How much epoxy resin to cover trailer

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How much epoxy resin to cover trailer

Postby lacofdfireman » Wed Mar 30, 2016 6:26 pm

I'm building a 5x10 profile trailer that is 6ft wide. I've had a hard time deciding what to seal the exterior wood with. I'm not planning on skinning with aluminum or anything just painting the 3/4" Baltic Birch exterior wall. I was going to do the PMF method but my experiments on a few smaller boards with 8oz canvas drop cloth didn't leave me with the desired smoothness that I want. So I'm back to sealing with epoxy resin and painting over the top of that with latex paint.

I'm curious as to how much I would need to buy on a build like mine? 1 gallon? Less or more? I have no clue. Also what's the best way to apply it to get the smoothest finish? Foam roller? Brush or 1/4" nap paint roller? Also if someone can point me to a link for the exact epoxy resin I need to seal the exterior it would be appreciated. Thanks for your help.
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Re: How much epoxy resin to cover trailer

Postby KCStudly » Thu Mar 31, 2016 10:17 am

I don't know if this will help you or not, but I will share my experience.

I'm using 2 plies of 6oz cloth, or 12oz per sq yd of glass over a combination of foam and wood (mostly foam). With the recommended 1:1 weight ratio I figured I would need about 3-1/2 gallons to cover the top, front, sides and hatch on my 64" wide x 9'-8" long x 51" tall cabin (I sealed under the floor using a different method).

Using West System 105, I am finding that I am actually using about 1/2 again as much epoxy. Some of this is waste; a little bit left in the cups, brushes, etc., plus what gets slopped onto the floor, or sanded back off during fairing operations; but a good portion of it is what is soaking into the foam and wood.

So I would expect to use between 1 and 2 gal if I wasn't using cloth.

Many people use CPES penetration epoxy from the Rot Doctor as a sealant. I have know idea what the coverage needs are for that, but it supposedly soaks in a lot more and is thinner to start.

Incidentally, my tests suggest that the weave for 6oz glass cloth and 10oz duck canvas ends up being about the same to fill, perhaps a little less so on the canvas.
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Re: How much epoxy resin to cover trailer

Postby TomMaj » Thu Mar 31, 2016 6:20 pm

Our 5x9 woody took between 3/4 and 7/8 gallon of West System epoxy. Like previously stated- some waste in cups, brushes, drips...
Basically 3 coats of epoxy and 3 coats of spar varnish over that. This summer we'll put one more coat of Petit Flagship varnish on top and that should be good for a couple years.
My epoxy application method was disposable 3 inch brushes, then tipped off with 3" foam brush. The foam brushes from Jamestown Distributors are much better than the ones from big box stores. I tried 6" foam rollers but abandoned that method asap as it left too many tiny bubbles in the epoxy.

-Tom
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Re: How much epoxy resin to cover trailer

Postby tony.latham » Thu Mar 31, 2016 9:14 pm

I've had a hard time deciding what to seal the exterior wood with.


I think you've chosen wisely. The wooden boat people would agree. Tom's photos speak for themselves (and I'd agree that a gallon would do a 5 x10 just fine).

Here's a little 4 x 8' getting rolled for the epoxy on the floor. Having built a couple of 5 x10s, I wouldn't recommend this method. But it works fine on the little ones.

Image

You might have a couple of plastic body-filler squeegees to pull the stuff around too. One of the so-called secrets of epoxy is to mix it in small batches. (Less than two cups) Otherwise, it'll pop-off and you'll be holding a hot pot of hardened plastic.

Google around for epoxy "blush" or ask those two craftsman above about it––since you're going to be painting over the stuff.

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Re: How much epoxy resin to cover trailer

Postby TheOtherSean » Fri Apr 01, 2016 9:48 pm

Your teardrop's gone belly up. Did you forget to feed it? :lol:

Seriously, though, that teardrop dolly you've got is pretty cool. Do you use it to bring it in and out of the garage?
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Re: How much epoxy resin to cover trailer

Postby tony.latham » Fri Apr 01, 2016 10:48 pm

TheOtherSean wrote:Your teardrop's gone belly up. Did you forget to feed it? :lol:

Seriously, though, that teardrop dolly you've got is pretty cool. Do you use it to bring it in and out of the garage?


Yep.

The first teardrop I built was from the floor up on a trailer chassis. The next two were built on wheeled dollies. It works great. No wheels or tongue to work around. I much prefer building on a dollie.

