PMF and epoxy resin

[FBJcreation]

Can you do PMF over epoxy resin for skinning? Thinking of doing an epoxy base on bare wood like a “mix” as it would strength and waterproof the wood. Then do PMF on top. Thanks.

[Sparksalot]

Why not go ahead and do the fiberglass too? The cloth is the inexpensive part compared to the epoxy.

[Pmullen503]

Why not go ahead and do the fiberglass too? The cloth is the inexpensive part compared to the epoxy.

Ditto. Epoxy resin only over wood is a waste. It will eventually crack from expansion and contraction of the wood. Use glass cloth if you are going to use epoxy.

PMF is a good way to protect wood. Boats have used it forever in a very harsh environment.

[tony.latham]

I agree on the fiberglass. You're toying with a dissimilar materials issue. Fiberglassing works and isn't an artisan operation. I've always felt that poor in PMF is a bit of an exaggeration since it doesn't save much money.

Epoxy resin only over wood is a waste. It will eventually crack from expansion and contraction of the wood.

I use Raka's thin epoxy resin for areas such as the galley floor and it soaks into the wood about 1/16" deep. I've been going this route for years without any cracking. In a sense, it becomes a wood/epoxy matrix.



Tony

[Westley]

It's my understanding that plywood, like marine plywood, is much more stable than lumber, in regard to expansion and contractions.

Also, there are so-called flexible epoxies available for use on wood boats. Total Boat and West System sell it, and probably others. There is also two-part marine varnish with UV protection.

[RJ Howell]

The game with PMF is getting a great bond between material and subsurface (as is the same for FG"in..). I really wonder why the mix of the two different systems..
Then of course... the benefit..

Are you thinking using canvas cloth vs. FG cloth??

[tony.latham]

Are you thinking using canvas cloth vs. FG cloth??

He was on the forum for about a month last year and I don't think he has been back.

T

[rjgimp]

I've always felt that poor in PMF is a bit of an exaggeration since it doesn't save much money.

Tony

Perhaps now that is more the case, particularly in this forum where the latest and greatest inventions in the paint and adhesive worlds are being experimented with and applied over new unblemished canvas with no seams. The costs for doing so might actually exceed that of a traditional fiberglass layup. Back in the old days when the process and the name for the process were invented I suspect there were many more cases of builders using whatever scraps of cloth and leftover dribbles of paint that could be scrounged out of the depths of the cellar or garage. In that case, such skinning could effectively be "free" as it brought zero additional cost to the budget for whatever project was being undertaken.