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Best epoxy for hot climates?


rnbraud

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Hello all,

 

Sorry to have to ask this question, but have been unable to find any mention of it in the archives.

 

Which epoxy is best suited for the hot climate of Dallas, TX. I know it isn't as hot as Mojave, CA, been there, felt it, but it still gets pretty hot here in the summer.

 

I have a feeling any of the approved epoxies are ok, just curious.

 

Thanks.

 

P.S. Haven't got the plans yet. Waiting for b-day excuse. Am leaning toward MGS but want to do my due-diligence on the homework front.

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This is a good and fair question. MGS is quite popular because of its workability in a wide temperature range. Check out the PDFs on in the Tech Info. area of their Web site to get yourself comfortable with this brand: www.mgs-online.com

 

I don't know much about other brands, other than there's a good chance for them working well in hot temps too.

Jon Matcho :busy:
Builder & Canard Zone Admin
Now:  Rebuilding Quickie Tri-Q200 N479E
Next:  Resume building a Cozy Mark IV

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Whatever epoxy you choose look at the pot life. If your working tempratures are high (IMHO, 90+ degrees) use the slowest hardener you can get.

 

I have been using Aeropoxy resin and fast hardener (pot life 1 hour) which is fine for small layups but I wouldn't even think of using it on the fuse sides or wings b/c the micro on the foam would have gelled before getting the cloth on and wetted.

 

For the large layups like those mentioned above I am going to use the slow hardener (pot life 2 hours) and relax a little :P during layups.

 

Hope this helps...

 

Carlos Fernandez

AeroCanard FG #206

Carlos Fernandez

AeroCanard FG

Plans #206

Chp. 13

aerocanard.kal-soft.com

Sales & Support

GRT Avionics

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Thanks for the insight.

 

I looks like there is no clear winner in this category. It seems any of the approved Epoxies will work under most if not all conditions.

 

The decisions seem to be based on cost and workability, not necessarily finished quality or durability. That is a good thing!

 

Still thinking of going with MGS since, IMHO, this is a pretty important part of the aircraft.

 

Thanks.

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Thanks for the insight.

 

I looks like there is no clear winner in this category. It seems any of the approved Epoxies will work under most if not all conditions.

 

The decisions seem to be based on cost and workability, not necessarily finished quality or durability. That is a good thing!

 

Still thinking of going with MGS since, IMHO, this is a pretty important part of the aircraft.

 

Thanks.

The beauty of the MGS system is that you can control the working/settings of the resin by varying the relative amounts of fast to slow hardener.

 

In the beginning, and for large layups, you can use mostly the slow setting hardener. As you get more familiar with the material and make relatively smaller parts you can add more fast set and cut your curing time. You can custom taylor it by keeping only a small amount of hardener mixture in your pump. If you want a faster setting mixture, add more fast set, for a slower set, add more slow set. Your pump will meter out the correct ratio of base to hardener (actually misnomers coming from vinyl esters), as will your scale, or any thing else you decide to use to get the proper ratio.

 

Faster setting is desirable if you like to knife trim your layups-- you don't have to wake up in the middle of the night after a 7 hour cure to cut and then go back to bed.

 

I am using a 50/50 mix of MGS hardeners(fast/slow) (system 285), in a hanger at about 80-95 F. The epoxy is kept at approx 100 F in the pump box. This gives me plenty of time to do bulkheads, gear, etc. You must be careful not to let the stuff sit in the mixing cup, after mixing, as it will exotherm, sometimes within 10 minutes, and harden. Mixing micro will slow this down, however flox doesn't have as good an effect.

 

Prepare, mix and use immediately. The faster you can get it out of the cup and on the glass or foam, the longer will be your working time (for any epoxy)

 

Glass dismissed!!

I Canardly contain myself!

Rich :D

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