shelf life?

[abosely]

Does fiberglass cloth, the usual laminating cloth have a shelf life?

If buy glass cloth on rolls ahead of time for project and kept out of sunlight, how long can it be stored without any degradation of the sizing?

Is there any precautions to take when storing glass cloth on rolls while working on project, other than keeping covered to protect from dust or other contaminants and UV?

In next few months will be starting a fairly large build that will take couple years.
Would be nice I f can purchase glass cloth when find good prices and store it for couple years or so if needed. But don’t know if that is good idea.

Cheers, Allen

 

[comfisherman]

Be interested to see the official response.


I bought pallets of combi in 2019 and am currently using up the last 5 rolls this week. It was stored inside a garage in an area that was dry and never got warm or cold (heated in winter to 50 and frankly it only hit 80 maybe 3 times in those 4 years) noticed absolutely no degradation. Same with my core, kept dry and shrink wrapped for years.

 

[fallguy]

I've had glass out of sun for 6 years without a notable issue. But would require real tests. My basis is that the fabrics wet out and seem fine...

 

[comfisherman]

I'll ask my glass pimp Monday, as much as we spent with him this spring he's usually good at asking the engr dept and getting back to me.

 

[wet feet]

I would be more concerned about humidity than sunlight.I have found that CSM does suffer a bit with long storage in a damp climate,if not kept in a sealed package.Since most boat facilities are near water,it can be a factor.

 

[abosely]

If it turns out that silane sizing for epoxy (which seems to be a common sizing for glass cloth used with epoxy) doesn't degrade if some precautions are taken.
Amazon even has rolls of 6mil poly tube of variety of diameters, that could cut to length, tape seal one end, throw a handful of silica gel desiccant packs in the cardboard tube, squeeze out as much air as can and tape the end shut, then store in place moderate temperatures and out of sunlight/UV.
I actually got a bag of rechargeable silica gel packs in today from Amazon, they were cheap. Could change out the silica gel packs after few days so the first ones can absorb most of the moisture and the second handful would keep the moisture a minimum just to be safe.

 

[kapnD]

I would be more concerned about humidity than sunlight.I have found that CSM does suffer a bit with long storage in a damp climate,if not kept in a sealed package.Since most boat facilities are near water,it can be a factor.

Here in the tropics, nothing escapes the humidity. Climate controlled atmosphere helps a lot, but is costly for any long term storage.
I’ve been around boatbuilding long enough to see the direct correlation between moisture infected fabrics and blistering.

 

[abosely]

What would you consider long term storage?
Was thinking about it on hand for maybe a year before completely used, not multiple years of storage.

And taking precautions to store it in sealed plastic with desiccant silica packs out of sunlight 60 to 80 degrees.

 

[gonzo]

A vacuum pump will remove the moisture from fiberglass.

 

[rangebowdrie]

Older thread, but I couldn't resist.
The OPs question is answered by a sign I saw on a pallet of "knock off" anchors that were for sale.
"Keep them dry and out of the sun and they'll last forever".

 

[KD8NPB]

Sunlight and humidity is what kills fiberglass.

The treatment applied to cause the resin to uptake in the fibers is water soluble. If it gets wet, or humidity condenses, it washes out, and becomes difficult or impossible to wet out with resin.

 

[Sea Monkey]

Probably about 1000 years