QA

Question: Can Fiberglass Resin Be Used Alone

Suitable for a tremendous range of projects, Bondo® Fiberglass Resin can stand alone or be used with backing strips, tape, cloth or fiberglass mat for jobs where you need reliable strength. The cured resin is compatible with nearly any paint system including gel coat and marine paint.

Can you use just fiberglass resin?

Bondo Fiberglass Resin is the same high-strength polyester resin that is used to build most boats. It can be used alone or with fiberglass tape, cloth or mat to repair damaged fiberglass boats, snowmobiles, jet skis, bathtubs and showers and also be used as a sealer on damaged and rotted wood.

Can you use fiberglass resin without hardener?

Can fiberglass resin cure without hardener? Well no, it won’t harden. It might eventually go dry and crusty, but that depends on the resin, and it would be super brittle in that state anyway.

Do you have to use cloth with fiberglass resin?

You may be tempted to use resin without some kind of backing like matting or fiberglass cloth. DON’T USE JUST RESIN! You will definitely want to use at the very least matting (easy, thicker matrix, soaks up resin fast!) which significantly hardens your armor.

Does resin stick to Vaseline?

Petroleum jelly is a suitable mold release agent best suited for simple molds without fine details. The jelly thins when applied by hand, coating the mold material. If used on highly detailed molds, the petroleum jelly may be as thick as some of the fine details, resulting in lost details on your finished resin object.

Is fiberglass resin the same as epoxy?

Polyester resin is excellent for fiberglass lay-up — building a boat, for example. As a general rule, the tensile strength of a polyester bond will be around 20 percent weaker than the same bond made with epoxy. That makes epoxy resin usually the best choice for fiberglass repair work.

Can you put fiberglass resin over paint?

yes if the paint is well bonded you can epoxy right over it. You’ll need to paint the epoxy too as it doesn’t like sun exposure.

How long does fiberglass resin need to cure?

How long does it take for fiberglass resin to harden? It should take no more than 2 hours to cure with a 10-12 drops per oz resin, at around 80 deg. (there are a few other factors, but that’s close enough for a fairly solid cure where it’s sandable).

Will fiberglass resin stick to painted metal?

Fiberglass will stick just fine to bare metal but you need to use the correct resin. The most common type of resin is polyester, which sticks fine to itself and to the glass, but doesn’t stick very well to metal. You need to use epoxy resin.

What kind of paint do you use on fiberglass resin?

Any paint you choose should be classed as exterior paint, as exterior paints are made to resist weathering. When choosing fiberglass paint, do not use oil-based or melamine; instead consider acrylic (100%), polyurethane, polyester, and epoxy paints. Use a polyester-based paint for polyester-resin fiberglass.

How much hardener do you use with fiberglass resin?

For small applications use 10 drops of hardener per ounce of resin. Working time will be 10 to 12 minutes. For larger applications, use half of the fiberglass resin hardener supplied, to half of the resin container. Using large amounts at one time will cut the working time in half of the mixed resin.

What happens if you don’t add enough hardener to resin?

Off ratio: Too much or too little hardener will affect the cure time and thoroughness of the cure. Remove epoxy. Do not apply additional material over non-curing epoxy.

Does fiberglass resin dry hard?

How long does fiberglass take to harden? The hardening process begins immediately, so only add catalyst to a working quantity. Once catalysed the resin gradually cures, taking on a jelly-like consistency in about 10-20 minutes before becoming hard in about 30-40 minutes at room temperature (about 20ºC).

Does resin stick to Saran Wrap?

Epoxy does NOT stick to Saran Wrap.

Which is better resin or polyresin?

The resin is an organic compound that is hard to remelt. Resins are referred to as less durable, on the flip side, plastic is referred to as more durable.

What happens if I don’t put enough hardener in fiberglass resin?

If your resin hasn’t cured properly, this means that the chemical reaction between the resin and hardener was not able to take place. Soft, sticky spots: if you have sticky spots on an otherwise perfectly cured surface, you may have scraped out unmixed resin or hardener from your mixing container when you poured.

How much resin do you need for Fibreglass?

Resin is calculated between 2 – 2.5: 1 Resin to Glass ratio. So, you have 10.8 kg of fibreglass matting, 10.8 x 2 = 21.6 kg of Resin minimum, say 25kg of resin to be safe. If the Gelcoat that is applied at just over 0.5mm and 6 layers of Glass each 1mm, your laminate should be approximately 6 -7 mm thick.

What will fiberglass resin not stick to?

Fiberglass resins will not stick to woods that have been treated. They only stick to untreated, clean, dry wood. Redwood is not only usually treated, but it also contains a waxy substance prohibiting adhesion.

What’s the difference between resin and epoxy?

The most obvious difference between the two is the intended use. Epoxy resins are meant for coating applications whereas casting resins are meant for casting applications such as molds, figurines, & jewelry. However, that is not to say that either would not work for their opposite intended uses, but more on that later.

Can I spray fiberglass resin?

Resin is a thick fiberglass liquid that when mixed with 2 percent catalyst becomes a solid. Polyester resin also is used for gel coat, which is fiberglass paint that has to be thinned for spray application. Polyester resin can be thinned out using no more than 10 percent acetone.

Can you seal wood with fiberglass resin?

Fiberglass resin can seal wood to form a shell that protects the wood, and provides a smooth painting surface. It also fills in any imperfections.