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Re: How much epoxy resin to cover trailer

Postby TheGreg » Tue Apr 05, 2016 10:39 am

TomMaj wrote:Our 5x9 woody took between 3/4 and 7/8 gallon of West System epoxy. Like previously stated- some waste in cups, brushes, drips...
Basically 3 coats of epoxy and 3 coats of spar varnish over that.


From your description, I assume you did not use fiberglass? Does the wood on your sides have any texture or are they perfectly smooth and flat? Hard for me to tell in the picture. I wonder how well fiberglass would work on sides that have a bit of texture to them.

Your woody looks amazing. I really love your choice for the sides. I hope you make a build journal some day!

-- Greg
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Re: How much epoxy resin to cover trailer

Postby lacofdfireman » Wed Apr 06, 2016 11:52 pm

What do you guys recommend for filling all the holes and gaps and screw head holes? Someone told me just to go buy some bondo from an autoparts store and that would be more than sufficient?
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Re: How much epoxy resin to cover trailer

Postby KCStudly » Thu Apr 07, 2016 6:33 am

Since you will have epoxy on hand, it would be better to get some filler and use thickened epoxy. The West System 410 is a fairing filler, sort of wood colored, that goes on very much like bondo, even a little thinner, and will be fully compatible with your epoxy coats.

For any larger tasks you may want to add a little 406, or even 403, for a little more binding strength.

http://www.westsystem.com/ss/fillers/

Respirator is very highly recommended (not optional).
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Re: How much epoxy resin to cover trailer

Postby lacofdfireman » Thu Apr 07, 2016 8:33 am

I will actually be breaking the mold and trying something new as far as epoxy goes. Haven't heard of anyone using this yet besides boat builders but when I called Duckworth's Boat Builder Supply to order my Epoxy Resin they talked me in to trying there brand of Epoxy Resin. I guess it's a new type of epoxy without all the hazards of the West Marine systems. Here is what I read about it that sold me on the product. This is copied and pasted directly from their website.


DWX (formerly DuckyPoxy) is a new class of boat building epoxy system that is used for laminating, gluing, fairing, filling, and finishing. DuckyPoxy uses a handy 2:1 mix ratio, is 100% solids with no VOC's and has the shear strength and elongation like the epoxy you have used before. But this stuff is different. DWX is a Novolac epoxy. Most boat building epoxy is made from a Bisphenol A (BPA) formula. Bisphenol A is some nasty stuff that is being removed from consumer goods due to the fact that it is carcinogenic and a thyroid disrupter that mimics estrogen in pregnant women and children – among other bad habits. We have found that some people who have become sensitized to epoxy can use DWX without little or no ill effects.

In addition to the safety issues, DWX has several other great advantages over run-of-the-mill epoxies. For starters, it has two powerful UV inhibitors built into the formula. That means you don't have to paint or varnish over it. You can use our epoxy as a final coat. It is very clear and it finishes to a brilliant shine. Also the resin will not crystalize when cold.

Another great advantage over other boat building epoxies is the cure rate. When you mix the resin and slow hardener, you get an epoxy that has a pot life of around 2 hours at room temperature! This is really handy for time consuming and complicated assemblies such as birdsmouth masts - any parts that have large gluing areas – or laying down long fillets where you want to go back with glass tape before the thickened epoxy has cured at the start of the fillet. In this configuration, the epoxy will not go exothermic and melt your mixing cup. This is ideal for beginners who work slowly or folks who live in hot climates. The slow mix will give you an hour of working time @ 80 degrees and 30 minutes @ 90 degrees.

A fast hardener is under development.

We think you are really going to like this product. The slow speed alone should make this the epoxy of choice for beginners who need the ability to go slow or folks working in hot conditions in the warmer parts of the world.

It's already into the 90's here where I live so I shouldn't have near the waste that I would have had with the West Marine epoxy that only gives you minutes before setup especially since it's already so hot. Guess I'll just have to cross my fingers and hope it works. Also after reading the above it looks as though this DWX system can also be used as the filler so that would be super sweet...

As far as the latex paint goes Duckworks said they would recommend it over their Epoxy and I know others have used it with great success on their builds. I haven't bought the paint for final coats yet but could be easily persuaded either way...
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Re: How much epoxy resin to cover trailer

Postby KCStudly » Thu Apr 07, 2016 10:36 am

The MSDS still reads like any other epoxy.
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